Malaysia's US$7 bil GBS sector faces its next test as AI reshapes financeand business operations
Malaysia's Global Business Services (GBS) sector is entering a new phase as artificial intelligence reshapes how companies manage finance and other business operations, with the industry now comprising around 750 companies and revenue on track to reach roughly US$7 billion (RM28 billion).
Once largely associated with shared-service centres focused on consolidating back-office functions and reducing costs, GBS has evolved into a broader operating model supporting finance, technology, human resources and other core business functions across markets.
AI is now accelerating that evolution, but the challenge for organisations is moving beyond deploying new tools to redesigning the processes, roles and operating models needed to generate measurable business value.
The stakes are high for Malaysia. The country's GBS workforce has grown from around 20,000 professionals in the early 2000s to more than 150,000 today, creating 36,600 new high-value jobs since 2021 alone.
These issues will take centre stage at the AGOS GBS Summit 2026, which returns for its ninth edition on Sept 10 at the Sheraton Petaling Jaya Hotel under the theme “Rethink. Redesign. Rewire. — GBS for Humans and AI Tomorrow.”
The full-day summit will bring together more than 300 delegates and over 10 international GBS, finance and technology leaders for panel discussions and peer roundtables.
Organised by AGOS Asia, the summit is supported by official association partners the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), and AICPA & CIMA.
The programme is structured around three tracks — Process, People and Technology — examining what is driving AI transformation, how organisations can build human capability within AI-ready teams, and how GBS leaders should evaluate AI tools in areas including return on investment, data privacy and cybersecurity.
Its “Rethink, Redesign, Rewire” framework focuses on:
Rethink: Auditing and updating operational structures, governance frameworks and service scopes.
Redesign: Establishing a process-first foundation before introducing automation tools.
Rewire: Aligning organisational roles, developing new competencies and fostering effective human-AI collaboration.
“The conversation on AI and GBS is especially urgent in Malaysia because our GBS sector has grown to around 750 companies, and revenue is on track to reach roughly RM28 billion. This positions Malaysia among the top three GBS locations globally,” said Chang Te Sheng, head of digital at AGOS Asia.
“The industry has to redesign workflows and upskill talent, not simply adopt new technology, to sustain the shift from cost savings to enterprise value. This same shift is happening across GBS hubs in Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam. That is the theme we have built AGOS GBS Summit 2026 around.”
The 2026 speaker lineup includes senior GBS, finance and transformation leaders from across the region, including Bruno Calo Fernandez, head of Global Financial Services APAC at AstraZeneca; Rafidah Jumal, vice president of Transformation, Digital & Controls at Shell Malaysia; Kritvi Kedia, associate partner at McKinsey & Company; and Michelle Yong Wai Cheng, head of Human Resources at Dutch Lady Milk Industries.
Other speakers include leaders from L'Oréal, Warner Music, IBM, BASF and Novartis.
“AI is moving quickly, but the organisations that will get it right are those that keep human judgement at the centre of how they adopt and apply it,” said Rafidah.
“That is the conversation I am looking forward to at the AGOS GBS Summit 2026, alongside leaders who are working through many of the same questions around transformation, technology and the future of work.”
“Across the region, finance teams are moving from talking about AI to deploying it,” said Bruno.
“A practitioner-led summit like this is an ideal forum for those lessons to be shared.” Kritvi said the gap between organisations experimenting with AI and those translating it into measurable business value was widening.
“Bringing together practitioners who are driving and scaling these transformations creates an opportunity to cut through the noise and have real conversations,” she said.
The AGOS GBS Summit 2026 expects delegates from GBS and shared-services leadership, finance and transformation functions, as well as technology and industry practitioners from Malaysia and Singapore
- Written by Digital News Asia, September 8, 2026
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