2 Utah tech companies head Down Under to get atop Asia-Pacific market

Laura Seitz, Deseret News

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah online tech education giant Pluralsight and visual workspace innovators Lucidchart both announced plans this week to open new offices in Australia with an eye toward building marketshare in the Asia-Pacific region.

Pluralsight has plans in place to more than double its Australia-based workforce over the next three years, hiring over 50 new staffers across a variety of roles, including sales, customer support, marketing and operations. In addition, the company has signed a lease on new office space in Australia Square in the heart of Sydney’s central business district.

Pluralsight said its investments will bring over $30 million to Australia’s economy over the next three years.

To support its investment in Australia and the region, Pluralsight has appointed Mike Featherstone as a managing director.

“We have an incredible team on the ground in Australia and Singapore partnering with leading companies across all sectors to provide them with the fastest path to developing the technology skills needed to achieve their business goals. With our foundation solidified, it’s time to accelerate growth in Australia and beyond, and we are excited to have Mike at the helm to lead our expansion efforts, ” Pluralsight co-founder and CEO Aaron Skonnard said in a statement. “Mike brings a wealth of global experience and an outstanding track record for leading and transforming the Pluralsight business with energy and passion.

Ravell Call, Deseret News

Pluralsight’s headquarters in Farmington are pictured on Friday, Sept. 29, 2017.

“I’m excited to see his positive influence take shape in the region with the Pluralsight team, our partners and our customers.”

Lucidchart announced it will open its own Asia-Pacific headquarters in Melbourne, with plans to hire for over 100 new positions in the next five years. The new staffers will be focused around sales, customer success and marketing and will, the company said, support and grow its regional user base of more than 3 million knowledge workers. Current Lucidchart customers in the region include Woolworths Supermarkets, LINE Corporation, Coupang, Flipkart and Xero Limited.

“We’re excited to join the thriving tech scene in Melbourne,” said David Grow, Lucidchart president and chief operating officer, in a statement. “We see a lot of great organic growth in APAC, and we believe that opening this office in Melbourne, a region that is continually producing and nurturing some of the best talent in tech, will provide us with the ideal resources to better serve and represent these customers.”

Victorian Minister for Economic Development Tim Pallas celebrated Lucidchart’s decision to locate its new office in the southeast Australian state’s capital of Melbourne.

“We were delighted to support Lucidchart’s move to Victoria, which will add considerable weight to our reputation as Australia’s top tech city,” Pallas said in a statement.

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