Case study

The Futureof QualtricsMade in Sydney

“Sydney is unquestionably the easiest location in Asia Pacific for an American company to go into and launch its business.”Bill McMurray, Managing Director for Qualtrics.

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Qualtrics spreads its wings into Asia Pacific through Sydney

Software maker Qualtrics is rapidly growing its Asia Pacific and Japan

footprint from the company’s Sydney headquarters.

From its beginnings in a family home basement in Provo, Utah,

Qualtrics has grown into a global powerhouse that was acquired

by SAP for US$8 billion in January 2019.

In today’s experience economy, Qualtrics provides a single technology

platform empowering organisations to manage the four core

experiences of business—customer, employee, product, and brand.

Using the insights captured, businesses can optimise the experiences

they deliver to build products people love, create more loyal customers,

develop a productive employee culture and create iconic brands.

Qualtrics began expanding internationally in 2013. The company

officially opened its headquarters for Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ)

in Sydney in early 2015, with ambitious plans to grow across the

region. Dreams quickly became reality—by the end of 2016, Qualtrics

had opened three more offices and a data centre in Australia.

This was followed by the opening of offices in Singapore (to serve

South East Asia) and Tokyo within the following 12 months.

Bill McMurray is the Managing Director for Qualtrics in APJ.

From being the company’s first local employee in Australia,

he now leads more than 150 employees from seven offices

across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Japan.

Fast facts about Qualtrics

Founded in 2002 in Utah, United States

Qualtrics helps organisations collect, understand, and take

action on experience data - the beliefs, emotions, and

sentiments - from customersand employees

Works with more than 10,000 brands across the globe

including Qantas, Atlassian, Telstra and Volkswagen

in Australia

Opened its Sydney office in January 2015

Has more than 150 employees in Asia Pacific and Japan

US$8B COMPANY

AQUISITIONAcquired by SAP in

January 2019 for US$8 billion

Front cover and inside left images courtesy of Qualtrics.33333

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Setting up in Sydney

McMurray says that selecting

Qualtrics’s Asia Pacific hub

was easy because Australia’s

language and culture are highly

compatible with those in the

United States (US).

Sydney was a natural choice

for the company’s head

office location because of

its status as the commercial

capital of Australia. “Sydney is

unquestionably the easiest

location in Asia Pacific for

an American company to go

into and launch its business,”

says McMurray. “The size and

maturity of the Australian market

means that it is commercially

attractive and many of the

programs and collateral used in

the US are relevant here too.”

Hiring professionals

Sydney’s quality of life has

helped Qualtrics attract talent

from both within Australia and

overseas, according to McMurray.

Hiring people was one of his first

major tasks when he joined the

company in late 2014.

He had to recruit 50 individuals

by the end of the company’s

first year of operations in

Sydney—no small challenge

for a new market entrant.

The company’s constant focus

on hiring remains today,

with plans to grow its APJ team

to over 200 by the end of 2019.

Sydney’s attractiveness to young

professionals looking to live in a

dynamic city and pursue work in

one of the technology industry’s

most exciting sectors ensures

Qualtrics an excellent pool

of talent. “First things first,

when you look around Sydney

it’s such a beautiful place

to live. Alongside this, the

opportunities at Qualtrics—as a

rapidly growing company—are a

rare chance for people to join a

company during an exciting stage

of its development,” says McMurray.

Qualtrics has also benefited from

the NSW Government’s programs

to draw talent into the state and

help new businesses get started.

The NSW Government has

worked to create an appealing

environment for global talent

to work in NSW and improve

the ease of doing business in

the state. It provides business

migration assistance by,

for example, offering state

nomination for highly skilled

professionals seeking to work in

Australia. The NSW Government

also links new companies to

potential business partners,

training institutions, service

providers and industry regulators.

These initiatives have made filling

jobs and launching operations

convenient for companies

like Qualtrics.

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“The size and maturity of the Australian market means that it is commercially attractive and many of the programs and collateral used in the US are relevant here, too.”Bill McMurray, Managing Director for Qualtrics.

Image courtesy of Qualtrics.555

Enabling fast growth

Being based in Sydney has

allowed Qualtrics to grow its

business rapidly in Asia Pacific.

The company had increased its

number of customers to more

than 1,000 by the beginning of

2019—which is a rapid increase

from the 250 at launch. In that

same period Qualtrics has

achieved in excess of 100%

compound annual growth

rate (CAGR).

Qualtrics now focuses on

continuing its regional

expansion. In 2017, it opened its

Southeast Asia headquarters in

Singapore to grow its business

in Malaysia, the Philippines,

Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.

More recently, it opened its first

office in Japan, where it plans

to boost its number of clients

to more than 300 in the next

three years. The company

expects its Asia Pacific

operations to continue to be

a growth engine for its global

business, with new office

openings on the horizon in

South Korea, Hong Kong

and India.

Image courtesy of Qualtrics.6

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Learn more

The NSW Government assists businesses looking to establish, grow and

innovate in the technology sector by providing:

• market intelligence and information

• business case development

• assistance to identify suitable business locations

and partners in NSW

• familiarisation visits to NSW

• connections with government contacts and

the local business network.

The NSW Government offers a range of programs and initiatives to

support businesses to grow to reach their full potential in NSW.

The NSW Government Investment Concierge provides free,

comprehensive and confidential advice and services.

Contact our team today to explore the range of support we can

give to your company.

Image courtesy of Qualtrics.

Contact us

NSW Government Investment Concierge:

T: +61 2 8222 4888

W: invest.nsw.gov.au

77777

TheFutureMadeHereT: +61 2 8222 4888

W: invest.nsw.gov.au

© State of New South Wales through Treasury 2019.

The information contained in this publication is based on knowledge and understanding at

the time of writing (August 2019). However, because of advances in knowledge, users are

reminded of the need to ensure that the information upon which they rely is up to date

and to check the currency of the information with the appropriate officer of the Industry,

Trade and Investment team of NSW Government or the user’s independent adviser.

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