MALAYSIA WILL STAY AMONG WORLD'S TOP THREE SHARED SERVICES HUB

KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is in a strong position to
maintain its position among the top three leading shared services centre
globally in view of the multiskilled and multi language workforce, speakers
at the ACCA Biztalk seminar here Tuesday said.

Executive partner, finance and performance management of Southeast Asia for
Accenture, Paul Prendergast said Malaysia is the third best in the world for
shared services after India and China which are the leading players.

"More companies are using a "hub-and-spoke" model to satisfy local needs
while leveraging global advantages and Malaysia is a platform for that,"
Prendergast said during the ACCA Biztalk on "the state of shared services".

BASF Asia-Pacific Service Centre Sdn Bhd managing director, Lau Kin Pong
said BASF shared service centre in Malaysia supported finance services,
accounting, information technology and human resources for the Asia Pacific
region, supporting multiple languages.

"A majority of our staff in the shared services based in Malaysia are from
the Generation Y and we are focussing on attracting knowledge workers to boost
the career of finance professionals," Lau said during the seminar Tuesday.

Head, of shared services and outsourcing, global profiling and portfolio
management, Multimedia Development Corporation (MDEC), Mohd Safuan Mohd Zairi
said to maintain Malaysia's position among the top three leading shared services
centres, Malaysia should ensure that it has the skilled talents relevant and
suited to niche areas.

Mohd Safuan said the government through MDEC, provided funding in the
Capability Development programme for those keen to take up professional
specialised courses to upgrade their skills.

"Malaysia has done reasonably well in the shared services industry, inspite
of having a lower population base compared to India and China," Mohd Safuan
said.

Prendergast also pointed out that the state of shared services had evolved
over the years, and Malaysia would need to keep pace with global changes in the
industry.

Matured shared services now deliver higher value services, business analysis
and decision support.

"Shared services have also brought focus to technology, investments,
enabling new outcomes," he added.

--BERNAMA