THALES is celebrating its 40th anniversary in Malaysia! Francois-Xavier Boutes, chief executive officer of Thales Malaysia, is proud to mark this milestone.
Q: Can you tell us about your company's journey?
FXB: Yes, Thales is turning 40 in Malaysia this year, and I am proud to lead 200 employees — 95 per cent of them Malaysians — as we go about supporting our key customers.
We count many proud Malaysian entities among our customers, including the armed forces, AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines, the Civil Aviation Authority and Prasarana or MRT.
We started our journey here primarily to serve the defence needs of Malaysia. As a company with extremely diverse portfolio, we were able to expand our offering to a broader range of customers.
In 2019, with the acquisition of Gemalto, which became Thales' Digital Identity and Security, we now serve new areas like banking and telecommunications.
Q: Can you tell us what made Thales successful?
FXB: I believe it is commitment towards our customers and the projects entrusted unto us, and our desire to be as local as possible.
Our presence in Malaysia is bolstered by deep collaborations with strong partners, including Sapura (through Sapura Thales Electronics since 1995), Deftech, Weststar or Boustead, and government agencies like the Technology Depository Agency.
I believe our customers trust us as a strategic partner, and this was evident over the past year.
We offered 24/7 support to the Malaysian armed forces to keep critical defence and mission systems running in the midst of the first Movement Control Order.
At the peak of the pandemic, when Malaysia was repatriating its citizens from overseas, we were on-hand to help Malaysia Airlines repair and maintain their fleet.
Q: Tell us your plans for the next 40 years.
FXB: The push towards digital transformation is strong for many governments, including Malaysia. Thales, as a leading technology player, aligns with that ambition.
Let's take cybersecurity, which cuts across all sectors. For Thales, cybersecurity is inherent in the design of a solution. When we speak with customers, we are mindful that mission-critical systems need to be as resilient to cyber-attacks.
We are also exploring with the Civil Aviation Authority on how the future civil airspace could look like. And our Digital Identity and Security business is constantly bringing in technologies like contactless payment and biometric solutions.
Thales is investing heavily in digital and deep-tech innovations, like connectivity, big data, artificial intelligence and quantum computing, which will all help make our lives safer and better.