Michelle Fiegehen

Finding local talent has never been harder for IT & accountancy businesses. For example, in Australia as far back as 2021 there was expected to be six new roles for every new accountant*. Great news for the newly qualified…but a real headache for small and medium sized businesses that are on a growth trajectory.

It’s a similar story for Australian IT talent. ‘’ Despite layoffs in prominent companies, the tech sector has held its ground. For every job lost over the past quarter, 20 more were created. The average wages for tech jobs remain high at around $130K+.’’**

Many organisations have turned to offshore talent in order to fill their talent breaches and sustain profitable growth. After all, typical offshore vs. local salary savings of 60-70% aren’t to be sniffed at. But, ten years ago, Yempo’s founders realised that small and medium sized businesses were being let down by the offshore sector. Sector inexperienced owners (often with a background in running contact centres), poor staff selection, high staff turnover rates and hidden costs left clients wondering if offshore was the wrong choice.

Enter Michelle Fiegehen and Ian Parkin

Michelle and Ian had long successful careers in the IT and finance sectors prior to setting up Yempo. Over 15 years ago, while employed at a global investment bank, they were stationed in different locations: Ian in Philadelphia and Michelle in Manila.

In Manila, Michelle established a substantial offshore engineering team, which Ian and his team later utilized. At the end of their careers with the bank years later, they realized their profound understanding of offshore outsourcing and their ability to effectively leverage offshore accounting and IT talent for small businesses.

Yempo was born with the mission to provide high-calibre, loyal talent for IT & accountancy clients using a simple, supportive, and transparent operating model. We’ll let Yempo’s Accountancy and IT clients describe the Yempo experience:

‘’They give us access to a cost-effective pool of high-quality candidates; plus great advice. Yempo is a good employer from the perspective of local, Philippines, staff’’Kirsten Forrester, CEO, Accounting for Good

‘’Yempo really does give you your own quality employees. You select and work with them while Michelle and team manage everything else – HR, contracts, IT, recruitment.’’Peter Hildebrandt, of IT firm Respiri.

” You don’t just get given people – we recruit for our own team even though, technically, team members work for Yempo. Yempo offers a very cost-effective way to add to your team.” Andrea Harris​​​​, CFO, PowerTech

“Our business benefits from significant productivity gains vs. hiring in-country. Yempo is our trusted offshore partner and our relationship continues to grow.’’Russell (Rusty) Khan, Head of People and Culture, One Stop

Michelle’s advice to future leaders who want to succeed in the outsourcing market? Live in the same country as the talent you’re providing. Michelle’s expat life in the Philippines gives clients the perfect blend of Western and local leadership which they seek to gain peace of mind.

” The business is unique as some of Yempo’s most senior leaders are Filipino (this really helps). Michelle is incredibly accessible, and problems get solved fast.’’David Dennis, MD, FiveP

‘’ Everyone knows each other; it’s a very personalised experience for Yempo employees. Yempo’s Australian, Philippines based CEO understands the Australian way of doing business’’Russell (Rusty) Khan, Head of People and Culture, One Stop

The business constantly strives to keep things simple for clients so that they can focus upon their own organisations’ success. There are no long-term contracts, ensuring flexibility for clients. Payments are only required upon successful candidate placement. Moreover, in the rare instance of a mismatch, candidates can be exited with just two-day’s notice, highlighting Yempo’s commitment to client satisfaction.

“We have built a brand new Process Automation team to revamp and automate manual tasks in order to keep our back office costs down. As we continue to grow and achieve economies of scale while reducing administration costs, we hope to offer all our clients cost reductions.”

The Yempo website includes a new instant quote tool where you can immediately see the costs and savings of highly skilled, loyal resources.

Leadership | Yempo

Michelle Fiegehen, CEO: Michelle Fiegehen, an Australian senior director currently based in the Philippines, leads and develops Yempo’s operations. With nearly two decades of experience, Michelle has successfully built multi-disciplinary offshore delivery teams in the Philippines and India. She has also managed and integrated geographically diverse teams across the US, UK, South Africa, Australia, and Asia. Michelle’s extensive global experience has equipped her with a profound understanding of cultural nuances among different nationalities, enabling her to foster productive and cohesive relationships.

Ian Parkin, COO: Ian Parkin, starting his career in England and now based in Australia, brings a wealth of experience to his role, having lived and worked in the UK, USA, and various Asian countries. With a background in IT, Ian has led teams spanning multiple time zones and cultures, overseeing operations in offshore service centers. During his corporate tenure, Ian specialized in technical integration for mergers and acquisitions, ensuring smooth transitions and uninterrupted service delivery to customers.