Sage sells Australia, Asia business to Access Group

Payroll solutions provider Sage Group’s Australia and Asia business has been acquired by UK-headquartered The Access Group.

The acquisition includes the company’s Australian HandiSoft accounting and MicrOpay and WageEasy compliant payroll solutions as well as EasyPay in Singapore and UBS Accounting in Malaysia.

Arlene Wherrett will take over the role of Sage Asia Pacific vice president and managing director from Kerry Agiasotis, who will transition into the role of Access Group’s president of Asia Pacific. Wherrett previously held the title of VP and MD for the Asia region.

“The union of Sage Group’s local businesses in Asia and Australia, and The Access Group’s established presence in the region, presents a unique opportunity for customers and partners to leverage a leader in integrated people and financial management software services,” said Agiasotis.

Wherrett said she is “thrilled” to lead the team and work with partners across Asia Pacific. 

“SMEs will be a driving force in the recovery of the economy and ensuring they have the right technology to build for the future is an essential foundation for that growth. Together with our partners, Sage is trusted by our customers to deliver the best SaaS technology and to support them to achieve their business goals,” Wherrett said.

On the acquisition, The Access Group chief executive Chris Bayne said, “This latest acquisition supports our regional strategy and focus on delivering solutions that meet the needs of our growing global customer base. We welcome Sage Group’s APAC customers, partners and employees into The Access Group.

“I’m very proud of how Access has shown, not only resilience, but also huge progress and growth during the past incredibly challenging 18 months and I am thrilled Kerry will be making the transition to Access to lead the region,” Bayne added.

The Access Group will also bring its SaaS product, Access Workspace, to the region, which connects payroll, finance, HR and digital learning applications to one platform.

This acquisition follows a series of buyouts by Access in the last two years, including NZ-based inventory management software vendor Unleashed in 2020, and Aussie companies Attaché, a payroll solutions provider, and Joyful, a non-profit website platform provider, in 2019.