BY TONY MARIADASS
KUALA
LUMPUR — Mathavan A. Chandran’s
instrumental role in injecting technology into forensic medicine is an
inspiration to aspiring youths.
Born
in Chellam estate in Ulu Tiram, Johor, Mathavan is the son of rubber tapper
Chandran and his wife Letchumy.
“I
looked like a Malay boy and my name was a challenge to pronounce so my
schoolmates called me Mat. When I went to England, I became Matt,” said
Mathavan in jest.
The
third child among five siblings, he studied at SK Ulu Tiram as his parents were
determined to ensure their children obtained sound education.
Mathavan
and his four other brothers did not disappoint as they went on to make a name
for themselves. But it was Mathavan who excelled in his own right.
“My
dad died when he was 55 and my mum took charge as she ensured we continued
studying,” said the 49-year-old father of two — national equestrian rider
Praveen and Nashveen.
His
wife Anu Soorya is also from Ulu Tiram.
“It
was tough journey from my humble beginnings in an estate but I did not allow
that to dampen my dreams to do well in life.”
Mathavan
studied in Form Four at the English College (now known as Maktab Sultan Abu
Bakar) as there was no science stream classes in Ulu Tiram.
“I
was in the midst of rich children who spoke good English. Not wanting to be
left out, I mastered the language,” he said.
He
continued his studies at Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (UPM).
“My
first trip to Kuala Lumpur was for Thaipusam in Batu Caves and my second was
starting my university life in UPM. It was a culture shock … the bright neon
lights and varsity life,” he said.
“But
I managed to cope and graduate with a degree in biochemistry and chemistry.”
Mathavan
had good bosses to thank as they had guided him well.
“My
motto is simple — grab whatever opportunity that comes your way and make the
best of it. Don’t take anything for granted and work hard for everything.”
Now
chief executive officer/director of iGene Sdn. Bhd, Mathavan founded Infovalley
in 2000 and held several positions. iGene was an initiative born out of
Infovalley with offices in Malaysia, the United Kingdom and Australia.
iGene
has broad interest in forensic medical sciences and technologies, continuously
generating new ideas and translating them into meaningful technologies and
services with high impact applications.
His
current passion is finding a framework that will bring the best of management,
science and technology in innovation and business value creation.
During
his early working years, Mathavan served Metacorp Bhd as the research and
development chemist in 1992 and held many other senior positions before being
promoted to the position of factory manager.
Subsequently,
he worked as the regional business manager (chemical sector) for Peregrine
Direct Investment, Hong Kong.
During
his tenure with Peregrine, he was based in a several cities serving Peregrine’s
interest.
Mathavan
received the “Inventor of the Year” award in 1995 for leading a team of
scientists from Metacorp and Petronas Research and Scientific Services for
research and development of a zinc-based catalyst for natural gas treatment.
“When
I decided to go on my own, I used all the years of experience and wanted to
achieve something more significant,” he said.
“That
was a beginning of another long journey which eventually saw me develop the
world’s first forensic medicine-specific end-to-end software solution covering
crime scene documentation, investigation and reconstruction using software
capabilities aptly named Digital Autopsy.
“Digital
Autopsy is a new advancement in forensic medicine.
“It
started in 2006 with research and development for two years before I managed to
get grants from the Science and Technology Ministry for further research and
development for integration, evaluation and publication of the enterprise
software solution for crime scene documentation and post-mortem examination.
“I
had my work mate Anu Sheela Themudu who later became my partner in the business
and she handles human resource and administration.”
In
2009, Mathavan embarked on commercial development in the form of marketing and
sales.
After
developing the world’s first forensic medicine-specific software, the company
set up the first Digital Autopsy facility at Hospital Kuala Lumpur in 2010.
It
was the deployment of the first commercial solution on a turnkey contract basis
at the Forensic Unit of the hospital.
The
company was commissioned to set up similar facilities in the UK.
Another
milestone for the company was the legal support from the UK High Court and
passing of a law by the state of California in the United States in support of
digital autopsy.
“We
are all set to expand our commercial service especially in Malaysia,” he said.
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