14 Mar 2023
Melbourne, Australia: Michael Howard once asked himself, “How do you set up an international company?” The question was asked in the late 1970s, but it turned out to be more prophetic than it was rhetorical. Only a few years later came the birth of what is now an industry-leading payroll and Human Capital Management software solution. In 2023, Michael celebrates a 40-year milestone as founder of Frontier Software.
He recalls the humble beginnings of the company. “A rudimentary design was on paper, so I used the kitchen bench to lay out the screens, and grid paper for the screen design. A major function I wanted to achieve was to provide an easy-to-use ad hoc report writer”, a key product differentiator that forms an integral part of the solution today.
Frontier Software started in 1983 with 6 talented employees that were dedicated to its success. The first client was the American multi-national, Phillip Morris, and subsequent clients soon followed across multiple industries and countries. Over time, the initial product, chris, grew and adapted to a changing global and local market, always striving to accommodate all functionality and data in a single database.
Today, Frontier Software has offices in Australia, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore and the UK, employing over 500 people. It supports over 1700 clients, both large and small, in more than 30 countries and there are no plans to stop there. Michael is known for saying, “I want to be a 100-year company”.
In 2023, Frontier Software solution is underpinned by the multiple award-winning ichris (International Comprehensive Human Resource Integrated Software) database and enhanced by more than 20 modules that support an end-to-end employee lifecycle experience. And Michael has no plans to stop there. “Frontier Software will continue to reinvest at least 20% of our revenue into research and product enhancements that keep us ahead of business best practice, technological change and legislative updates. We are developing new modules and expanding into new geographies every year to ensure we deliver the best integrated global HR, HCM and Payroll solution possible.”
