In 2015, Oracle NetSuite was equipped with less than 50 employees operating out of a central hub in Sydney, Australia, to handle the Asia-Pacific and Japan region. Fast-forward to today, and more than 300 representatives in five major hubs now bring NetSuite to high-growth companies in a vast number of countries in the region.

This is part of a dynamic strategy NetSuite is building out to continue expanding across JAPAC in a way that benefits companies native to the area as well as global companies with subsidiaries across the region.

On this episode of “The NetSuite Podcast,” NetSuite’s Group Vice President and General Manager of JAPAC, Lee Thompson, dives into that strategy and what it means for NetSuite customers.

Thompson says some of the biggest challenges companies face in JAPAC—both native to the area and not—are cultural awareness, cultural sensitivity and the geographical vastness of the region (for example, there’s a five-and-a-half-hour time difference between New Zealand and India). Thus, his team created a plan with an emphasis on the region’s diversity, including a focus on empathizing more with the many cultures and expectations of each market. This encouraged NetSuite to establish different hubs that cater to those cultures—Sydney, Singapore, Tokyo, Shanghai and Bangalore—taking global best practices and molding them to fit expectations and fulfill needs across each location.

Of course, this type of growth can’t happen without a clear vision across the region, which Thompson says is implemented through clarity, consistency and communication. Authenticity is also key, especially in recruitment and hiring employees who can bring that level of empathy to various cultures.

So, what does this mean for NetSuite customers both in JAPAC and across the globe? Thompson says it brings more opportunities for innovation.

“If we have a customer that pushes NetSuite to innovate with complexity or volumes of transactions, once we innovate for that one business, we innovate for all 16,000 customers,” he explains.

And there’s plenty of opportunities to do so in JAPAC.

Tune into the full podcast episode with Lee Thompson to hear more about NetSuite’s goals, strategies and future planning for the JAPAC region. You can find the episode on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud and YouTube. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe!