Taking Air Transportation to the next Level.

Software Products to Fuel Air Transportation

V. K. Mathews is the founder and CMD of the IBS Group of companies. Mathews founded the International Business Services Group in 1997, which has grown to being a leading global provider of new-generation IT solutions to the Travel, Transportation and Logistics industries and whose solutions today manage the mission-critical operations of the best airlines, the busiest international airports, top oil & gas companies and most luxurious cruise lines around the world.

VK MATHEWS Founder and CMD, IBS Group

Equipped with a Master’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering from IIT Kanpur, Mathews started his career in 1979, teaching computer science to army officers. In 1981 he joined the IT division of Air India and played a key role in the implementation of their computerised passenger services systems world-wide. Subsequently, Mathews joined The Emirates Group, where he contributed to the growth of the airline in various capacities, over a span of fifteen years from 1983 to 1997. As General Manager-IT of the Emirates Group, Mathews was responsible for formulating and implementing Information Technology strategies for Emirates’ global operations.

In the late 1990s, while many industries had already adopted modern software systems to run their operations, the air transportation sector was still using age-old systems that were slow to respond and too complex to manage. There was a need for simpler technology solutions to ease and speed up processes.

On the other hand, India’s brimming software industry was dominated by code-on-hire services companies and the opportunity for leveraging the cheap but effective software skills in the country to meet the worldwide need for software products to fuel air transportation was left largely untapped.

Watching this emerging business idea in 1997 was 41-year-old VK Mathews, figured that a logistics software product model was good enough to make him quit that job and take the entrepreneurial plunge. Thus was born International Business Services. The company, in its first decade, has put together a bouquet of 15 software products to serve the global travel, transport and logistics industry.

The aim of the company was to provide IT solutions to the global Travel, Transportation and Logistics (TTL) industry. Starting with the development of solutions to specific problems as turnkey projects, under Mathew’s stewardship the company has moved from strength to strength. With strategic acquisitions and the technological expertise and business domain competence gained, IBS today offers a range of innovative and cost-effective products, in the areas of airline operations , airport management, airline cargo , oil and gas logistics travel, cruise and hospitality management as well as ocean transportation. IBS is committed to developing new generation IT solutions that replace legacy systems.

In just ten years IBS has grown from an initial size of 60 staffers to a 2000-strong, SEI CMMi Level-5, PCMM Level 5, ISO 9001:2001 and TickIT certified company with a global presence. The company’s earnings have grown at a steady annual compounded growth rate of 40%. The global clientele of IBS includes major corporations like Nippon Cargo Airlines, BAA, Emirates Airline, Cathay Pacific, South African Airways, Air New Zealand, Dubai Airport, SITA, Shell, GulfShare, Qatar Airways, Celebrity Cruises, Star Cruises, Orbitz Worldwide and so on. IBS and its Group companies operate out of Atlanta, Alexandria (VA), Bangalore, Boston, Cochin, Dubai, Hong Kong, London, Melbourne, Phoenix, Rotterdam, Sydney, Trivandrum, Tokyo and Toronto.

Mathews is an advisor to the Government of Kerala in the areas of Information Technology, Industry, Management and Education. He is a member of the State’s IT Advisory Board, Higher Education Council, Planning Board of Kerala (Committee for Industry & IT) and figures in the Board of Studies of several colleges/universities. Mathews is also a member of Board of Directors of the Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management - Kerala (IIITM-K) and a member of the TiE Kerala Core Group.

A committed technocrat and a business visionary, Mathews is one of the pioneers who have ensured a place for Kerala state on the global IT map. In recognition of his achievements he has received numerous honours and awards. He was awarded the Management Leadership Award 2001 by the Trivandrum Management Association, and the Millennium Leaders Award 2002 by Surya TV, a leading television channel in South India. In 2002, he also received the IT Kerala Award for Enterprise Excellence and the Kerala State Sahridaya Vedi conferred on him the award of IT Man of the Year 2003.