Hitachi Digital, part of Hitachi Ltd., delivers advanced digital and AI solutions for complex industries such as energy, transportation, and manufacturing. With multiple legal entities worldwide, Hitachi Digital recognized the need for optimized legal entity management and centralized data and processes to maintain effective governance.

Thao Harrington, Legal Counsel, shared, "To best support the business, the legal team needed a system that gave immediate visibility to all of our entities, regardless of region."

Susan Pimlott, Legal Project Manager, added, "We kept separate spreadsheets in different places, which made it challenging to get accurate information. Responding to data requests often meant reviewing multiple documents, emailing colleagues in other regions and checking spreadsheets. It was time-consuming."

The Solution

One platform. Built-in automation. Global rollout.

As Hitachi Digital’s business expanded, scalable systems with tighter controls and smarter workflows were needed. That's where Athennian came in. Athennian was chosen for its flexibility, role-based access controls, and upfront support. "Given our objectives, Athennian stood out, not just for the platform, but for the people who helped us make the case internally," Susan added.

Instead of an immediate overhaul, Hitachi Digital rolled out Athennian in phases, focusing initially on core entities before expanding across the organization. Athennian’s public registry integrations provided a strong foundation for the implementation. The team used a strategic approach to data collection and verification and the collaborative environment enabled a successful implementation six months ahead of schedule.

"We needed to show that confidential information would still be protected. Custom roles let us tailor access globally and it worked," said Susan. Once onboarded, the tax, treasury, and finance teams had on-demand access to legal entity data through self-service. "These teams simply log in and get what they need," said Thao.

Athennian’s AI tool also helped automate one of the most time-consuming tasks — filing. Now, a signed document can be submitted to the platform, and Athennian AI takes it from there, suggesting a file name, staging it for review, and organizing it in a folder. Legal still maintains approval rights, but AI takes care of the administration. This has been a game changer for Thao.

"After a board resolution is signed, I don’t always have time to file it immediately. Now I just forward it to Athennian, and the AI suggests the file name and stages it for review. AI has made it easier to delegate. I don’t have to manage every upload, the system gives enough context for others to do it right," Thao added.

The Results

Faster access. Better governance. Legal off the hook.

Athennian's robust features and support are essential to managing the complexities of global entity management. With Athennian in place, Hitachi Digital gained a single source of truth for 120+ entities and  significantly improved governance through streamlined operations, stronger compliance, faster response times, and reduced administrative burdens. Meanwhile, the legal team spends less time on document administration and more time focusing on strategic work.

“We’re not chasing information anymore. We’re in control of it.” says Susan.