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vgalibert@kds.com — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 18:09:00 +0200

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sberteloot — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 15:52:25 +0200

2005 a bumper year for KDS – double its client list and renews contracts with global fortune 500 companies

vgalibert@kds.com — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 13:31:38 +0100

31/01/2006

London, January 31st, 2006- KDS, the leading European provider of online business travel management solutions, has enjoyed strong business growth in FY 2005, with an impressive list of new customer agreements, which helped to convince our VC investors to make a further commitment of 11 million euros in October.

Corporations choose KDS for its expertise in international deployment
KDS has signed a European-wide agreement with Arcelor in the wake of other global strategic accounts including Alcatel, Airbus or Cendant TDS. KDS has also signed up Boston Scientific, a leading medical device manufacturer. The company has opted for the seamless Travel and Expense management solution for all its European subsidiaries.

Satisfied customers expanding collaboration with KDS
In 2005, several longstanding users of KDS solutions signed new agreements to extend deployment to other subsidiaries. After adopting KDS Corporate in the U.K., ING bank will now use it for subsidiaries in Belgium and the Netherlands. Shell will do the same with scheduled deployment in the Netherlands. BP has renewed confidence in KDS for a 3-year period, while Henkel has done likewise for 5 years.

Growth of market share in the U.K. and the United States
2005 saw significant growth of its international market share, particularly in the U.K. and the United States. In the U.K., KDS was successful in several major tenders, including Vodafone (with its partner Cendant), WPP, MARSH insurance, Pilkington and Corus. In the U.S., KDS now includes Yahoo! and Textron among its customers.

"Fast-paced growth in business performance comes in the context of a rapidly expanding market for self-booking tools. These new agreements confirms KDS’ leading position in the market, strengthening its presence in countries such as the U.K., Germany and the US, where KDS has had subsidiaries for several years," said Stéphane Donders, KDS SVP Sales & Marketing. "We are pleased to see that our longstanding customers recognize our leadership and are renewing their confidence with long-term investment in our solutions."

For several years now, KDS has established itself as the specialist in online business travel management solutions. More than 4,000 corporations use KDS solutions, including France’s top listed companies: Alcatel, Alstom, Airbus (EADS Group), Cap Gemini, Société Générale and Veolia Environnement.

In 2005, KDS signed twice as many agreements as the previous year. A high proportion of regular income gives KDS an extremely sound base for growth. What’s more business travel bookings made via KDS solutions tripled year-on-year.

KDS has enabled many Global 500 corporations to make a 5% to 10% cut in their travel spend, the first or second largest "non production" budget. Such results can contribute 0.5% of the bottom line for corporations using these solutions.

New Director to Lead KDS Drive in UK Market

vgalibert@kds.com — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 13:35:35 +0100

30/01/2006

London – January 30, 2006 – KDS, European leader in online business travel management solutions announced today the appointment of Matthew Frost as UK Sales Director. Matthew was formerly sales manager with spend management and procurement specialists Ariba. The appointment comes three months after the company secured EUR 11M (USD13M) in venture financing.

The travel management software provider consolidates its international expansion after recent venture financing

London-based international investors Accel Partners and Atlas Venture invested in the on-demand travel management solutions supplier last October to accelerate its international expansion and technological leadership.

“I am delighted to have Matthew on board,” said Stephane Donders, KDS Senior Vice President.
“UK is Europe’s most mature market for travel management and thus remains our priority. As travel purchase is increasingly handled by procurement departments, KDS plays an important role in helping corporations streamline their travel processes. Matthew’s expertise in business processes, procurement and spend management will greatly contribute to the quality of the customer service we provide. The recruitment of Matthew will be followed by a strengthening of our teams in the UK.”

Matthew, 44, comes to KDS with 20 years of experience in the IT industry and was most recently UK sales manager for the AWD business process management solution at DST International. Previously Matthew spent six years as UK Sales Manager of spend management solutions specialist Ariba. He was the company’s first UK employee, where he opened the UK office and effectively established Ariba’s presence in this market.

KDS leads the European online travel management market. Today, KDS counts among its important customer base companies such as BP Vodafone, WPP, ING, Yahoo!, Accenture, EADS Alcatel, Henkel Airbus, Unilever Arcelor, Shell and Textron.

Matthew graduated in 1982 from Wadham College, University of Oxford.

KDS leads in Online Rail booking functionality

vgalibert@kds.com — Wed, 11 Aug 2004 14:10:27 +0200

11/08/2004

KDS, the leading provider of online business travel management solutions, demonstrates the most extensive train booking services in Europe.

With 10 years experience in travel technology and over 300 customers, KDS is well placed to understand how important an integrated SBT solution, including train options, is becoming to European corporate travelers. KDS first processed rail bookings in 2002 with SNCF, and such bookings are now an everyday activity for thousands of KDS users across the world.

“As other booking tools are struggling for visibility in Europe, the ability to book train is once again being used as a marketing differentiator. Some US tools have recently been promoting their future rail deliverables,” explains Jean-François Vergnangeal. “At KDS we have been quietly making progress in this area without fanfare.”

For the first time, KDS can release its train deployment timeline

UK Rail

Dec 4th 2002 – KDS Chosen by ByRail (Eurostar)

By Rail, the Eurostar online booking company chooses KDS as its First Business Travel Online Reservation Partner to deliver UK rail. Byrail subsequently closed its operation in spring 2003. However, due to it’s excellent relationship with EuroStar and others in the sector, KDS was able to bring online a replacement solution through collaborations with SNCF and TheTrainline. UK rail is currently bookable from Europe using the KDS link to AccesRail.

Dec 2002 Onward - KDS operational with Eurostar

KDS has an operational link to Eurostar. Intercontinental trains are fully integrated and available to book through the KDS Corporate interface. Customer uptake is swift and enthusiastic.

February 3rd 2004 - KDS Partners with The Trainline.com

The Trainline and KDS team-up to give Corporate users UK rail access. KDS and TheTrainline are now working together to deliver an initial link during Q3, 2004 - based on current access technology available from TheTrainline. Subsequently, KDS has contracted to implement improved services, exploiting the next generation XML technology - currently scheduled to be delivered by TheTrainline for 2005.

Other European Rail Access

Sept ’02 – KDS becomes the first distribution partner of SNCF

KDS was the first travel management solution company to partner SNCF and to work hand-in-hand with the SNCF teams to enhance the online booking experience for corporate users. Several KDS Corporate and KDS Portal customers have been operational since 2003 and more are coming online all the time. Currently KDS is working on the SNCF next version of the RIVA access link for deliverables in the 2nd half of 2004 and 1st half 2005.

March 10 2003 - KDS Provides German Rail with Deutsche Bahn

Deutsche Bahn available through KDS Solutions for online train reservations. KDS announced at ITB 2003 the access version to the BIBE system of DB.

end 2003 - KDS Provides AccesRail access

KDS implements AccesRail capabilities, giving our customers access to Scandinavian trains bookings as well as other countries in Europe.

March 15th 2004 - KDS Provides Full Deutsche Bahn Integration

KDS & Deutsche Bahn have extended their partnership to increase online services to German corporate travelers. KDS is providing full access to DB bookings through XML access to DB’s NVS system. KDS is currently working with DB to give access to trains outside Germany.

About KDS
KDS is a leading provider of online business travel management solutions. The company's award-winning applications and services enable organizations to reduce costs and increase productivity by automating business travel processes. Leading companies and business travel service providers use KDS's innovative software to efficiently plan and book travel via the Internet. KDS Solutions are based upon time-tested technology and provide direct access to global GDSs and travel suppliers. KDS customers include Accenture, Autodesk, BP, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Galileo, Gray Dawes, Henkel, IPG, Novartis, and Shell. Founded in 1994, KDS maintains offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. Additional information about KDS can be found on the Web at www.kds.com.

KDS’s Competitive Migration Offer Helps North American Corporations Improve Adoption Rates and Cut Costs while Upgrading to KDS

vgalibert@kds.com — Thu, 31 Jul 2003 17:39:15 +0200

31/07/2003

New-York, USA – July 31, 2003 – KDS, a leading provider of online business travel management solutions, strikes at the business travel market with a first-of-its-kind Competitive Migration Offer targeting North American corporations.

Companies upgrading from their current Self-Booking Tool (SBT) to KDS Corporate, KDS’s online business travel management solution, will benefit from six months of free usage.
In addition, during this period, KDS will fully cover license, usage and support fees and offer implementation services at little cost to migrating corporations. After challenging KDS Solutions’ capabilities for six months, corporations can choose to keep KDS Corporate and enjoy its powerful features or to return to their former SBT.

A benchmark study released by KDS last month shows that KDS’s fare engine displays the lowest fares on the market. Compared to seven other online travel sites, KDS produced the lowest fares 74% of the time. On 19 different itineraries, KDS provided fares 23% less expensive than its competitors. (*)

Current economic conditions have pushed corporations to implement drastic cost reduction programs. Many companies have turned to self-booking solutions to automate and better control one of the most important indirect expenses.

“More corporations are now ready for KDS,” says Michael Steiner, Senior Vice President, KDS US. “We see many enterprises moving on to the next step; they want more from their online booking solution. They want to handle advanced travel policy requirements and deploy their online booking solution abroad and/or across complex business units: KDS provides a real advantage to these companies. We want corporations to freely decide which is the best solution to meet their specific needs.”

KDS’s Competitive Migration Offer is an opportunity for large companies to test KDS's new generation solution without any financial risk. Specifically, during six months, they will be able to challenge KDS Corporate to manage their growing needs for integration, flexible administration, international deployment, complex policy management and direct access to suppliers.

This offer, tested on a representative panel of travel managers, drew tremendous interest. “Our customers are telling us that, after extensive benchmarking, KDS is the only solution in the market able to properly handle global requirements and deployments. We are convinced that, after test-driving our solution for a few months, large corporations will realize that KDS can exceed the most sophisticated of global online self-booking needs. The huge advantage of our proposal is that, for the first time, it gives buyers the freedom to choose with all the cards in their hands, and without any financial investment,” adds Steiner.

Recently, KDS has deployed its travel management solution at various large North American corporations.

With over 20,000 business travelers located in 120 countries, the Interpublic Group of Companies is a world leading organization for media and business services. After a board study, benchmarking 20 online business travel management solutions, IPG selected KDS Corporate globally. “Today, we believe that KDS offers a truly global solution, the only one answering our requirements,” explains Kathleen Kaden, Vice President Corporate Travel, IPG.

Among other U.S.-based corporations using KDS, Autodesk, Inc., the world’s leading design software and digital content company has recently changed online booking tool for KDS Corporate. “We are convinced that KDS will help us better control and manage our corporate travel processes,” says Joan Rizzi, Autodesk’s Worldwide Travel Manager. “Our decision to change to KDS was based on their ability to provide a wider set of functionalities than other online booking systems. Our adoption rate is over 60% in the US, and with KDS’s help we will increase the number of online transactions booked here and abroad.”

Unique features and capabilities of KDS Corporate:

Flexibility to customize virtually every setting, business rule and web page on the online booking solution;
Efficient control to better manage complex company hierarchies, disparate travel policies, defined pre-trip authorization workflow, travel policy compliance;
Access to the best GDS and non-GDS fares and rates based upon KDS’s proprietary technology, including KDS Direct Link and KDS Web Link to seamlessly access trains, low-cost carriers, and other non-GDS suppliers;
Proven global capabilities with 11 languages and multiple currencies options and its ability to adapt to multi-cultural specificities;
Easy deployment capabilities to connect company subsidiaries into current online booking solution for a unique worldwide implementation;
True independence toward travel suppliers whether they are GDSs, airlines, hotels car rental or travel agencies;
Smooth integration to existing IT, HR and accounting systems.

KDS’s Competitive Migration Offer is limited to North American corporations and ends on October 31, 2003.

About KDS
KDS is a leading provider of online business travel management solutions. The company's award-winning applications and services enable organizations to reduce costs and increase productivity by automating business travel processes. Leading companies and business travel service providers use KDS's innovative software to efficiently plan and book travel via the Internet. Based upon time-tested technology, KDS Solutions provide direct access to global GDSs and travel suppliers. KDS customers include Accenture, Autodesk, BP, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Galileo, Gray Dawes, Henkel, IPG, Novartis, Shell. Founded in 1994, KDS maintains offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. Additional information about KDS can be found on the Web at www.kds.com.

TQ3 Travel Solutions to distribute KDS Corporate, the European Leading Online Travel Management Solution

vgalibert@kds.com — Mon, 10 Mar 2003 16:30:34 +0100

10/03/2003

ITB, Berlin, Germany – March 10, 2003 – TQ3 Travel Solutions, one of the leading global travel management companies, and KDS, a leading provider of online business travel management solutions, announce the signing of a new agreement. TQ3 will become a Value-Added Reseller (VAR) for KDS’s flagship product KDS Corporate. KDS Corporate will be added to TQ3’s portfolio of Online Booking Tools that it sells to its national and international customers.

TQ3 and KDS Team up to Meet Large Corporations’ Need for Optimized Business Travel Management Solutions and Services

Sharing a vision for innovation and quality service, TQ3 and KDS bring to the market a new global approach of business travel management. Companies will take advantage of this common offer to receive one of the best solutions as well as the best service to optimize their business travel. Moreover, corporations can leverage the partnership to reduce their costs, streamline their business travel processes and better serve their travelers.

This agreement is effective immediately and will cover any national and international large corporations across Europe.

“Working with KDS further enhances the portfolio of Online Booking Tools that we can offer to our customers. We look forward to continuing to provide our clients with the right solutions and delivering them an excellent service on one of the most advanced technologies,” said Walter Schmitt-Figgener, Vice President Product Management, TQ3 Travel Solutions EMEA.

“As a leading independent business travel management software provider, we believe that close collaboration with major travel management companies is of paramount importance for our customers. Moreover, working with such a recognized player as TQ3 is key for KDS strategic expansion in Europe and worldwide,” explains Jean-François Vergnangeal, Vice President Marketing and Strategic Alliances at KDS.

About TQ3
TQ3 Travel Solutions is the quality provider of innovative, end-to-end travel expense management solutions to companies worldwide. Operating in over 70 countries with system-wide revenues in excess of $9 billion USD, TQ3 employs more than 12,000 business professionals throughout 1,600 locations. TQ3 Travel Solutions is owned equally by Maritz Inc, of St. Louis, Missouri, the world’s largest source of integrated client services, and by TUI A.G. of Hanover, Germany, the world’s leading travel and tourism group. For further information about TQ3 and its services and products, please visit: www.tq3.com.

About KDS
KDS is a leading provider of online business travel management solutions. The company's award-winning applications and services enable organizations to reduce costs and increase productivity by automating business travel processes. Leading companies and business travel service providers use KDS's innovative software to efficiently plan and book travel via the Internet. KDS Solutions are based upon time-tested technology and provide direct access to global GDSs and travel suppliers. KDS customers include Accenture, Alstom, BP, Galileo, Gialloviaggi.it, Gray Dawes, Henkel, Novartis and Shell. Founded in 1994, KDS maintains offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. Additional information about KDS can be found on the Web at www.kdsinternational.com.