17 years of Accace – A glimpse into our past, present and future | Press release

When Paul Gauguin created his masterpiece Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? in 1898 (pictured on the right), he tapped into a set of questions that have resonated throughout the history of humanity. But these questions are not just for individuals, philosophers or artists; they are at the core of every ambitious entity – just like Accace.

This September, as we celebrate our company’s 17th birthday, it’s a good time to think about where we started, where we are now, and where are we headed. Much like Gauguin’s artwork, our journey over the past seventeen years has been a canvas filled with challenges, successes, and innovations. And through it all, we have remained steadfast in our motto: to always be “one step ahead”.

From our humble beginnings to our current position as industry leaders, our commitment has been consistent. We don’t just wait for the future; we anticipate it. We don’t merely respond to challenges; we conquer them. Our story isn’t just about navigating the intricate world of BPO and advisory services; it’s about pioneering with a growth mindset.

Come along as we look back at our journey, see how hard we’ve worked to be where we are, and get more insights into what’s coming next.

Our journey to today

Through the lens of our CEO

With insights into our journey, technology-driven approach, and unique company culture, our CEO Mihaela Pašek-Virlan reflects on Accace’s humble beginnings and shares the essence of what it means to always be ‘one step ahead’ in the world of business.

You’ve been with Accace for many years now, what was the company like at the beginning?

Jiří Majer started the company back in 2006, basically as a boutique firm. I joined in 2007. We were about 40-50 people in the Czech Republic and in Slovakia, with few people adding afterwards in Romania in Hungary and all the countries around. But still, you knew everybody by name, we were able to put everybody in one room once or twice per year. Now it’s not that simple, as we have more than 800 experts (with our business community, that’s more than 2,500 professionals) and we are able to provide services in over 50 countries. There is now a massive size to it, at least to us, a small company starting in CEE.

Was Accace “one step ahead” since the very beginning?

I believe so. At the very beginning, since we were very close to our clients, we expanded because the client came to us and said: “I need this jurisdiction, I need this region, I need the same approach. Come and help us”. But this would have been impossible without a proactive mindset, without being ready to take that next step.

On the other hand, we have always been highly focused on technology. I would even dare to say, that we have been a trendsetter in the region and in our type of industry. Many years ago, we started with Tulip and our other tools in all of our professional services delivery: in accounting with OCR and pre-posting in payroll, the communication with clients, the integration between their HRM systems and the payroll engines that we use – that’s something that we have been investing in for many years already, before it became a standard. So yes, I think we have been “one step ahead” since the very beginning.

Accace has now grown into a proactive partner who helps businesses run their operations more effectively and expand anywhere in the world as if there were no borders, by offering smart solutions, the tools for global growth and empathetic talents who handle clients’ needs like their own.