£9bn software firm fast-tracks Malaysian expansion plans

The Access Group – one of the largest UK-headquartered providers of business management software to SMEs in the UK, US, Ireland and Asia Pacific – has accelerated its plans to expand into Malaysia later this year.

The Loughborough-based firm has forged a partnership with the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), a government agency leading the digital transformation of the Malaysian economy, which will enable it to enhance its presence in the APAC region and support the opening of a new global operations centre in Kuala Lumpur.

Chris Bayne, CEO of The Access Group, said: “This is an exciting development, 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. 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, CEO of MDEC, added: “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.”

The Access Group made headlines last summer when it received a fresh round of investment from major shareholders Hg and TA Associates, valuing the company at around £9.2bn.