Meet Thiva, our Business Development Manager based in activpayroll’s APAC Hub in Kuala Lumpur.
Thiva is the first point of contact for businesses looking to navigate the complexities of multi-country payroll outsourcing throughout Asia Pacific. Offering up a unique blend of relationship management and industry expertise, Thiva is ideally placed to support customers with their need for clarity and payroll partnership in a fast paced and challenging industry where flexibility and accuracy are prerequisites for success.
We met up with Thiva to hear more about his role, motivations, and plans to capitalise on the global economic forecasts for growth throughout the APAC region.
How long have you been with activpayroll?
“I joined activpayroll in mid-2022, just before the acquisition of Propay Partners. Before taking on my Business Development role I worked in investor relations, securing clients from public listed companies. While payroll is new to me, I’ve been in Business Development since 2017 and have experience working across industries like telemarketing and finance.”
Talk me through your average day – how do you structure your time?
"What I love about this job is the variety, but I also have a structure that keeps me on track. Mornings start with checking emails and messages to ensure my prospecting efforts are progressing and staying in sync with my global team. Clear communication is key to delivering seamless service across time zones.
Once my checks are done, I dive into prospecting—researching leads, following up, and scheduling meetings to keep my calendar full. I find mornings are the best time to engage with prospects. This is when they’re most receptive to a conversation.
Afternoons are for presentations and demos, where the real results of my efforts start to show. I wrap up the day by updating our CRMs, making sure everything is recorded accurately to maintain a clear picture of our sales pipeline.”
What’s your greatest achievement since starting with us?
“I secured the single largest new account within 12 months of joining, setting a new milestone for the business in Malaysia & Southeast Asia in particular. Not only was this a huge boost to us in the short term, but by continuing to nurture the customer and build the relationship, there is scope to add additional revenue in the future as our customer base grows in the region.”
What’s the best thing about your job?
"For me, the beauty of this role is the ability to create new and meaningful conversations with different people every day. I love the challenge of identifying new opportunities and by listening to the customer, explaining how we can bring value and solve problems.
Seeing a deal go live is a great moment, especially when you know you were present at the initial conversation, have worked through the inevitable challenges to get the nod, and finally see the investment in long term relationship come to fruition. In business development, persistence is key, a skill I had to develop throughout my career, and it has really paid dividends.”
What makes activpayroll such a great solution for your customers?
"Our biggest selling point is our high-touch customer service and personalized approach. It’s not just about solutions, pricing, or technology—we stand out by offering a uniquely personal touch that customers truly value. At the end of the day, people buy from people, and they prefer doing business with someone they trust."
What’s the biggest challenge you see for the future of global payroll in the region?
"Working in APAC is a very fast paced and increasingly competitive environment. This is a growth region and one that has enormous complexity when it comes to compliance, with frequent regulation changes. As customers and businesses expand, they need to be kept up to date with all the changes in tax and legislation that effect their people in every country they operate.
Each country has its own regulations which need to be observed, but in many countries such as India/China there is an additional layer of complexity. Customers need to be confident that their global payroll provider is up to date with all the relevant changes to ensure accuracy and compliance. This is where our expanding regional hub in the Asia Pacific offers peace of mind to potential customers, thanks to our local coverage and contacts.
From a market insights perspective, the competition in the region is increasing as more global providers enter the market and existing domestic providers become more creative in offerings. We have seen acquisitions of numerous domestic payroll companies boom in last few years, which means the competitive landscape is dynamic and ever changing. As a result we have to be up to speed with the implications of an ever-changing market.”
And finally, how would you sum up your professional approach to business development?
"For me learning is key to success. In business development you need to be resilient and adaptable, keeping your mind active benefits not only you, but your team and customers.
In practice it pays to be open to new challenges, when I was started out in with activpayroll I was employed to concentrate on domestic payroll but was quickly asked to take on the role for a wider region. This was a great opportunity to extend my knowledge, learn and keep up to date with all the issues across the region. Growth comes when you step out of your comfort zone and take on new challenges.”