Intralink’s CEO Gregory Sutch shares how Western tech firms can thrive across Asia and where the next big opportunities lie
Could you begin by telling us about your own career journey and what inspired you to join Intralink, and also what drew you specifically to focus on Asian markets?
I’m a child of the eighties and that decade was all about Japan. I became fascinated by the country and decided to study Japanese at the University of Sheffield. The day I graduated, I got on a plane to Japan to try and make my fortune. It’s still a work in progress, but I initially worked for local government there for two years.
During that time, I met James Lawson, the founder of Intralink. He had just set up the company to help British businesses sell products and license technology into Japan, which was then one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic markets in the world. I joined him in 1997, and over time we expanded beyond Japan to help European and US businesses across the region, including Korea in the early 2000s when companies like Samsung and LG were rising, and later into China.
I spent about 12 years in Japan, building our business there before moving to China to set up our operations. I lived there for four years, helping Western businesses enter the Chinese market through sales, licensing, and services. While there, we also established our presence in Korea, which meant we were able to support Western companies across East Asia – Japan, China, Korea, and Taiwan.
I returned to the UK in 2008 and led a debt-financed management buyout in 2012, bringing 10 or 11 key managers with me. Since then, we’ve continued to grow, not only helping Western companies into Asia but also Asian businesses expand into Europe and the US. Two years ago, in 2023, we sold a minority stake to private equity to accelerate growth with the support of a capital partner.
Why do you think Asia is the most promising region for Western tech companies looking to expand internationally?
I wouldn’t say it’s the most promising, but it’s certainly a very promising region. Asia offers huge opportunities for smaller, venture-backed start-ups and scale-ups from Europe and America to sell into the big players – the Asian multinationals.
The region has a higher geographical concentration of genuine multinationals than anywhere else. While the US has more, they are spread out across a vast country. In places like Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai and Taipei, you find dense clusters of global giants. These companies are hungry for cutting-edge technology to decarbonise, digitise, and develop the next generation of products. For Western tech companies, East Asia offers enormous opportunities to sell and license their innovations.
What would you say are the key demographic, social and sustainability challenges in Asian markets that make them ripe for innovative Western tech solutions?
It’s important to remember that Asia isn’t a single, uniform market. Countries differ significantly, especially once you move beyond East Asia.
Take demographics: Japan, Korea and even China now face falling populations. That creates challenges but also opportunities for technologies that boost productivity – automation, robotics, AI, remote services, and smart factories, all addressing labour shortages.
In contrast, countries like Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam have rapidly growing populations. Their challenges include housing, healthcare, social care and employment, but they also have expanding consumer markets as populations become wealthier.
From a sustainability perspective, the picture also varies. China pursued “pollute first, clean up later,” achieving spectacular growth but leaving serious issues of air, water and soil pollution. Japan, by contrast, faces challenges more like developed Western countries – the need to decarbonise energy, manufacturing and the economy as a whole. Each market presents different challenges, and therefore different opportunities, for Western businesses.
What would you say are the biggest differences in approach when scaling up in Japan compared to China or South Korea?
There are certainly differences, but I’d highlight the similarities first. All are geographically distant from Europe and the US, so having a physical presence in the market is critical – you can’t develop opportunities from afar.
Culturally and linguistically, they’re distinct from each other, but all differ greatly from Western markets. Strategically, you can take a broadly similar approach, but tactically, you need to adapt.
For example, Japanese decision-making tends to be by consensus. You can often work bottom-up or middle-up by engaging middle managers, who build consensus within their organisations. In China, decisions are much more top-down, so you need to be speaking directly to senior leaders. Across all these markets, relationships are fundamental – developing trust with prospective customers and partners is essential.
Read the full interview in our latest issue here
