Summary
Gulf Oil worked with Silicon Reef to create a global intranet that brings employees, content and tools together in one branded digital workplace. Built using SharePoint and integrated into Microsoft Teams through Viva Connections, the platform gives Gulf Oil employees a central place to access news, resources, systems and company updates.
For a global energy business operating across more than 100 countries, the intranet provides a more consistent way to communicate, share trusted information and support a connected employee experience. The platform has become a key hub for Gulf Oil’s operations, helping employees stay informed and giving teams a sustainable foundation for content, collaboration and engagement.
At a glance:
- Who: Gulf Oil, a fast-growing name in lubricants and fuel retail, with operations in more than 100 countries.
- Challenge: Communication across departments and regions was fragmented, with employees relying on Extranet links, disconnected SharePoint sites and email chains.
- Solution: A centralised, branded SharePoint intranet integrated with Microsoft Teams through Viva Connections.
- Results: The intranet became a key hub for Gulf Oil’s operations, with 96.7% of employees rating the overall experience as excellent or good.
About Gulf Oil
Gulf Oil is one of the fastest growing names in the lubricants and fuel retail industries, with operations in more than 100 countries and a legacy spanning more than a century.
As a global business with employees across regions, departments and markets, Gulf Oil needed a digital workplace that could reflect the strength of its brand while making everyday communication and access to information simpler for its people.
The Challenge: Fragmented Communications Across a Global Workforce
Before the new intranet, communication across Gulf Oil’s departments and regions was fragmented. Teams relied on Extranet links, disconnected SharePoint sites and email chains to share information. This created inconsistency, inefficiency and lower engagement.
Gulf Oil set out to create a centralised, branded intranet: a single digital home that could connect its 1,600 employees, unify systems and help build internal culture. The goal was to create a platform that reflected Gulf Oil’s identity while helping employees work smarter, feel connected and stay informed.
The vision for a branded digital workplace included:
Global Identity & Engagement
Create a modern platform that reflects Gulf Oil’s brand, celebrates culture and success, and keeps employees informed and engaged.
Consistent Look & Feel
Design a user-friendly, professional, brand-aligned experience that reinforces Gulf Oil’s corporate identity.
Simple Intuitive Navigation
Design clear navigation and information architecture to help employees easily find what they need.
Trusted Source of Information
Deliver reliable, simplified content from a central location.
Empowered Content Creators
Enable content creators with branded templates and self-serve tools for consistent, high-quality content.
Central Access to Tools
Provide quick access to essential tools, systems, and documents.
Tailored User Experience
Use audience targeting to personalise content for employees across different regions and functions.
Sustainable Governance
Apply clear ownership, and content control to maintain long-term quality and trust.
The Approach: Building a Simple, Clear & Scalable Intranet with SharePoint
We worked with Gulf Oil to build a simple, clear and effective intranet that could grow with the business using SharePoint and Microsoft 365.
Information Architecture Workshops: Defining the Structure
A Branded SharePoint Experience
This mattered because Gulf Oil needed the intranet to feel familiar, professional and aligned to the organisation’s wider identity. The design supported culture and engagement while still giving content owners a manageable platform to maintain.
Embedded the Intranet into Daily Work via Viva Connections
The intranet was integrated with Microsoft Teams through Viva Connections, helping it fit naturally into daily workflows. This gave employees a more accessible route into company news, tools and resources, rather than asking them to visit a separate destination.
For global and distributed teams, this type of access is important because it brings intranet content closer to the tools employees already use during the working day.
Empowering Teams Through Training & Governance
Content creators across the business were trained to manage and evolve their pages independently. This helped make the intranet sustainable beyond launch, giving teams the confidence to keep content current and useful.
Some departments, including Compliance, received additional support on tailored workflows and approvals to help streamline more complex processes.
Tailored Branded Experiences for Reviva
Reviva, Gulf’s coffee brand, was given its own custom templates, reflecting its identity while maintaining visual harmony across the platform.
The Result: A Key Hub for Gulf Oil’s Operations
The new intranet has become the digital heartbeat of Gulf Oil; a single destination where employees connect with colleagues, access tools, and stay informed.
Whether it’s company-wide news or sub-brand content, the platform delivers clarity, consistency, and confidence. As a result, Gulf has not only streamlined internal operations but also laid the foundation for a more connected, informed, and engaged global workforce.
But don’t just take our word for it – 96.7% of employees rated the overall intranet experience as excellent or good, and here’s what they had to say…
“I have had an excellent experience with the Gulf Hub intranet so far. The interface is user-friendly, and the features are very helpful for my daily tasks.”
“It makes finding things easy and keeps me in loop of any updates. Big part of bringing markets closer.”
“I enjoy the user-friendly interface and the comprehensive range of resources available on Gulf Hub Overall, Gulf Hub has been a valuable asset for my daily work.”
What Other Energy Organisations Can Learn from Gulf Oil
Gulf Oil’s project shows how a global energy organisation can use SharePoint and Viva Connections to create one trusted digital front door for employees. This example is especially relevant for organisations with multiple regions, brands, departments or market teams that need a more consistent digital workplace.
The value in a new intranet comes from combining clear information architecture, strong brand experience, content governance, reusable templates, employee training and access through Microsoft Teams.
For energy organisations planning Microsoft 365 improvements, Gulf Oil demonstrates how a modern intranet can connect culture, communication, tools and trusted information in one scalable foundation.
Key takeaways
- Use SharePoint to create one trusted digital front door for global employees.
- Integrate the intranet with Microsoft Teams through Viva Connections to support access in the flow of work, and front-line employees
- Invest in information architecture so employees can find tools, documents and updates more easily.
- Create branded, reusable templates that help content creators publish consistently.
- Support long-term quality through training, governance, ownership and approvals.
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Additional FAQs
What problem was Gulf Oil trying to solve with its new intranet?
How did Gulf Oil use SharePoint in this intranet project?
Why was Viva Connections included in Gulf Oil’s intranet?
Viva Connections brought Gulf Oil’s SharePoint intranet into Microsoft Teams. This helped employees access news, tools and resources in the flow of work, rather than relying on a separate destination. For a global workforce, that made the intranet easier to reach during the working day.
