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The Access Group acquires cloud payroll and HR platform

Business

The Access Group has acquired people management solution Definitiv, in a move that will bolster its ranks even further as it continues on a major acquisition spree.

By John Buckley 11 minute read

The deal will see The Access Group extend its services to people management and payroll and acquire Definitiv’s 350-strong enterprise customer base, as part of a move that will bolster its ranks in the Asia-Pacific region even further, after it acquired Sage in June

Commercial details of the deal haven’t been disclosed.

The Access Group Asia-Pacific president Kerry Agiasotis said the acquisition, which is the group’s fourth in two years, signals his team’s appetite for being recognised as the region’s leading business software provider. 

“We are excited to be welcoming Definitiv’s employees, customers and partners to The Access Group,” Mr Agiasotis said. 

“This acquisition marks the fourth for the company in the last two years and demonstrates The Access Group’s intent for being recognised as a leading business software provider across the Asia-Pacific region.”

Definitiv was launched in 2016 and now hosts a customer base of 350 entities across 27 industries with more than 50,000 employees. The platform reports to process more than $2.5 billion in payments annually. 

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Mr Agiasotis welcomed the talent that will accompany the deal and said the group’s customers stand to benefit from a product that offers a solution to increasingly complex payroll challenges in the region.

“Definitiv has great talent, technology and a rapidly growing customer base,” Mr Agiasotis said. “Medium to large organisations in the Asia-Pacific region face increasing complexity around payroll and workforce management.

“This acquisition will allow us to support them with a simple, built-for-purpose, scalable award-based and rostering solution.”

Definitiv chief executive Roy Mellon will continue to lead the Definitiv business after the acquisition, as it scales its operations in the Asia-Pacific region. He welcomed the acquisition and the resources that come with it. 

“We are excited to join the Access family,” Mr Mellon said. “The experience, investment and resources Access brings to the table will help us achieve our geographic expansion plans for the Asia-Pacific region.”

The deal emerges as the latest in a series of major acquisitions mounted by The Access Group over the last two years. 

It most recently acquired Sage’s Australian and Asian business in June after announcing plans for the move in December last year, and included Sage’s HandiSoft accounting software, along with its MicrOpay, WageEasy, EasyPay and UBS Accounting products. 

The Access Group’s acquisition of Sage, which has since kept its name in the market, saw its customer base swell to 71,000 users worldwide, after recent purchases of Attaché, an Australia-based financial management solution, and Unleashed, an inventory management product, in the Asia-Pacific region. 

Even then, the group’s sights were firmly set on entrenching themselves among market leaders in the APAC region. Access Group CEO Chris Bayne said in June that the Sage acquisition was a marker of intent. 

John Buckley

John Buckley

AUTHOR

John Buckley is a journalist at Accountants Daily. 

Before joining the team in 2021, John worked at The Sydney Morning Herald. His reporting has featured in a range of outlets including The Washington Post, The Age, and The Saturday Paper.

Email John at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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