The Access Group, the Loughborough-headquartered provider of business management software, is fast-tracking plans to expand operations into Malaysia later this year through a new partnership with Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), the government agency leading the digital transformation of the Malaysian economy.
The partnership will be formalised during London Tech Week when representatives from Access along with other industry leaders join Malaysia’s Minister of Communications and Digital, YB Fahmi Fadzil, to set out ambitions to collectively shape the future of Malaysia’s digital economy.
For Access, the partnership with MDEC will propel the group’s plans to enhance its presence in the APAC region and support the opening of a new Global Operations Centre (GO Centre) in the capital Kuala Lumpur later this year.
Following the official opening in June of the Access GO Centre in Romania supporting EMEA, the establishment of a GO Centre in the Asia Pacific region is fundamental to the group’s global expansion, and Malaysia’s thriving digital economy and stable business landscape offer an attractive location for a new hub, ideally positioned to support Access’s ongoing global expansion.
Chris Bayne, CEO of The Access Group, said: “This is an exciting development for Access and we are grateful for MDEC’s support which will propel our growth in APAC. Kuala Lumpur offers a compelling proposition for our new GO Centre with its fantastic business environment and exceptional talent pool.
“Over the next four years the Access GO Centres will support 40% of our global staffing needs. Having these strategically located offices keeps momentum growing. It gives our teams a workplace they can genuinely be proud of while positioning the business in an excellent place to execute strategic growth and drive acquisitions across multiple regions, languages and time zones.
“Our ambition is to create a global ‘backbone’ of GO Centres which will provide international management, access to diverse talent and regional infrastructure to execute the group’s sustainable growth more easily.”
Mahadhir Aziz, Chief Executive Officer, MDEC, said: “The Global Operations Centre (GO Centre) is a resounding affirmation of Malaysia’s position as a competitive powerhouse for high-value investments and propels us closer towards our goal of firmly establishing Malaysia as the digital hub of ASEAN.
“We are delighted to welcome Access Group into Malaysia and we are committed to supporting their ambitious goals of igniting growth in the digital economy via the Malaysia Digital (MD) national strategic initiative and various catalyst programmes.
“Access not only represents a monumental leap in enhancing Malaysia’s innovative capabilities, but also signifies confidence in Malaysia’s robust and enabling ecosystem, our pool of digitally skilled talent and expertise, and establishing Malaysia as the destination for unparalleled digital excellence.
“We look forward to playing an integral role in the growth of Access in Malaysia, wider APAC and beyond.”
Access entered the market in Malaysia in 2018 through the acquisitions of iCare, Sage’s local businesses and Volcanic and currently employs around 150 people across three offices in both Kuala Lumpur and Penang.
The new Access GO Centre will create hundreds of jobs in the region, partnering with regional universities to hire the best talent, drive innovation, develop skills and provide international management to support teams in both APAC and the UK.
The Access Foundation which supports charities in regions where Access has a presence already supports Malaysia’s leading cancer charity – the National Cancer Society Malaysia’s ‘Home Aways from Home’ initiative – and will announce further support for local charities later in the year.
