Local firm seeks regional presence

By Pichaya Changsorn
The Nation
Published on March 31, 2010

PeopleServe expects to double revenue for second year Chris McAleer was aiming high when, in November 2008, he took over a local human-resources consulting unit from the United Kingdom-based Baker Tilly Group.

However, his company, PeopleServe (Asia), has already secured a number of blue-chip clients and is competing head to head with Oracle and other multinational giants.

Reaping the benefits of cutting-edge software developed by an all-Thai team that has won Microsoft as its client for the past six years and McAleer’s reputation as one of the most senior and sought-after human-resources professionals in Southeast Asia, the company has almost doubled its revenue over the past year.

“And we expect to double our revenue again this year. Our reputation grows and we have received a lot of referrals [from customers],” McAleer said in an exclusive interview with The Nation.

Formerly known as BTD PeopleServe (Asia), the company boasts of its abilities as a provider of total human-resources services, ranging from payroll and HR administration outsourcing to Web-based human-resources information system, training and development, assessment and testing, executive coaching and executive search and recruitment.

McAleer claims that PeopleServe’s locally developed software solutions stand out among the products of competitors – including Oracle’s PeopleSoft – for their ability to offer “the same functionalities, but with less expensive prices and they are easier to customise to clients’ specific needs”.

“The proof is in the sort of clients – the blue-chip companies – that we have, including Novartis, Toyota, Diethelm, BMW, Tetra Pack and many others who could have gone [to our competitors if our offerings were not good enough],” he said.

McAleer said PeopleServe did not regard itself as a mere software seller, but recognised customers’ demands for high-quality services. The firm has won 12 new clients since the beginning of this year, adding to a total list of 60 clients, he said.

“Companies, even the big firms, look for trusted local partners. It requires the ability to build relationships and trust; to really understand [corporate] cultures and clients’ needs.

“I’m not just a software seller. I come from the viewpoint of a [former] HR practitioner who is well regarded for the breadth of experiences that are now giving us an edge,” he said.

McAleer, an Australian, began his career with Coca-Cola after spending four and a half years in the priesthood at an Australian church. Over the course of a 20-year human-resources career, he has worked with Standard Chartered Bank, ABN Amro, First Pacific/Hagermeyer, Dun and Bradstreet, APM and Telstar. Before acquiring the Thai company, he was vice president of human resources, Asia-Pacific and Japan, for US-based technology giant EMC.

Having spent the past 12 years living and working in Asia, McAleer has a Thai wife and has called Thailand his home for eight years.

PeopleServe launched a subsidiary in the Philippines 18 months ago, is about to open a branch in Japan, and hopes to expand to Vietnam this year. The firm’s three-year plan is to set up branches at major cities around the region, including Singapore and Hong Kong.

McAleer said PeopleServe had striven to become the “partner of choice” in the field of human-resource management solutions in Asia-Pacific. In spite of tough economic conditions, the company had found opportunities because companies were looking for ways to improve their efficiency and reduce labour costs.

“The trend towards outsourcing is quite strong and growing, especially in Thailand,” he said.

McAleer said human-resources professionals had to become “a lot more strategic, and less operational”, if they were to help their firms achieve their potential and remain competitive. Companies, meanwhile, should no longer treat human resources as merely a “back office” function, he said.

Currently employing a staff of 30, McAleer plans to further develop PeopleServe into a “real regional player” and eventually to list the company on the Thai stock market.

pichaya@nationgroup.com