CEO of KMS Technology: “After 15 years pacing up from the foundation, it’s time to add fuel to go faster and head to greater success”
During a business trip to Vietnam for the Global Company Meeting with the leadership team, Mr. Leo Tucker had a conversation with Znews, sharing the operating philosophy and achievements the KMS team has built over the last 15 years, as well as expectations for more breakthrough successes to achieve in the future.
Founded in 2009 by 4 tech enthusiasts who shared the same passion, KMS Technology was born with a vision to create brilliant software solutions for the global market and build an excellent working environment for all members, where business growth is fostered alongside sustainable values for the community. Over the past 15 years, KMS has grown to a team of over 1,500 employees currently working in Vietnam, the United States, and most recently Mexico. The company has earned global trust for its superb quality of software consulting & development services, technology solutions, and engineering expertise.
“Started with one client and a small team”
Established amid the “Great Recession” (2008 – 2009), KMS initiated its journey as a technology start-up specializing in software outsourcing with an engineering team in Vietnam. Over time, KMS Technology has transformed into a trusted brand in the global market for comprehensive software services, with a diverse client network covering various sectors, particularly excelling in software solutions for Healthcare and BFSI in U.S. and APAC markets.
“Starting with one client and a small team, we’ve since grown to over 1,000 people across multiple cities in Vietnam, the US, and now Mexico. We’ve served hundreds of clients and continue to add new people and clients every month and every year. There are too many lessons to list them all, so I’ll focus on what I believe are the most important two. First, going above and beyond to ensure that our clients are happy with the software that we build for them is the foundation of our success. Happy clients are long-term clients, and they refer new clients to KMS. Second, the way to maintain happy clients is to let them work with great, happy team members.” – Mr. Tucker shared with much pride.
“No leader has all the answers, and the best solutions are always found through the contributions of many people. The definition of success for any company is based on its specific vision, mission, and goals, but I believe that any and every company will only find success by aligning and motivating the team to work well together toward those common objectives.” – Leo continued with his perspective about leadership.
Leo joined KMS in 2019 and has journeyed with the company through both successes as well as lessons to cultivate the current ‘proudly-made’ milestone.’ About the two things that make him most proud throughout the last 5-year journey, he shared: “The market has been very difficult at times, but KMS has always emerged from difficult times stronger than we were before, And I’m proud of how many people have stepped up to advance their careers by becoming leaders at KMS”
Talking about KMS’s competitive advantage in the market, Leo expressed: “There are so many little things that KMS does well, and little things add up to big things. Our team, client, and project management have evolved over the years to the point where KMS client teams run highly productively and efficiently. Our processes allow us to catch and correct any potential issues well before they become noticeable to the client. And when we do make mistakes, as everyone does, we take ownership and fix the issues. It is that dedication to our clients, combined with great people and very mature processes, that allows us to deliver quality software again and again for our clients. As a result, many of our clients stay with us for many years.”
In tandem with the business milestones, the organization’s commitment: ‘the more success, the more we give back to the community,’ is resonating strongly within the leadership team and employees of KMS Technology in Vietnam, the United States, Mexico, and this spirit will continue to be spread throughout the next locations that KMS steps into globally.
“It’s time to add fuel to go faster and head to greater success”
“Pacing up from the foundation within the past 15 years, It’s time to add fuel to go faster and head to greater success”. Following that, Leo explained at the current stage of KMS’s lifecycle, now is the time to make the investments needed to scale and grow more rapidly, such as more investment in sales and marketing, the addition of new capabilities that will open up new markets or buyers for KMS services, and the intelligent use of technology and automation to make all of our team members more productive and efficient.
“Difficult situations, such as losing a client or experiencing a market in which new clients are difficult to find, are always a challenge to myself and the team. But in these cases, I find that focusing on what we can control, moving quickly from disappointment to new possibilities, and being honest and transparent with the team enable us to move forward.” – Disclosed the CEO of KMS.
When asked about how to know whether the company is executing well to the direction defined, Mr. Leo shared: Once the direction is clear, then we need to set specific targets and manage them. There is a larger market out there, as well as economic impacts and other external forces that can impact how well we can execute. So, we must evaluate our progress against our goals but also adjust our evaluation based on external factors. Finally, we have to be willing to pivot or make adjustments when we see new opportunities or get new information that might impact our original direction.”
According to Leo’s assessment, KMS has been telling the story of constant transformation over the last 15 years, staying the true focus on high client satisfaction through great delivery and great employee experiences but not being rigid. KMS has done a great job of being flexible enough to achieve its goals by evolving the delivery processes, restructuring to focus on specific vertical business lines, incubating software companies, adding new service offerings, expanding into new delivery locations, new channels for business development or new talented people to the management team… the list goes on and on.
“This willingness to always look for new and better ways, even when it makes our job as managers a bit more difficult, but it propels us forward.”
In the context in which everyone is talking about GenAI, from KMS’s viewpoint, this is “an incredible tool” to improve productivity, both for internal operations and also for efficient delivery quality. “KMS moved very quickly to ensure that all of our technical staff was trained to use these tools. AI provides tremendous opportunities but challenges, such as security and intellectual property. For those who resist new technology like AI, it will be a real challenge, which makes them fall behind.” – Leo shared.
After the latest M&A to expand to the Mexican market (2023), KMS is open to any possibility of doing that just about anywhere. The differences in terms of custom, culture, and tradition could be a significant obstacle. However, KMS shows a willingness to respect local culture and be ready to adapt to the local context.
“While our vision and mission have changed around the edges over the past 15 years, I’m proud that key elements such as building brilliant solutions, providing opportunities to outstanding people, and giving back to our communities have never changed and never will change.” – Mr. Tucker emphasized
To view the Vietnamese version of this article, please visit this page.
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Throughout the past 15 years of definition and development, KMS Technology signed its name on technology products initially nurtured and developed by the Vietnamese leadership and engineering team. Among these, QASymphony held a $40 million investment in 2017 and later merged with Tricentis, becoming a unicorn in Europe in 2018. Katalon successfully raised $27 million in Series A funding in 2021 and currently boasts millions of users worldwide. Kobiton, after multiple successful funding rounds totaling $14 million in 2020, acquired Mobile Labs and is now a pioneering company specializing in mobile software testing in the U.S. Additionally, Visily, an AI-integrated interface design tool, continues to show promising potential as its initial incubation”
