In today’s dynamic business environment, technology and corporate services are essential for businesses to thrive and remain competitive. Navigating elements such as accounting, tax, HR outsourcing, and company audits requires a skilled leader. Women entrepreneurs, with their empathy, resilience, and strong decision-making skills, make significant impacts in these fields.
One such leader is Betty Gervasini FCA, Founder of HR Forte – SaaS Payroll Systems and Partner at Acclime Group. A Chartered Accountant from ICAI and a Certified Lead Auditor of ISO27001, Betty brings more than 20 years of experience in the corporate services industry. Her expertise in leveraging technology to streamline services has ensured efficient and effective solutions for clients.
Betty Gervasini’s journey exemplifies the power of combining business acumen with technological innovation, setting a high standard for future leaders in the corporate and tech spheres.
An Illustrious Journey: A Successful Woman Entrepreneur
Betty’s remarkable journey began in Malaysia, where she excelled in high school in Assunta. She pursued foundation studies at Metropolitan College and graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Queen’s University, Belfast. Recognized with a scholarship during her first year at Queen’s, she embarked on her professional career in Dublin as a trainee auditor at a Big 4 Firm while studying at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland (ICAI).
She then transitioned to Lowry & Associates, where she honed her audit skills under Mr. Lowry’s mentorship, passing all ICAI examinations on her first attempt. Grateful for his guidance, she spent six years at Lowry, ultimately turning down a partnership offer to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams in Asia.
Returning to Malaysia, Betty Gervasini engaged in lecturing roles in renowned universities and professional bodies while served briefly at a local consulting firm before venturing to Vietnam to become the Chief Financial Officer at a frozen food company in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. In 2006, she saw untapped potential in Vietnam, founded Finex and overcoming the local language and cultural barriers within a year. For 13 years, Finex provided corporate services to foreign investors and companies in Vietnam.
In 2017, Betty Gervasini founded HR Forte, driven by a dedicated team and a clear vision. HR Forte has evolved into a cloud-based SaaS platform, offering HR payroll solutions across multiple Asian countries, with plans for further expansion. In 2020, Finex was acquired by Acclime Group, where Betty now serves as a partner, contributing to business development across Asia while continuing to support teams in Vietnam.
Simultaneously, she continues to develop and expand HR Forte systems, currently covering payrolls in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore, with plans to extend into Indonesia, Hong Kong, UAE, UK, and selected Latin American countries. Alongside HR Forte, she developed Octopro systems to simplify payroll management for multinational companies, consolidating all payrolls into a single, user-friendly platform.
Betty’s illustrious journey is a testament to her resilience, vision, and dedication, marking her as a trailblazer in the corporate and technology sectors.
Interdisciplinary Nature
As a modern-day CEO of a SaaS company, Betty Gervasini encompasses a multifaceted nature in today’s dynamic and competitive market. There are some crucial roles as follows:

- Visionary Leader: Drives the company’s vision and strategic growth.
- Customer-Centric: Enhances product development and customer experience based on feedback and trends.
- Innovator: Spearheads product innovation to stay ahead of competitors and meet evolving customer needs.
- Strategic Partnerships: Secures and manages key partnerships to maximize mutual benefits.
- Compliance and Security: Ensures compliance with industry standards, and mitigates risks related to data security and privacy by leveraging expert insights and tools.
- Transparent Communicator: Maintains clear and open communication with stakeholders, board members, and employees.
HR Forte: Revolutionizing HR Payroll with a Comprehensive Cloud-Based SaaS Solution
HR Forte delivers a cutting-edge, cloud-based HR payroll SaaS solution, meticulously designed to handle payroll calculations across multiple Asian and Latin American countries—all within a single, cohesive platform. The platform is packed with powerful HR functionalities, including:
- Employee Portal: Empower employees with easy access to their HR information.
- eLeave: Streamline leave management with automated processes.
- eClaims: Simplify expense claims and reimbursements.
- TimeTracker: Accurately track and manage employee working hours.
- eApproval: Facilitate seamless approval workflows.
- eReports: Generate insightful HR reports with ease.
- eSign: Enable digital signing for HR documents.
- Offboarding Module: Manage employee exits smoothly and efficiently.
- Cloud Documents Management: Securely store and manage HR documents in the cloud.
- Year-End Tax Compliance: Ensure compliance with year-end tax regulations effortlessly.
The platform’s seamless integration capabilities with third-party systems via RestAPIs empower HR departments to achieve full automation, from onboarding to offboarding and end-to-end payroll processes.
Octopro: Advanced Payroll Aggregation and Analysis
With Octopro, it can consolidate payrolls for multiple countries, companies, and locations, providing a comprehensive overview for selected companies. This feature delivers detailed data analysis, enhancing decision-making and operational efficiency.
HR Forte is the top choice for regional and global HR players:
- Comprehensive Functionality: All essential HR tools in one platform.
- Global Reach: Payroll calculators for multiple Asian and Latin American countries.
- Seamless Integration: Easily integrate with third-party systems.
- Data-Driven Insights: Advanced data analysis for better decision-making.
- Full Automation: From onboarding to offboarding, streamline every HR process.
Experience the future of HR payroll with HR Forte, where innovation meets efficiency.
The competitive edge and value propositions are:
- Global Reach: HR Forte enables seamless payroll calculators across multiple Asian countries, with capabilities for international payroll uploads, providing a unified solution for global HR leaders.
- Octopro Aggregator: Our Octopro feature integrates HRMS and delivers advanced data analytics, offering comprehensive insights for strategic decision-making.
- User-Centric Design: HR Forte boasts a simple and flexible design tailored to diverse payroll needs, making it ideal for service providers and global HR leaders. It adapts effortlessly to local payroll requirements.
- Affordable Pricing: Our SaaS model provides cutting-edge technology at highly competitive and affordable rates, coupled with exceptional customer service, ensuring maximum value for our clients and employees.
Modern-day Leaders is the Trend
Modern leadership requires tech-savvy and adaptable leaders. Remote team management through various collaboration tools like Slack, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams is done by leveraging these available technologies. Via big data analytics, the decision-making process has been more accurate. Artificial Intelligence (AI) streamlines processes and eliminates mundane tasks. It helps leaders to focus more on strategic initiatives. With globalization and fast-paced technology, leaders need to understand the nuances of diverse cultural and regulatory environments. Modern-day leaders are forward-thinking and tech-savvy, and they empower teams for ownership.
Achievements Year After Year
- 2011: Betty was invited for an interview on a show related to leadership. She was asked about the Vietnam Market and tips to do business in Vietnam.
- 2012: She was also invited for an interview at a Malaysian radio station, BFM 89.9. It was related to doing business in Vietnam for aspiring entrepreneurs.
- 2017: She founded HR Forte with the initial objective of internal use before it changed its direction to be a SaaS provider in 2020.
- 2019: Finex was awarded (the company she founded in Vietnam in 2007 providing a full suite of corporate services before it got acquired by Acclime in 2020) by APAC Business Headlines and CIO Advisor for the quality of services rendered for global companies and Staffing & Recruitment in the Asia-Pacific region.
- 2020: Finex was acquired by Acclime. Betty becomes a partner of Acclime Group.
- 2022: Betty was listed in the Britishpedia of their 5th edition as “List of Successful People in Malaysia”.
- 2023: She was invited by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland (ICAI) to write an article in their Tax Point magazine ‘Feb 2023 issue’ that is available to more than 30,000 of their global members about Hong Kong and Singapore as Tax Haven.
Betty Gervasini- A Trailblazing Leader
With over two decades of experience, Betty understands that obstacles, failures, and setbacks are integral to the journey toward success. Her leadership is defined by essential traits that empower her to navigate and resolve challenges effectively:
Composure Under Pressure: Betty maintains calmness in the face of adversity. She believes that staying composed prevents additional issues and helps retain respect and confidence from others. A clear mind is key to identifying solutions and opportunities.
Teamwork and Collaboration: Recognizing the power of diverse perspectives, Betty assembles teams that bring varied ideas and thoughts to the table. She knows that collaboration can lead to innovative solutions and enhanced problem-solving.
Emotional Intelligence: Betty emphasizes the importance of controlling emotions when tackling issues. She believes that showing anger and frustration only instills fear and demotivation in others. Instead, she advocates for respectful and composed interactions.
Work-Life Balance: As a woman entrepreneur, Betty also fulfills her roles as a mother and wife. She strongly believes in keeping work-related problems separate from family life. By managing her emotions and switching roles effectively, she ensures a healthy work-life balance. A great family time, filled with laughter and joy, helps her approach work challenges with a fresh perspective the next day.
Navigating the Data Challenge: Betty foresees that future business leaders will face an overwhelming amount of data and information for decision-making. With advancements in technology, AI, and analytical tools, leaders must make informed and swift decisions. Betty’s tech-savviness and strong grasp of data management equip her to navigate this evolving landscape adeptly.
Betty’s journey demonstrates that understanding and overcoming obstacles are crucial to achieving success. Her leadership, characterized by resilience, collaboration, emotional intelligence, and adaptability, sets a benchmark for future leaders.
Passion Beyond Work
Betty Gervasini believes there isn’t a perfect work-life balance; instead, it’s about integrating what you love into all aspects of life. She views work not just as a necessity for earning a living, but as an extension of her passions. Her deep enjoyment of developing products, working with clients, and consulting means she approaches work with the same enthusiasm she reserves for her hobbies.
Maintaining health is a priority for Betty, as she firmly believes that without health, one cannot fully enjoy life, regardless of wealth. Her commitment to a healthy lifestyle is evident in her hobbies, which include:

- Sewing & crafting
- Camping & outdoor activities with her family
- Cooking and baking
- Gardening
Betty Gervasini loves creating projects from scratch and involving her children, finding immense satisfaction in completing projects together. This blend of professional passion, personal hobbies, and a focus on health allows her to achieve a fulfilling and balanced life.
Golden Pieces of Advice
Betty Gervasini says, “Be deeply passionate about what you do. Master time management by prioritizing effectively, as everything that crosses your desk today is marked as urgent. Embrace delegation—acknowledge that you can’t do it all alone, even if you believe no one can do it better. Never stop learning, and welcome technology with open arms, harnessing it to your advantage.”
- Also read: 10 Inspiring Businesses Owned by Women