BrazilVCI Global makes debut on Nasdaq: Q&A with founder Victor Hoo
VCI Global, a Malaysia-based multidisciplinary consulting group specialized in business and technology consulting, has made its debut on the Nasdaq. Hot on the heels of the listing, we spoke with Victor Hoo – VCI Global’s Founder and Group Executive Chairman – on the company’s journey and ambitions.
Congratulations on the listing! Can you give us an overview of your company and your vision?
Thanks so much. VCI Global, also known as V Capital Group, is a business and technology consulting firm based in Malaysia. Our journey started in 2013, and since then we have been helping clients achieve their goals and grow their businesses with innovative and strategic solutions.
Over the past decade, we have partnered with top industry experts and clients from a broad array of industries and sectors, such as small and medium sized enterprises, government-linked agencies, and publicly traded conglomerates.
VCI Global works for clients across Malaysia, but we also have a global reach. Key international customers include organizations from China, Singapore and the United States.
Why is VCI Global going public instead of tapping private sources of funding?
Going public will bring us a long-term capital infusion to fuel growth and enhance shareholder value.
Specifically, we believe that by listing on the Nasdaq, we will have access to a larger pool of investors and increase our visibility in the global market, which means more opportunities to raise capital and grow our business. By going public, it will also allow us to better attract and retain a strong talent pool to VCI Global.
Moreover, with IPO services one of our consulting lines of business, going public ourselves will serve as a testament to our own capability and serve as a gold standard for our current and future clients.
Could you tell us more about the consulting portfolio of VCI Global?
Our consulting team helps our clients on topics including listing as a public company, investor relations and boardroom strategies. Our roles begin with pre-listing diagnosis and planning, to finalizing the entire process.
Our consulting services have successfully propelled our clients’ businesses to the next level with strategic options, including mergers & acquisitions, initial public offerings, restructuring and transformation.
On the strategy side of work, how does the boardroom strategy offering look like?
We help our clients make the right decisions by being involved in boardroom discussions and advising them on strategic options, particularly when it comes to exploring opportunities in partnership, merger and acquisitions, deals sourcing and initial public offerings. By leveraging our multiple practices and connections with professionals across an array of industries, we offer a holistic approach to achieve sustainable growth with high return on capital for our clients.
We believe more companies need carefully planned strategies to stay ahead of the trends and competition through restructuring or transformation, given the exponentially rising expectations from investors, unprecedented economic disruptions, and fragmentation of traditional markets.
How does VCI Global provide support and guidance to clients in managing their investor relations?
It’s worth mentioning that back in January 2021, our direct subsidiary V Capital Kronos Berhad acquired Imej Jiwa Communications, an investor and public relations consulting firm based in Malaysia.
This deal allows us to better serve companies seeking to list and trade on public exchanges. Imej Jiwa has a team of highly-skilled investor relations professionals who help companies that are preparing for a successful IPO manage their event and carry out an effective communication plan.
Our investor relations team builds strategies and communicates effectively to drive stakeholder and media engagement throughout the IPO roadshow and post-IPO process. Meanwhile, we at VCI Global are equally committed to sharpening our client’s investment narratives and delivering them to the right investors through the best channels.
In addition, we also currently serve close to 40 retainer clients where we provide top of class communication strategies and support.
From a technology perspective, what are the main areas of focus?
We provide technology consulting to help clients stay ahead of the development curve in data analytics and digital transformation. With the support of technology experts, we offer a range of technology services and solutions for our clients, including sigital development, fintech solutions and software solutions.
We also plan to offer SaaS management software soon for our clients to provide automated management, critical insights and intuitive data security.
Now that company has debuted in the Nasdaq, how does VCI Global plan to use this new capital?
Going public will provide us with a long-term capital infusion to fuel our growth and enhance shareholder value. We plan to use the net proceeds from listing for several purposes. 30% of the proceeds will be allocated for general working capital, and another 30% will be used for business and team expansion by recruiting more professional consultants across different industries.
The remaining 40% will be used for specific industry-focused acquisitions.
What do you think about the market potential of the consulting industry and the future of business and technology consulting?
We believe the global consulting sector is one of the largest and most mature markets within the professional services industry. And, we see a promising future [a statement that is backed by market forecasts of most analyst firms].
Specifically, we believe the business and technology consulting will continue to perform a vital role given the rising demand in corporate finance and transaction services, as well as rebounding M&A market in the recovering regional economy. Moreover, with the world moving towards digitalization, demand for technology consultancy will also be expected to remain buoyant.
