International SOS
Professional services
UnclaimedProfessional services firm providing medical assistance, security advice, travel-risk management and emergency response for internationally mobile workforces.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
International SOS is a privately owned health, security and professional-services firm that helps organizations protect employees, travelers, expatriates, students, contractors and other people working in unfamiliar or remote environments. Its work combines medical assistance, occupational health, security intelligence, travel-risk management, emergency response, evacuation coordination, telehealth and related advisory services. The company traces its origins to AEA International, established in Indonesia in 1985 by physician Pascal Rey-Herme and businessman Arnaud Vaissié. The original business focused on medical assistance for expatriate communities and international organizations in Southeast Asia. It expanded from Singapore and Indonesia into Hong Kong, Australia, Japan and mainland China, with energy and other remote-site companies among its important early customers. In 1998, AEA International acquired International SOS Assistance, a group founded in 1974 by Canadian entrepreneur Claude Giroux. The transaction extended the business beyond Asia and created the basis for the present International SOS organization; the company adopted the International SOS name in 1999. International SOS provides assistance through a network of physicians, nurses, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, security specialists, operations managers, multilingual coordinators and logistics personnel. Its staff support clients in nearly 100 languages and dialects, while external networks include hospitals, specialist physicians, ambulances, aircraft operators and security providers. The firm operates assistance centers and offices around the world, serving more than 1,200 locations in approximately 90 countries. Its customer base includes corporations, educational institutions, governments, NGOs and other organizations with a duty of care toward people operating internationally. Its service portfolio includes 24-hour medical and security assistance, preventive health programs, occupational-health advice, travel-health information, country and incident intelligence, crisis-management support, emergency communications, medical equipment and evacuation logistics. The company also operates air-ambulance capabilities from locations including South Africa, Singapore, China, Papua New Guinea and the Middle East. Its digital tools include traveler tracking, geo-located alerts, risk information, emergency notifications and incident-response functions. The Tracker service monitors the travel of millions of people, allowing organizations to identify potentially affected personnel during crises, while the Quantum platform brings together risk intelligence, monitoring and access to medical and security expertise. International SOS has expanded through acquisitions, joint ventures and alliances. Important developments included the acquisition of MedAire in 2008, the majority investment in occupational-health provider Abermed in 2009, a series of regional medical, concierge and emergency-response transactions, and partnerships with Control Risks, Everbridge, Rocketrip, Global Excel, Iqarus, the International Chamber of Commerce, Ontic and other organizations. Its relationship with Control Risks initially supported combined medical and security offerings; from 2019, International SOS consolidated responsibility for its security-services suite. The company has assisted clients during pandemics, terrorist attacks, civil unrest, natural disasters, armed conflicts, political crises and major sporting events. During the COVID-19 pandemic it expanded teleconsultation into more than 30 countries and supported evacuation and compliance-verification initiatives. International SOS remains focused on reducing exposure to health, wellbeing and security risks for organizations and their people rather than selling conventional consumer travel products. Its related International SOS Foundation, established in 2012 as an independent charity, conducts and disseminates research on the duty of care owed to people working abroad or in remote settings.
History
International SOS began in 1985 as AEA International, a company registered in Indonesia and also known as PT Asih Eka Abadi. Physician Pascal Rey-Herme and businessman Arnaud Vaissié established the business to provide medical assistance to expatriate communities and international organizations in Southeast Asia. Its early operations were based in Singapore and Indonesia, and the company subsequently expanded into Hong Kong, Australia, Japan and mainland China. Energy and other companies operating in remote locations became significant customers because they needed reliable medical advice, emergency transport and assistance infrastructure beyond ordinary hospital networks. The decisive expansion occurred in 1998, when AEA International acquired International SOS Assistance. International SOS Assistance had been founded in 1974 by Canadian entrepreneur Claude Giroux. The transaction broadened AEA's geographic scope and created a larger international medical-assistance organization. The combined company initially used the AEA International SOS name and adopted International SOS in 1999. During the 2000s, the company added regional assistance capacity and broadened its service model. It opened an assistance center in Dubai in 2006 to support the Middle East and North Africa. In 2008, it formed a strategic alliance with Control Risks to offer integrated medical and security support, launched TravelTracker-related services and acquired MedAire, extending its reach into remote medical support for aviation and maritime operators. The company also operated or coordinated air-ambulance services from several regions and reported handling substantial volumes of emergency air transport. Expansion continued through acquisitions and partnerships. International SOS took a majority stake in UK occupational-health provider Abermed in 2009 and formed a rapid-deployment medical and rescue alliance with RMSI in 2010. In 2011 it combined with VIPdesk in North America and acquired or added several medical-supply, pharmacy and healthcare businesses. Regional transactions and alliances followed in South Korea, Norway, Brazil, Mozambique, India, West Africa and Australia. These initiatives helped the firm combine centralized assistance centers with local clinics, medical providers, rescue operators and logistics resources. International SOS relocated its UK headquarters to Chiswick Business Park in West London in 2012. The same period saw further acquisitions, including EMSM in South Korea, and the creation of the International SOS Foundation. Established in March 2012 with a grant from the company but structured as an independent nonprofit, the Foundation focuses on research and education concerning the health, safety, security and welfare of people working abroad or in remote settings. It later established the Duty of Care Awards and Duty of Care Summit. In the middle and late 2010s, International SOS invested more heavily in digital risk management and emotional wellbeing. It expanded TravelTracker, introduced a mobile companion and established an alliance with Everbridge. It also launched or supported duty-of-care integrations with travel and workforce platforms, developed joint ventures with Global Excel and Iqarus, acquired International Health Solutions and introduced digital consultation from Aberdeen Health Centre. The company described its emotional-support service for mobile workers as a first of its kind. A partnership with Al Rushaid in 2018 extended tailored medical services to construction, infrastructure and entertainment businesses in Saudi Arabia. In 2019, International SOS assumed full responsibility for services it had previously delivered through its Control Risks joint venture and consolidated these activities into its Security Services suite. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of telemedicine, remote consultation and digital health documentation. In 2020, International SOS expanded TeleConsultation to more than 30 countries and worked with the International Chamber of Commerce on ICC AOKpass, an application for digital verification of COVID-19 compliance status. The company also coordinated complex medical evacuations, including a multiple-patient evacuation from Réunion to Paris in 2021. International SOS has supported organizations during disease outbreaks including SARS, Ebola, Zika and COVID-19; terrorist attacks and civil unrest in locations such as Bali, Mumbai, Jakarta and Sri Lanka; natural disasters including the Indian Ocean tsunami, the Haiti earthquake, the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, and major cyclones and hurricanes; and political or military crises in Yemen, Sudan, Niger, Israel and Gaza, and elsewhere. It has also supported major sporting events, including several Olympic Games and the 2010 Asian Games. In 2024 the company partnered with Ontic on security software, and in 2025 it announced a partnership with SAF Aerogroup for international on-demand aeromedical services. The business remains privately owned and operates globally through assistance centers, offices, specialist staff and external provider networks.
- 2025
SAF Aerogroup aeromedical partnership
[1]The firms announced cooperation on international on-demand aeromedical, evacuation, disaster-relief and humanitarian services.
- 2024
Ontic software partnership
[1]International SOS and Ontic agreed to co-develop software for employee safety and workforce-risk management.
- 2020
TeleConsultation expands during the pandemic
[1]TeleConsultation was expanded to more than 30 countries during COVID-19, alongside the ICC AOKpass initiative.
- 2019
Security services are consolidated
[1]The company took full responsibility for services previously provided through its Control Risks joint venture.
- 2016
Telehealth certification and digital expansion
[1]International SOS received ISO/TS 13131 certification and continued expanding travel-monitoring and digital risk tools.
- 2012
UK headquarters moves to Chiswick
[1]The company's UK headquarters moved to Chiswick Business Park in West London.
- 2012
International SOS Foundation launches
[1]An independent nonprofit foundation was established to advance research and practice around duty of care for mobile and remote workers.
- 2008
Control Risks alliance and MedAire acquisition
[1]International SOS expanded combined medical-security services and acquired MedAire.
- 2006
Dubai assistance center opens
[1]The company opened a center serving the Middle East and North Africa.
- 1999
The International SOS name is adopted
[1]The combined organization was renamed International SOS.
Products and positioning
Premium, integrated duty-of-care and workforce-risk management provider for organizations with international, mobile or remote personnel.
Medical assistance
Medical Assistance
A 24-hour service providing medical advice, case management, referrals, hospital coordination, treatment support and emergency assistance for travelers, expatriates, employees and dependents. International SOS combines its own physicians, nurses and multilingual coordinators with a global network of hospitals, specialist doctors, ambulances and other providers.
Security and crisis management · 2019
Security Services
A suite covering security intelligence, travel-risk advice, crisis support, incident response, evacuation coordination and assistance during political unrest, terrorism, armed conflict or other threats. The offering grew from International SOS's cooperation with Control Risks and was consolidated under International SOS responsibility in 2019.
Travel-risk technology · 2008
Tracker
A traveler-monitoring service that helps organizations identify the location and potential exposure of personnel during a crisis. It supports communication and response planning by linking travel information with incident and risk data.
Travel-risk management platform
Quantum
A digital platform combining real-time risk information, geo-located crisis alerts, traveler monitoring, emergency notifications and access to medical and security expertise. It is designed for organizations managing distributed or internationally mobile workforces.
Telehealth
TeleHealth and TeleConsultation
Remote medical consultation and telehealth services designed to provide access to clinical guidance when employees are abroad, remote from healthcare facilities or unable to attend a conventional appointment. The service expanded significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Emergency transport
Air Ambulance and Medical Evacuation
International SOS operates or coordinates medical transports, air ambulances and emergency evacuations using aircraft, medical crews and logistics partners. Capabilities have been deployed for individual cases, multiple-patient evacuations, disaster response and humanitarian operations.
Digital health verification · 2020
ICC AOKpass
A digital application developed with the International Chamber of Commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic to support verification of health or compliance status for travel and work-related purposes.
Marketing campaigns
- 2017Duty of Care Summit
Worldwide
The Foundation launched a summit bringing together industry participants to discuss safety, security, health and duty-of-care practices for mobile and remote workforces.
Outcome. The event was paired with the Duty of Care Awards and supported professional knowledge-sharing.
- 2016Duty of Care Awards
Worldwide
The International SOS Foundation introduced awards recognizing organizations and individuals that contributed to protecting mobile and overseas workers.
Outcome. The awards became part of the Foundation's broader duty-of-care education program.
- 2012International SOS Foundation
Worldwide
International SOS established an independent nonprofit foundation focused on research, education and practical guidance concerning the safety, security, health and welfare of people working abroad or in remote locations.
Outcome. The Foundation became a repository for research and introduced the Duty of Care Awards in 2016 and the Duty of Care Summit in 2017.
Brand decisions
2024
Co-develop workforce-risk software with OnticStrategyBackground
Organizations increasingly sought integrated digital tools for employee safety, security intelligence and workforce-risk management.
Action taken
International SOS partnered with Ontic to co-develop security-focused software for remote employee safety and workforce risk.
Aftermath
The partnership reinforced the company's shift toward technology-enabled duty-of-care services.
2020
Expand TeleConsultation and launch ICC AOKpassProduct launchBackground
The COVID-19 pandemic increased demand for remote medical access and digital documentation of health-related compliance.
Action taken
International SOS expanded TeleConsultation to more than 30 countries and partnered with the International Chamber of Commerce on ICC AOKpass.
Aftermath
The company increased its role in remote healthcare and pandemic-related travel and workplace support.
2019
Consolidate the Security Services suiteStrategyBackground
International SOS had previously delivered some combined medical and security services through its relationship with Control Risks.
Action taken
The company assumed full responsibility for the relevant services and consolidated them under its own Security Services suite.
Aftermath
The move gave International SOS a more integrated medical, security and crisis-management proposition.
2008
Acquire MedAireM&ABackground
International SOS was broadening from general medical assistance into specialized support for aviation and maritime operators.
Action taken
The company acquired MedAire, a remote medical-services provider.
Aftermath
The acquisition strengthened International SOS's aviation and maritime medical offering.
1998
Acquire International SOS AssistanceM&ABackground
AEA International had expanded across Asia and sought a broader international platform for medical assistance.
Action taken
It acquired International SOS Assistance and subsequently adopted the International SOS name.
Aftermath
The transaction extended the business beyond Asia and formed the basis of the current group.
Recent events
Reported
International SOS, Salesforce and AOKpass announce solution partnership[2]
International SOS announced a partnership with Salesforce and AOKpass to roll out an integrated testing and vaccination solution for managing COVID-19 testing, vaccine administration, monitoring and health certification.
Industrial Bank launches emergency assistance service for students abroad[3]
Industrial Bank began offering a 90-day overseas emergency assistance service to Chinese students studying in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The source says International SOS would deliver the service.
Sources3 sources
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