Meeting Asma Bashir, a co-founder of Centuro Global, is a story of one’s passion, innovation, and relentless pursuit. Her journey from private law practice to a leading role in global business expansion highlights her drive to disrupt traditional industries and create innovative solutions.
In the latest video series edition of Techtalks with TFN, we had the pleasure of meeting Asma Bashir.
You can see the whole interview on our YouTube Channel.
Disrupting the status quo: from private law practice to tech innovator
Asma’s career began in private law, a path she pursued despite others’ conventional expectations. Her ambition and passion pushed her to explore new horizons. After scaling her first firm globally and strategically selling it in 2017, Asma’s entrepreneurial spirit led her to new ventures. One of these was Centuro Global, a company born to transform the global business expansion industry.
“Centuro Global really came about because the industry needed disruption,” Asma explains. She and a fellow lawyer envisioned a company that would transform how businesses expand internationally.
Interestingly enough, Asma never saw herself as an entrepreneur. “One of my clients had a need that they wanted me to support with. This one piece of advice led to them inviting me to their office and trying to understand some of the issues and challenges they were facing. That’s really where the work started – I was responding to the demand rather than thinking I am the founder,” she shares.
Reflecting on her journey, Asma acknowledges the importance of structure and planning. “Structure was probably one of the things I lacked when I first started out. I never had time to think and plan. It’s essential to visualise and plan,” she advises, highlighting the value of pausing to reassess and re-engineer processes.
Behind Centuro Global’s vision and expansion
Last year, Centuro Global secured £3.3 million to fuel its technological advancements and expand to the U.S., where 40% of its client base is located. The company aims to help businesses expand internationally easily and efficiently, utilising its in-house solution – an AI-powered SaaS platform, the concept of which came from Asma’s past experiences, to deliver a simplified solution.
In particular, the platform facilitates complex global expansion processes, providing instant access to crucial information, tools, and resources. “This allows clients to win projects and deploy their teams quickly and efficiently. Before, it was really fragmented,” Asma explains.
Furthermore, Bashir emphasised the importance of consistent, reliable advice for companies entering new markets. Citing a McKinsey report, she notes that “80% of new market entries fail, primarily due to inconsistent advice and a lack of understanding local regulations.”
Centuro Global addresses this challenge by offering a streamlined solution that replaces the fragmented processes of the past when companies needed to contact various suppliers and describe their business’s different needs—legal, tax, and procurement.
Challenging traditional firms through innovation, AI, and data privacy
Asma also discussed the transformative role of AI in the legal and consultancy sectors. “The law and consultancy sector needed a transformation for a long time, and there was a lot of inefficiency in terms of advice – nothing was digital,” she says. Asma also addresses the challenges women face in AI, urging them to equip themselves with AI knowledge to stay relevant in future job markets.
Centuro Global’s AI solution integrates propriety knowledge from government departments, international experts, and research agencies to provide clients with accurate data. “We are using LLM to create our internal system so that clients get accurate data when they use AI,” elaborated Asma on their AI solution. This also allows the internal use of the system within the company.
Speaking about AI, Bashir also highlighted the importance of innovation from the customer’s perspective: “We are trying to innovate in a different kind of way. We’re putting ourselves in the customer’s shoes and asking — how would they want to use it, which problems would they foresee, and how can we make it better for them?” This user-centric approach has led to continuous improvements in the platform’s UX. “We are actually delivering, according to the users’ needs and their requirements,” concluded Asma.
Data privacy is another crucial aspect of Centuro Global’s operations. “Data privacy means protecting other people’s data and information,” Asma stated. To achieve the highest level of protection, the company employs advanced encryption techniques, including two-factor authentication, and adheres to ISO certification, with annual audits to ensure compliance with GDPR and other regulations. Unlike large traditional firms, Centuro Global is democratising access to information, empowering local providers in different countries to reach global clients they couldn’t access before.
Current challenge – visa restrictions and the future of UK tech
Speaking to TFN, Asma shared one issue: The UK government’s recent increase in the minimum salary threshold for skilled worker visas has created challenges for tech companies trying to hire foreign talent. Centuro Global is leading a coalition of businesses to challenge these visa restrictions.
“Active dialogue is key. It sounds too obvious to mention that the previous government didn’t consult with any businesses before imposing these changes on the visa thresholds; it was an exercise in party management and political positioning that just so happened to affect hundreds, if not thousands, of businesses. If the new government checks in with businesses before coming up with legislation, that would mark a significant improvement,” notes Asma.
Despite these challenges, Asma remains optimistic about the UK tech sector’s future. “At Centuro Global, we want UK tech to continue on this upward trajectory – to keep birthing innovative firms that attract more smart money from VCs at home and abroad. For this to happen, we need to do two things: upskill our domestic workforce while welcoming those people from overseas with in-demand capabilities that they wish to put to use here. Our loss will be some other nation’s gain,” she concludes, advocating for a balance between upskilling the domestic workforce and welcoming overseas talent.
Asma Bashir’s journey with Centuro Global demonstrates how innovation and determination can transform traditional industries, paving the way for more efficient and accessible global business expansion.
This article is part of a media partnership with Centuro Global . For partnering opportunities, contact [email protected] or [email protected].
