Margins and Paddings Update

I’m delighted that we’ve today announced our proposed acquisition of Compuscan, a successful and trusted provider of credit information and analytics services to organisations across South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Lesotho and Uganda, as well as in the Philippines and Australia. As part of the proposed acquisition, we are also pleased to include Scoresharp, Compuscan’s thriving credit risk management consultancy. Established in South Africa in 1994, Compuscan was the country’s first credit bureau for the micro finance sector, providing vital assistance at a time it was most needed.  Compuscan has since become a key player in this sector and grown into a company that operates across nine countries offering creditinformation services, decision analytics services, marketing services and loyalty/rewards services. The proposed acquisition will complement and extend the services already provided by Experian in the South African market, as well as creating significant opportunities for further growth, innovation and financial inclusion across the wider African region. We now enter a standard regulatory review process through which the competition regulator will review the proposed acquisition. South Africa is a vital hub for our regional strategy and the proposed acquisition is just one of the investments we’re making to build our presence here. We recently confirmed the upcoming launch of our new analytics platform Ascend across EMEA, with South Africa planned to be one of the first markets to benefit from its arrival. We’re excited about the potential of this acquisition not only to accelerate our innovation plans, but also to use the combined Compuscan, Scoresharp and Experian organisation to help drive financial inclusion across Africa. We look forward to welcoming the Compuscan and Scoresharp teams to Experian in due course and to bringing all of the benefits of a combined organisation to our clients and consumers across the region.  

For each of the past six years, Experian’s position on the Orange County Register’s list of Top Workplaces has continued to rise, and it’s cause for real celebration across our workforce. This marks a special year for us, as Experian North America was awarded the #1 spot on the list. “Our team members bring their own backgrounds, perspectives, and approaches to work, which together helps us make smarter decisions, develop better products and ultimately deliver more value to consumers,” according to Craig Boundy, former CEO of Experian North America. “This #1 ranking validates our commitment to embracing a truly inclusive culture where everyone has a real sense of belonging, knowing they can show up every day and be who they are, professionally and personally.”   The Power of YOU As part of this commitment, we’ve created an environment where everyone is comfortable bringing their whole self to work, regardless of differences or backgrounds. It’s about advancing a culture that not only respects differences, but actively celebrates them. We call this The Power of YOU. We celebrate our diversity through a range of fun and engaging cultural events, social clubs and volunteer opportunities with nonprofit organizations. As an example, this year we launched a variety of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), including: Military Veterans and Patriots group African American group, Asian American group Hispanic and Latino group Namaste (Indian) group Experian Pride Network group Pictures of employees at various ERG events The Power of YOU initiative builds on the Women in Experian (WiE) group, which was formed two years ago and is focused on improving gender balance across all levels of the organization. Spearheaded by a global team of female leaders from across the business, the group focuses on helping women achieve their ambitions and build successful careers. Each month, employees meet to plan initiatives ranging from guest speakers and lunch-and-learn events to job shadowing and mentorship programs to International Women’s Day activities. Humans of Experian Another exciting initiative is Humans of Experian. This video series highlights the personal stories of employees across the organization. Each story shares an employee’s unique experiences and perspectives and illustrates what it means to be a part of our organization that values and celebrates inclusion and diversity. You can see their stories here: Innovation and Business Success Our culture of diversity and inclusion has enabled Experian to grow and evolve while remaining at the forefront of innovation. For more than 40 years, Orange County has been the heart of our North America operations. We’ve remained focused on developing a culture that achieves and sustains higher performance while giving back to the community, and we’ve strengthened the business across every front. As a result, we continue to have a positive impact on consumers, businesses and the economy with our products, technology and innovations, from finding breakthroughs around better utilizing data to identifying ways we can make access to credit faster and simpler for millions around the world. This is the driving force behind Experian being named to Forbes’ prestigious World’s Most Innovative Companies list for the last several years as well. We’re very proud to be ranked as the #1 Top Workplace by the Orange County Register for our positive workplace culture, which attracts and retains top talent in Orange County as well as our other locations across North America. Our employees are committed to helping to create better tomorrows in our communities through technology and innovation, social responsibility, and our everyday work and business purpose.

In an article published by Bloomberg this week, Brian Cassin, Experian CEO, discusses the transformation of the business from a credit bureau to an innovative, global information services firm. The story highlights some of the remarkable work Experian does with high-profile clients including Coca-Cola and Fannie Mae, using data to inform marketing and strategy decisions. The article also references recent product innovations including Ascend, which offers analytics on demand, and PowerCurve, our market-leading decision analytics platform. Worth mentioning is that Experian’s strong financial performance also comes through in the article, which notes that the company’s stock price has doubled since 2015 while the FTSE 100 index has stagnated. Check out the full article.