How Info-Tech Systems’ CEO went from handing out resumes to taking his company public

On the morning of July 4 2025, Info-Tech Systems made its debut on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) mainboard at 95 cents, 9.2% above its initial public offering price. 

The listing was a noteworthy event many had been looking forward to – the first company to list on the Mainboard of SGX in nearly two years. Info-Tech Systems has had consistent profitability, a debt-free position, and a strategic focus on the high-growth but relatively underserved SME market.

To date, Info-Tech Systems’ growth has been steadily built on a commitment to SMEs, along with a relentless focus on delivering value to the customer. Along the way, it has expanded from Singapore to Malaysia, Hong Kong, and India and has over 23,000 organisations using its HRMS, with over 850,000 active HRMS users and over 1,000 accounting software customers. 

In FY2024, Info-Tech Systems reported S$43.7m in revenue, which was preceded by S$38.1m in FY2023 and S$30.8m in FY2022—a compound annual growth rate of 19.0%. The company has an attractive earnings growth profile underpinned by high levels of recurring revenue and industry-leading margins.

A story of discipline and prudence

Many might not know this story, but Info-Tech Systems’ CEO, Babu Dilip, first arrived in Singapore in 2000 with an engineering degree, no job, and a stack of printed résumés. Then, amid the tech downturn of the dot-com crash, few companies were hiring. As a result, Mr Babu found himself going from office to office, leaving his CV wherever he could.

Eventually, he landed a job at a tiny Human Resources (HR) software company located in an industrial estate, one that employed only 3 people at the time.

“The founder said to me, ‘I don’t understand a word you’re saying’ … because my accent was quite strong … ‘but I like the way you say it. I think you can do the job,’” Mr Babu recalls. 

That founder was Peter Lee, current Executive Chairman of the Board at Info-Tech Systems. Together, the pair would go on to co-found Info-Tech Systems in 2007.

Today, Mr Babu attributes much of the company's success so far to its customer service and fiscal discipline. 

For instance, every client is assigned two dedicated support staff—a primary and a backup—thus ensuring that no context is lost, and that there is always a covering arrangement in place with an industry-leading 4-hour response time. Clients are also encouraged to suggest improvements, and many such suggestions have gone on to be implemented as product features. 

Its lean operating model is also a differentiator. Info-Tech Systems made the strategic decision to relocate development to India and after-sales support to Malaysia, while keeping high-value functions like compliance, data integrity, and product leadership in Singapore. In turn, this has allowed the company to balance cost efficiency with quality control.

“We are strict on every dollar we are spending,” says Mr Babu. “We have to grow with the right model, and we become profitable only with the right growth plan.”

What comes next in the company's growth?

Now that the confetti has somewhat settled, investors would no doubt be wondering: how can Info-Tech Systems continue to scale from here? What are the opportunities for growth in a competitive tech landscape? 

Mr Babu acknowledges that future growth will require more than just maintaining the status quo. 

In recent years, in addition to improving its HRMS, Info-Tech Systems has launched several new products, including its accounting software, a jobs portal, and a training academy. A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is in the works, and will soon join the overall product line-up. These offerings, designed to work seamlessly with its core HRMS, represent a strategy to build a full-stack digital ecosystem for SMEs—all in one, at an affordable price.

As Mr Babu says, "For SMEs, the first thing they will always want to know is the price." 

“The idea is that any SME should be able to meet all their digital needs—HR, accounting, CRM—with one platform, without paying enterprise prices,” he adds.

Info-Tech Systems is also doubling down on AI-powered features like chatbots, integrating natural language queries into its HRMS platform so clients can easily extract complex insights. Currently, plans are underway to bring similar capabilities into its accounting and CRM offerings.

Looking ahead, Mr Babu hints at continued efforts to expand internationally.

"We are not a household name overseas yet," he says. "But when people hear we are listed in Singapore, that we are from Singapore, it opens doors." 

It is a reputation that is also backed up by a methodical expansion strategy, and Mr Babu shares that Info-Tech Systems often conducts market testing to gauge interest and pricing sensitivity, and adapts its product to local use-cases as well as regulatory and compliance needs. It is all about earning trust from SME clients. 

Potential acquisitions may also be on the horizon, with Info-Tech Systems exploring M&A opportunities to accelerate growth in markets where organic entry would be too slow or complex.

A resolute force in a noisy market

For Info-Tech Systems' CEO, running a business is not just about operational excellence. He shares the importance of being grounded in responsibility, of giving back—whether through his personal philanthropy efforts or the company's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. 

“We all come into this world empty-handed,” he reflects. “If we’ve been given something, the least we can do is return the favour.”

While Info-Tech Systems has made a strong debut on the SGX, the company will have to continue to find ways to emerge stronger in the face of global competition, evolving technologies, and customer teams. But Mr Babu brings a leadership philosophy steeped in discipline and humility. 

Sharing about his love for learning, he says, “If you don’t learn something new each day, the day is wasted ... there are always better ways to do things. You just have to be alert and willing.”

In a tech landscape often obsessed with speed and spectacle, Info-Tech Systems tells a different kind of story—one about building consistently, and building to last.

About Info-Tech Systems Ltd. 

Established in 2007, Info-Tech Systems Ltd is a leading and award-winning human resource management software and accounting software provider. The Group’s HRMS and complementary Info-Tech Accounting Software solutions offer user-friendly, productivity-enhancing, accessible, easy-to-adopt and cost-effective solutions that are strategically targeted at Small and Medium Enterprises (“SMEs”). Info-Tech HRMS, the Group’s main product line, is a proprietary cloud-based one-stop HRMS solution that helps organisations streamline their processes, improve operational efficiency and enhance workforce management. Info-Tech Accounting Software is a proprietary cloud-based accounting software that enables organisations to efficiently manage accounting and inventory tasks and provides them with a real-time view of their financial position.

About kopi-C: the Company brew

kopi-C is a regular column by SGX Research in collaboration with Beansprout (https://growbeansprout.com), a MAS-licensed investment advisory platform, that features C-level executives of leading companies listed on SGX. These interviews are profiles of senior management aimed at helping investors better understand the individuals who run these corporations.

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