Getting to Know iWorks: Our Origin Story

By: Becky Chawner

In March 2005, our President and COO, Jothi Radhakrishnan, founded iWorks Corporation in Northern Virginia. Jothi originally worked as an industrial/manufacturing engineer, where he learned process-driven practices. After moving to the United States, Jothi worked at KPMG, which he describes as an entrepreneurial culture. Jothi gained exposure to process optimization, proposals, and technical solutions there, and after moving to a position that required a lot of travel, Jothi drew on what he’d learned at KPMG and in his other prior roles to start iWorks.

The inspiration for our company’s name, iWorks, comes from the prevalence of the term “works” in many industries, such as millworks or woodworks, and the “i” is an abbreviation for “information.” From the beginning, iWorks focused on information work—our first contract supported the building of a technical system for the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae).

Jothi met Kumar Gnanamurthy, our current CEO, on this contract. Kumar worked independently as the technical lead, supporting technology solutions for Fannie Mae’s Investor Reporting group, and he introduced Jothi to Raj Kathamuthu, our current Senior Vice President and CTO. After a few months, Kumar and Raj joined iWorks, and the three would meet weekly at a Starbucks in Ashburn, Virginia, to discuss the company’s plans and execution.

Kumar moved to the United States to attend Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, where he received a master’s degree in engineering science. Kumar’s work at a startup and in a strategy role at PricewaterhouseCoopers gave Kumar a penchant for objective solutions to business problems.

Raj worked in IT professional services in the United Kingdom before moving to the United States in 1999, when he dealt with the Y2K issue. Raj’s work in the United States supported the Military Traffic Management Command (MTMC), and he met Kumar while working at a Virginia-based technology services firm.

The three founders built iWorks on a foundation of hands-on engineering, technology, and analytical problem-solving experience—backgrounds forged through process optimization work, technical systems delivery, and IT program execution—paired with a shared belief in hard work.

The three founders describe their mission to “become a trusted partner providing innovative solutions to our clients and to create a diverse, inclusive, collaborative, and respectful workplace where people are empowered to achieve their professional goals.”

What the founders built beyond themselves

The three founders’ backgrounds got iWorks started, but what’s kept it running is what they built around themselves: standardized delivery processes, quality systems, and proprietary platforms that let program teams deliver consistent results independent of any single person. iWorks now operates under CMMI Maturity Level 4 (Development) and Level 3 (Services) processes, along with ISO 9001, ISO 27001, and ISO 20000-1 certified management systems, and has developed homegrown platforms—including the Wingman platform and the iGEAR delivery framework—that standardize how project teams plan, execute, and quality-check work across engagements.

Today, iWorks has grown from a single employee to a robust, multi-disciplinary team, executing contracts for federal Department of Defense agencies, civilian agencies, the state of Virginia, and commercial clients.