About Us

A Family of Professionals

Having been in business since 1974, we have amassed extensive experience in the establishment of Cayman structures and entities and can assist clients with matters ranging from the simple (such as incorporation of a holding company or establishment of a simple private discretionary trust) to the complex (such as assisting with the formation of a hedge fund, securitization, private trust company, limited partnership, or a charitable or philanthropic trust).

Our modern, spacious offices on the waterfront in the heart of George Town, Grand Cayman, house our staff and can comfortably accommodate clients and advisors for on-island meetings where necessary.

Cayman Islands

The Islands are located approximately 150 miles south of Cuba and some 500 miles from Florida. Direct flights are available from various U.S. cities, as well as daily flights from the United Kingdom.

Among the many reasons why Cayman is the jurisdiction of choice for clients seeking offshore financial services are the Cayman Islands’ political stability, the absence of direct taxation and foreign exchange controls, as well as the local availability of world-class professional advice and services. These are complemented by a modern and progressive legal system (based on UK law) and a well-regulated financial services industry (with a lighter touch regulator than in some jurisdictions), all of which continue to ensure that the Cayman Islands remains one of the world’s premier financial centres and home to nearly 600 banks and licensed trust companies.

The IMS Group

The IMS Group consists of several operating companies, all under common ownership, with The IMS Group Ltd. being the ultimate holding company. Having been in business since 1974, The IMS Group of companies has always been seen as a pioneer in the Cayman Islands, having formed one of the first Cayman hedge funds; being the first provider of professional independent directors to Cayman Funds; forming one of the first Cayman captive insurance companies and incorporating thousands of Cayman companies along the way.

Our main operating companies are as follows:

1. International Management Services Ltd (IMS)

IMS holds an unrestricted trust license, an insurance manager’s licence and a fund administrator’s licence. Our fund directors are all registered as Professional Directors in Cayman under the Directors Registration and Licensing Law.

2. IMS Fund Services Ltd. (IMSFS)

IMSFS was formed to provide various services to Cayman domiciled fund entities.

3. Corporate Filing Services Ltd. & SH Corporate Services Ltd. (CFS & SHCS respectively)

CFS & SHCS operate solely to provide incorporation, registered office and other statutory corporate services to Cayman companies and limited partnerships.

4. IMS Ship Registration & Management Ltd. (IMSSRM)

IMSSRM was formed to operate to register vessels and provide vessel management

Serving the Offshore
Community

A message from our Chairman.

Paul Harris - Group Chairman

The history of International Management Services Ltd

The history of International Management Services Ltd (IMS) in many ways parallels the history of the financial industry of Cayman Islands. First licenced in 1974 we specialised first in the private client sector and then in insurance and shipping. In fact we formed our first captive insurance company for clients in 1975 and it is still doing business today.

We still provide significant services in those areas but for the last 30 years we have specialised in providing professional independent directors to investment funds and we were the first to do so.– many other providers of director services have modelled themselves on us. Along the way we have been instrumental in forming the Cayman Islands Company Managers Association and the Cayman Islands Directors Association.

We believe in transparency and integrity – our ultimate goal is to ensure that the funds we provide services to benefit from corporate governance of the highest standard. We believe that the directors of a fund (and indeed our own board of directors) should have relevant experience, expertise, capacity and independence. They should also be accessible to all stakeholders in the funds we serve, including investors, and that our directors’ fiduciary duties are owed to the fund as a whole and that they must therefore act at all times in the best interests of the fund.

Our total independence from investment managers, administrators, lawyers and other service providers ensures that we are not conflicted when considering difficult issues facing a fund.

We believe in transparency

Our fiduciaries will be happy to discuss our business model with you

We welcome visits from potential clients, fund service providers and existing or prospective investors in funds we provide directors to and are happy to talk through our model of directorship services, the role of the directors we provide and the numbers of client relationships our fund directors have.

Our internal procedures and guidance for fund directors ensure that investors in the funds we provide directors to can be confident that the interests of the fund (and therefore the investor base as a whole) are best served.