Anthony Raja Devadoss Helms OM As It Trailblazes Malaysia’s GBS Industry

As the new Chairperson of OM, a chapter under PIKOM, Anthony Raja Devadoss talks to Christina Thomas about OM’s direction for the future and the mission of taking it to the next level.

Anthony, newly elected Chairperson of OM, as well as Korn Ferry Malaysia’s Managing Director and Senior Client Partner, aims to take OM to the next level in the next 2 years. OM, which was established by PIKOM together with Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) in 2006, is mandated with promoting and developing the country’s global business services (GBS) and to improve its position as a global hub for high-value services.

Under Anthony’s leadership, OM is set to strengthen its role in expanding its objectives for greater industry representation. In addition to that, the new OM committee is geared to channel greater industry recognition and thought leadership towards the country’s GBS industry.

MALAYSIA’S TALENT LANDSCAPE

Sharing his perspectives about Malaysia’s talent landscape where GBS is concerned, Anthony explains, “In many areas Malaysian talents are very strong, and that is why we are identified as the top 3 in the world for GBS locations.” He adds that now is the time for Malaysian talents to refine their digital skills, however, to remain competitive the country has to sharpen its edge to stay ahead in the GBS industry.

He highlights, “We are performing but we also need to ensure that we continue to perform and do well by upskilling and reskilling ourselves in technical and digital skills.”

“Malaysian human capital needs to be on a constant learning curve – which means digital, analytical, automation upskilling and reskilling – so that they can better ‘futureproof’ their careers while contributing towards the growth of our country’s digital economy. This is further reinforced with our recent Digital Global Business Services Talent Market Report and the launch of the Digital GBS Skills Framework,” Anthony explains.

GLOBAL BUSINESS SERVICES (GBS)

OM recently launched the Digital Global Business Services Talent Market Report in 2021 and the Digital GBS Skills Framework, the first in the world, which is aimed at positioning Malaysia as a global leader in the GBS industry.

“The GBS industry is the fastest growing and hires the most talents in terms of volume and various specialisations,” Anthony stresses.

According to the Industry Skills Framework, GBS is an abbreviation for shared services and outsourcing enabled operating model. It is an important focus for Malaysia, especially as one of OM’s key initiatives is to strengthen Malaysia’s position as an ideal location of choice for digital services. Malaysia is currently home to over 600 GBS companies, and has proven its mettle in rising to the challenge of transitioning organisations into remote working arrangements.

Speaking about the key thrusts in the GBS digital industry skills framework, Anthony explains that there are 9 thrusts namely content, customer service/ experience, back-office operation, finance and accounting, technical support, human resources, sales and marketing, procurement/supply chain services, and technology. This was commissioned jointly by OM, PIKOM, MDEC and HRDCorp.

For instance, contact centres – one of the main components of the nation’s GBS industry, have moved from business as usual to work-fromhome mode within a short span of time. However, Anthony stresses that contrary to common perception, GBS is not only about contact centres but a host of other services as well. Now, GBS is rapidly becoming a value adding partner to businesses by offering insights based on a thorough understanding of services delivered, as well as optimised by digital technology such as automation and data analytics.

OM’S FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC ROADMAP FOR GBS INDUSTRY

OM is currently embarking on a GBS

“WE ARE HOPING THAT IN THE STRATEGIC VISIONING REPORT

FOR THE NEXT 5 YEARS,

WE WILL BE ABLE TO

PROPAGATE ABOUT HOW

THE INDUSTRY WILL

EVOLVE, BE DIGITALISED,

AND BECOME MORE

COMPETITIVE WHERE

DOMESTIC AND GLOBAL

COMPANIES, JVS, M&A’S, AND TALENTS ARE CONCERNED.”

Strategic Vision Report which will be launched within the next few months. The report will contain a five-year strategic roadmap (20222027) for the GBS industry, and involves strategic public-private partnerships. Spearheaded by OM with strong support from MDEC, these partnerships include, among others, Invest Penang, Iskandar Investment Berhad (IIB), Invest KL, Invest Selangor, Cyberview, Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC) and the Contact Centre Association of Malaysia (CCAM).

“We are hoping that in the strategic visioning report for the next 5 years, we will be able to propagate about how the industry will evolve, be digitalised, and become more competitive where domestic and global companies, JVs, M&A’s, and talents are concerned,” he elaborates.

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

Expressing his views for the future, Anthony explains that OM needs to refresh its identify in order to stay relevant, while practicing inclusivity and achieving growth. He adds that over the next 2 years, OM aims to accomplish the visioning report launch, the growth of domestic companies including DDI and FDI, and inclusivity with the involvement of all digital agencies and organisations. Anthony highlights that another key factor in the future direction of OM is the talent agenda for GBS in order to create employability and job creation.

Aside from a greater emphasis for inclusivity in the current term, he added that the OM committee’s goals for the current term include a target of increasing the number of members and industries they represent. It also plans to nurture greater collaboration with academia and HRD Corp on a single platform to ensure the Malaysian workforce continues to upskill and reskill to achieve greater employability for all citizens.

“GBS is a job creating engine. Those impacted and unemployed currently, if given the opportunity, can be upskilled and employed in the GBS industry,” he adds.

He explains that the GBS industry has the potential to hire more than 25,000 people annually, and thus it is a worthwhile effort to build skills to support the growth this industry. “It is a high-potential, high-growth and highly innovative industry,” Anthony points out.

“The GBS industry is growing steadily, but in the 4 to 5 years, we expect the industry to grow at a rate of almost 6.3 percent CAGR. This is driven particularly by the demand for organisations to be more resilient, to create more support for them and, developing local as well as global capabilities and efficiency. With this, GBS is able to serve the different needs of various industries,” he explains.

Anthony says that the GBS industry helps organisations to deliver more efficient value. He adds that GBS will soon experience a paradigm shift from customer experience to digital experience.