Kuala Lumpur, Aug 31, 2013 – In a special Merdeka (Malaysian Independence Day) edition of The Star newspaper entitled ‘Global Malaysians’, Group CEO Harres Tan shares his experience about being a global technopreneur and what it takes to run a business in a world that has become flat.
HARRES TAN – IT SPECIALIST, NEW YORK AND LONDON
We always associate ATM (Automated Teller Machine) with cash but Penangite Harres Tan is changing that. In the United States, ATM machines made by his company Rototype International, can be used to send money to merchants. It then spits out a voucher which can be used as proof of payment.
Born in 1952, Tan started his IT career in London as an IBM mainframe systems programmer after completing his studies there in the mid-70’s. He returned to Malaysia in 1978 and worked for a number of regional IT companies in the areas of system development, marketing and financial management before he founded his own IT consulting company, HT Consulting Group in 1989.
The company was renamed Rototype International and focused on providing solutions for the banking industry. Tan is now based in New York and oversees the group’s operations and is quite the jet setter. He splits his time between London and New York and returns often to Malaysia to visit his family.
When he isn’t busy overseeing his business, Tan is the lead singer in a seven-piece rock band called MP3 Plus, which is made up of several other players from the local ICT industry.
Question 1: How and why did you go overseas?
After the Dot-com boom in the early 2000s, the world became a level playing field and we decided to take things to the next level by going global.
In 2004, we decided to focus on the area of self-serviced banking. Rototype International now has direct presence in seven countries including offices in Hong Kong, Britain and the United States.
Question 2: How did you make it abroad?
When going global, it is always a good idea to identify a few key areas that you are good at and can focus on. That’s why we decided early on that we wanted to home in on banking and healthcare.
We have a network of distributors and local partners for operations in countries such as Africa, Thailand, the Philippines and even China so that we can reach customers across different continents.
This approach works because the locals normally understand the way business is run in their home country and culture.
Also, this allowed us to expand to many different countries faster.
This wide network of companies and partnerships that spans continents allows Rototype to service global clients like HSBC and Citibank seamlessly.
Question 3: What do you miss/cherish about Malaysia?
Malaysia is the best country in the world. It remains my home tome no matter where I go because I just find that things in general are easier to get done here.
One day, while I was in my apartment in London, my water heater broke and I was having a hard time getting the plumber to come and fix it. You see, over there, you have to set an appointment with them.
I travel a lot and setting even simple appointments like these become a problem for me. Incidentally, the only time the plumber could come was on the day I would be leaving for Kuala Lumpur.
That wasn’t going to work! When I return, I would still have a broken water heater.
The jet setter life has also taken a bit of a toll on me, I think.I can’t keep track of my things when I am abroad.
Once I was looking for my jacket, and I couldn’t remember whether I had it in my apartment in New York or London. But when in Malaysia, Ijust know where everything is kept and they are all within easy reach. It’s just that feeling of being home.
Question 4: What are the good things that you tell your friends overseas?
I always tell my friends overseas that Malaysia is the friendliest place in the world. There is such a wide variety of food, culture and music to be found here that you can’t find anywhere else.
I love Malaysian music but it is hard to find bands that play such music in London or New York.
Question 5: What is your advice to Malaysians who want to strike it abroad?
You need to be persistent. Also, you need money, stamina and determination to get through, or else you can’t make it abroad. Have the confidence to see any business project through for the minimum of three years because you won’t enjoy the fruits of your labor before that. You should also start planning now – create world-class solutions that will be in demand no matter where you go.
Most importantly, learn to adapt in any country you go to. Love the food, the culture, the language. Be more local than even the locals if possible (laughs).