For this week’s interview, EuroCham’s Junior Communications Officer Henry Henderson spoke with Pavel Poskakukhin, General Manager at SGH Asia, to explore his two-decade career in international business development and IT delivery across Europe and Southeast Asia. In a wide-ranging discussion, Pavel reflected on his professional journey, the realities of digital transformation in emerging markets, and how SGH Asia supports businesses—from SMEs to multinational corporations—in navigating technological change across the region.

Henry: You have over 20 years of experience in international business development and IT delivery across Europe and Southeast Asia. What led you to your current role as General Manager at SGH Asia?

Pavel: I arrived in Southeast Asia in early 2008 after completing my MSc in International Economics and Business Finance. Prior to my move, I was attending various career fairs and was introduced to AIESEC, a student organisation providing overseas traineeship opportunities amongst other things. This eventually led me to finding a role with a fintech company in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where I stayed on for three years doing user business requirements, user acceptance testing, and project coordination.

I spent another five years in Kuala Lumpur with a local listed company implementing Oracle ERP systems across APAC and Europe, working in project management and operations. Finally, I was headhunted to move to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to work for a Dutch company, then onto Deloitte, where I spent six years setting up and running the Business Process Solutions department. In 2023, I was approached by SGH Asia to run their Southeast Asia operations.

Henry: Based on your regional experience, how do you approach aligning digital solutions with real business needs in emerging markets?

Pavel: When I first started working in the region—which may seem a while ago—everything was done via phone and email, without Skype or Teams for instant communication. Document management and version control were quite analog compared to SharePoint and other systems available today.

In a broader sense, technology has created a nearly frictionless operating environment in the industries I work in—manufacturing, finance, technology, and others. Today, it is often technology disruption, whether due to downtime or cybersecurity incidents, that sits at the top of C-suite priorities.

At the same time, many small and medium-sized companies, typically with 100 to 500 employees, are still low-tech or reliant on legacy systems due to budget constraints, inertia, or limited resources. Often, the need for digital solutions only arises when the business faces a transformation hurdle. That is why having frequent, consistent, and informed communication with clients is key, so digital solutions can be aligned with the pace of change they need to succeed.

Henry: SGH Asia works with organisations ranging from SMEs to global corporations. What are the most common digital challenges you see among businesses operating in the region today?

Pavel: In the worst-case scenario, companies are managing multiple complex legacy systems that are supported by team members who come and go. This creates a disaster-waiting-to-happen situation—when one system goes down, teams are forced to reverse-engineer solutions.

These systems are often not scalable and can expose businesses to cybersecurity risks. What is unfortunate is that many of these issues can be fixed in phases rather than through a single large-scale project, which can otherwise discourage companies due to perceived cost and commitment.

Another challenge is the natural inertia to change something that is currently working. While I agree with the idea of “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” the pace of business and competition is only accelerating, reinforcing the need for agility—particularly in digital transformation.

Henry: Digital transformation is often seen as a technological upgrade rather than a business transformation. How do you help companies take a more strategic, long-term view?

Pavel: We reframe digital as a business capability rather than an IT project. We promote our software development and engineering outsourcing services not only for cost efficiency, but because many companies struggle with the lengthy decision-making process involved in building in-house digital teams.

Through executive-level conversations, we are able to provide strategic consulting advice while also offering operational support with on-demand resources. These advisory discussions are typically driven by business outcomes, return on investment, industry trends, the regulatory environment, and the broader direction of the business landscape.

Henry: SGH Asia worked closely with EuroCham Cambodia on the development of the Chamber’s new website. What was your approach to translating EuroCham’s mission and member needs into a digital platform?

Pavel: It started with listening to the client, and then offering our perspective on their business needs. Delivering the project within the agreed timeline was a key priority that we understood early on, so managing scope creep was something we monitored closely.

We focused on prioritising what needed to be done first and what could wait, while applying project management best practices—such as having a clear communication plan, specification document, and test plan. This ensured a smooth delivery process and allowed sufficient time to address any last-minute challenges together.

Henry: Looking ahead, what trends in digital transformation should businesses pay close attention to—and how can SGH Asia support their journey in Cambodia?

Pavel: At the risk of sounding cliché, the impact of AI cannot be understated. While there is a lot of hype, there are also very real gains to be made through large language models and automation—particularly in reducing time spent on drafting documents, managing communication, and administrative tasks.

Being in the IT space, we sometimes take these tools for granted and are surprised by how underutilised they are. Personally, I maintain business accounts for at least three AI tools to stay ahead of the curve and identify practical solutions for clients.

There are many ways these technologies can positively impact businesses in Cambodia, from easing talent constraints to strengthening cybersecurity measures and reducing disruption to operations.