Why UITP chose UPEO to lead its Salesforce transformation

When UITP, the International Association of Public Transport, decided to replace its 20-year-old CRM system, it evaluated several technology platforms and implementation partners. “We chose the UPEO team first,” says Alexandre DeHaan, Head of Transformation at UITP. “We knew the technology was good, but we needed a partner who understood our global organisation and could help us manage this major step of our digital transformation.”

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Improving the member experience

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UITP is a global association representing the public transport sector. Its 2,000 members in more than 100 countries include transport operators, networks authorities suppliers, and all those with a vested interest in sustainable urban mobility. Its services include international events, training programmes, knowledge sharing, networking with peers and global  advocacy.

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UITP's 2025–2028 strategic plan prioritises the member experience, prompting a review of the systems supporting its activities. For two decades, UITP had relied on a single application for CRM, membership administration and several other business processes. As the organisation grew, departments increasingly developed their own ways of working, often using separate tools insolation from other teams to manage information and development opportunities.

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UITP wanted to move towards a more modern approach, with dedicated applications for different business functions. For the association it became clear that UITP would benefit from specialised tools that seamlessly connect tasks and priorities. By bringing aboard a new CRM, this would increase collaborate between departments and provide a better foundation for serving the association’s international membership.

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Shared values made the difference

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In March 2025, UITP launched a request for proposals, evaluating several CRM platforms and implementation partners. The proposals were technically strong, but Alexandre was looking for a team that could work effectively within UITP's complex, multicultural organisation.

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As UITP places great importance on a People First approach to best represent their international team of experts, UPEO's emphasis on the role of inclusion and diversity aligned with UITP's own values, particularly Integrity and Respect and Inclusive Collaboration. Sara Mathijs, co-founder of UPEO, had explicitly addressed this alignment in the proposal. “Values are important to us,” Alexandre explains. “When we saw that they were equally important to UPEO, we felt there was a good basis for working together, regardless of the technology.”

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Choosing a relatively small implementation partner was a significant decision. Alexandre, who has spent much of his career in the digital industry, was familiar with the advantages of working with larger consultancies. He also recognised the importance of having direct access to the people responsible for delivering the project. In the end, he was convinced by UPEO’s willingness to learn how UITP works and adapt to it.

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Becoming part of the organisation

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The collaboration started in July 2025. UPEO organised workshops with UITP's different departments to understand their requirements and existing processes. Its consultants worked directly with the people who would eventually use the system, questioned established practices and looked for ways to simplify them.

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Regular visits helped UPEO build close relationships across the organisation. According to Alexandre, the consultants became familiar with UITP's processes, including the many exceptions that had developed over the years. That knowledge let them challenge habits without losing sight of how UITP actually works.

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Sébastien Desmet, Head of Membership at UITP, gives an example of this close relationship. During preparations for the CRM migration, UITP's offices were being renovated. UPEO opened its own offices to accommodate meetings and workshops.

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“We spent quite a lot of time at UPEO's offices during that period,” Sébastien recalls. “We're only a short walk from each other, which made things easier. But there was also a very similar philosophy between our organisations, with people who are driven by a purpose.”

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Bringing departments together with Carmen

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In July 2026, UITP launched its new Salesforce CRM, internally named Carmen. The name was part of an internal communication campaign designed to introduce the system to employees as a new colleague and encourage adoption.

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UITP migrated its legacy CRM data to Salesforce and brought commercial opportunities from different departments into one platform. Previously, UITP's CRM primarily supported membership opportunities, while other revenue streams were often managed separately. Carmen now provides a common environment for membership, events, exhibitions, sponsorships, trainings and other association activities.

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For Sébastien, whose responsibilities include membership administration and CRM data quality, this creates opportunities to improve information management. With employees worldwide maintaining relationships with members, keeping contact information accurate is an ongoing challenge. Better visibility across the different revenue streams should also help UITP improve its forecasting.

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UITP has also started using Salesforce Account Engagement for marketing communications, replacing a separate email marketing platform. Account Engagement will help UITP connect its marketing communications with the member information held in Salesforce.

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The transition is still underway. Although Carmen is operational, employees are continuing to familiarise themselves with the system, and further integrations are planned, alongside an updated post-launch communications approach.

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A partnership beyond go-live

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Introducing Carmen has also highlighted the organisational changes needed to make the CRM successful. Some users only fully understood the implications for their daily work once the new system went live. That led to extra requests and adjustments.

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UPEO continued supporting UITP throughout the hypercare period, helping the organisation prioritise improvements and establish internal ownership of the platform.Sébastien is taking on the role of application owner, supported by colleagues responsible for Carmen's further development and adoption.

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The organisations have also developed an arrangement to strengthen UITP's internal Salesforce capabilities. UPEO recruited a Salesforce administrator who receives training within its team while spending part of the working week at UITP. UITP gets dedicated expertise, and the administrator learns the business from the inside.

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For Alexandre, the experience has already influenced how he evaluates suppliers for other transformation projects. “When we select a new supplier, I now ask whether we can build the same kind of relationship we have with UPEO,” he says. “I want people who are genuinely interested in understanding our organisation, working with us, and help UITP to evolve.”

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