Two Organizations, One Digital Vision
At Glue Up, we've seen leaders transform operations in many ways, but few cases stand out like this one.
When Matilda Tomasetti, Country Director at the Trademark Group of Companies and Executive Assistant to the President of the Australia Saudi Business Forum (ASBF), decided to unify both organizations under a single platform, it was more than a technology decision. It was a leadership move that redefined efficiency and collaboration across two distinct entities with shared ambitions.
That vision led her to implement Glue Up's AI membership management software for both organizations. By bringing everything, from memberships and renewals to events and reporting, into one connected ecosystem, she built operational consistency where it had never existed before.
To understand how that decision took shape and the results it produced, we spoke with Matilda about her experience leading two organizations through a single digital transformation.
But First, a Little Context
Before we explore the challenges, stopgap fixes, and the shift toward an all-in-one system, it's important to understand the two organizations behind this story.
One is a global business network, the other a non-profit bilateral trade forum, and both share the same leader who saw technology not as a cost but as an investment in coordination and clarity.
The Trademark Group of Companies
The Trademark Group of Companies operates as a global platform that connects businesses looking to expand into new markets. With offices spanning Australia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the UK, and China, it focuses on forging partnerships, facilitating investment, and accelerating international growth.
From her base in Sydney, Matilda oversees the Australian operations, helping member businesses access resources, build strategic connections, and align with global market opportunities.
The Australia-Saudi Business Forum (ASBF)
The Australia-Saudi Business Forum was built on a single idea: that collaboration between nations begins with collaboration between people. It serves as a gateway for businesses and experts from both countries to exchange knowledge, explore trade partnerships, and strengthen economic ties.
As Executive Assistant to the President, Matilda plays a key role in supporting those relationships: coordinating programs, facilitating engagement, and ensuring that initiatives move from concept to measurable impact.
Different in purpose but similar in complexity, both organizations rely heavily on events, memberships, and partnerships to deliver value. And that's where Glue Up's all-in-one membership platform fits in like a glove.
The Challenge: Managing Growth Without Structure
We usually begin our client conversations with one question: What made you start looking for a better system?
When we asked Matilda, she didn't hesitate. Managing two expanding organizations meant balancing global operations through local tools. It worked for a while, until growth exposed how disconnected those tools really were.
Multiple Systems, Minimal Visibility
Both teams used HubSpot Starter, Google Sheets, and Excel to manage memberships, events, and payments. Information lived in silos, which slowed coordination and made reporting unreliable. Every update required a new spreadsheet version and another round of approvals. Even within Australia, shifting time zones complicated collaboration. Across borders, it became almost impossible to maintain a consistent view of operations.
Matilda described it simply: "We needed something universal. One place where the entire team could see what was happening in real-time."
Manual Work Slowing Growth
As membership numbers grew, so did the administrative workload. Renewals, event attendance, and engagement data had to be tracked manually. Each process operated independently, which made performance reviews and planning more difficult. The lack of integrated workflows limited both organizations' ability to respond to members and to make data-driven decisions.
The tipping point came when event management started consuming more time than strategic planning. Both organizations were running three to four events every month, and each one required duplicate setup, tracking, and communication.
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The Turning Point
Matilda recognized that running two similar membership structures on disconnected systems was no longer sustainable. She needed one platform that could connect both organizations, streamline processes, and provide visibility at every level. The objective was simple: consolidate operations without compromising on flexibility or scale.
That clarity became the foundation for one of the most effective dual implementations we've supported at Glue Up.
The Solution & Implementation: One Platform, Two Transformations
When Matilda first came across Glue Up, she wasn't searching for two solutions. The priority was the Trademark Group of Companies, which needed a platform to manage a growing member base, more frequent events, and international coordination. The team had outgrown its previous tech setup, and the lack of visibility across offices was slowing everything down.
So, what began as an exploration of a better system quickly turned into a partnership. From the first demo, the focus was on practicality: how to manage memberships, renewals, and events in one place without overcomplicating the process.
Matilda remembered that moment clearly.
Phase One: The Trademark Group of Companies
The rollout began with Trademark’s Australian chapter, which manages cross-border business operations and member engagement. The goal was to replace fragmented tools with a unified system that automated renewals, streamlined event workflows, and centralized communication.
"At first, it was primarily going to be for Trademark," she explained. "But once we understood the full capabilities, it made sense to also adapt it to the Australia-Saudi Business Forum."
Within weeks, the difference was clear.
- Membership renewals and applications moved from spreadsheets to automated workflows.
- Event planning became collaborative, allowing teams across time zones to edit and finalize drafts in real time.
- Administrative workload dropped significantly as reports and reminders generated automatically.
Matilda described the change simply: “You understood what we needed,” Matilda said. “Nothing was left out, and you were honest about what the system could do and what was coming next.”
The new all-in-one membership system with integrated modules for CRM, events, and finance gave her visibility across operations: what members were active, who had renewed, and which events were performing best.
Phase Two: The Australia-Saudi Business Forum
After seeing how quickly Trademark adapted, Matilda expanded the same model to the Australia-Saudi Business Forum (ASBF) to create consistency across both organizations. The forum’s event-driven structure and international membership made it a natural fit.
The second rollout introduced the My Glue mobile app, giving members and staff access to real-time data from anywhere.
“We wanted members to have a way to connect virtually,” she said, “and the app made that possible for both organizations.”
The results followed quickly:
- Member engagement increased as the app simplified access to events and updates.
- Payment management through Stripe became faster and more transparent.
- Teams could assign tasks, log notes, and track activities without relying on multiple tools.
Matilda credited the simplicity for fast adoption. “I’m an iPhone person,” she said. “I like simplicity. I don’t want too much customization, just the core elements that work.”
Across both organizations, the effect was the same: less manual work, faster coordination, and clear, data-backed visibility into how each team was performing.
Looking Ahead: Building on the Momentum
After two and a half years on the platform, both organizations continue to operate with the same consistency that first drew Matilda to Glue Up. The workflows remain reliable, the teams stay aligned, and adoption has become second nature.
When asked what she would have done differently, her answer was immediate: "Probably do it sooner." The experience reinforced her belief that efficiency compounds when the right system is in place.
She also noted how the relationship extended beyond implementation. Regular updates, prompt responses, and transparent communication kept both organizations confident in the platform.
"The care factor from your entire team is what will make you go very far," she said.
Today, both the Trademark Group and ASBF use their systems as operational backbones for memberships, events, and community engagement.
What started as an effort to manage growth turned into a framework for it.
A Unified Vision for Growth
Matilda's story is rare but instructive. Leading two organizations with different mandates under one digital system required foresight, trust, and the willingness to simplify what most leaders tend to overcomplicate.
However, by standardizing both the Trademark Group of Companies and the Australia-Saudi Business Forum (ASBF) onto our membership management software, she turned operational consistency into a competitive advantage.
At Glue Up, we see this kind of transformation as more than a technical upgrade. It's a leadership decision that aligns systems, people, and outcomes under a single roof.
If your organization is managing multiple programs, teams, or membership structures, now is the time to bring them together. The right platform can make every process more transparent and every decision faster.
Book a demo today and see how unified systems drive stronger performance.
