oakley - building the engine room

Oakley Unifies Global Communication with a Bold, Brand-Driven Intranet with Synergy

Oakley wanted a ‘destination’ to share internal communications and build community.

OVERVIEW:

Oakley had a vision for their employee portal. They needed a partner who shared it. SYNERGY created something new and unique just like Oakley. A ‘destination’ that lets any of Oakley’s 6,000+ employees around the world share knowledge and stories within the Oakley family all whilst combining a high level of design and functionality, staying true to the original vision.

Goals / Challenges:

Oakley, a global leader in performance eyewear and apparel, needed to unify internal communications for its fast-growing workforce of over 5,000 employees. Their existing tools—an outdated newsletter and disjointed forums—weren’t keeping pace with the company’s culture or communication needs. Led by Scott Cobbett, Oakley’s internal communications team set out to create a modern platform that was as bold and dynamic as the brand itself.

Key goals included:

• Designing a digital “destination” that reflected Oakley’s unique blend of style and function

• Building a socially enabled platform that resonated with an active, mobile workforce

• Delivering an intuitive, out-of-the-box user experience that encouraged engagement

Solution/Approach:

The result was The Engine Room—a bold, custom SharePoint-based intranet designed to reflect Oakley’s distinct culture of performance and style. Built through a focused discovery process and close collaboration with internal stakeholders, the platform delivered both function and brand immersion.

Key priorities included:

• A highly branded, intuitive user experience aligned with Oakley’s identity

• Mobile-friendly access for global and event-based teams

• Integrated social features like activity feeds, personal profiles, and peer recognition

• A strong emphasis on UI/UX to drive usability and engagement

The Engine Room became a centralized, connected space where employees could stay informed, inspired, and aligned—no matter where they worked.

“Synergy delivered exactly what we needed—something that was uniquely Oakley. They spoke our language, understood our culture, and built a platform that’s not just functional, but truly one-of-a-kind. From the start, they were multilingual—speaking both IT and our vision for design. The result? A SharePoint site that feels nothing like SharePoint. It’s everything we imagined and more.

—Scott Cobbett, Corporate Communications, Oakley

The Results:

The "Engine Room" went live in time for Oakley’s global sales meeting, where it was introduced to 3,000 employees.

THE IMPACT:

• Increased employee engagement, with real-time content sharing from field staff and global teams.

• A central, easy-to-navigate platform that replaced disjointed communication tools.

• Oakley’s unique culture was reflected throughout the design, from military-themed videos to customizable profiles and recognition badges.

Oakley continues to collaborate with Synergy to expand and enhance "The Engine Room" with additional features and new site rollouts.

INDUSTRY	GEOGRAPHY	CONSULTING	software
Eyewear / Athletic Gear	USA	Implementation Services Custom Intranet Development	SharePoint Windows Server Hyper-V

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At Synergy, we help forward-thinking firms modernize their digital workplaces using Microsoft 365, SharePoint, and Powell 365. Whether you're working with outdated tools or just need a more intuitive experience, we’ll help you build the foundation for smarter collaboration.

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