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In the early 1960s, Simon Ramo had a vision of a cashless society made possible by information and technology. This vision led to the creation of our business in North America. Ramo believed information could change the way people lived. Today, we know this to be true and continually see the ways data and technology can create enormous good in the lives of millions of consumers. While much has changed since the 1960s, Ramo’s vision holds true and continues to fuel the way we work at Experian. These principles have put consumers at the center of our business, which has forced us to think outside the box and do things differently. Let me give you an example. Until 2019, consumers had never been able to contribute information directly to their credit report. When we launched Experian Boost, we fundamentally changed the game. We put consumers in the driver’s seat and empowered them to contribute their on-time bill payments directly to their Experian credit report. By doing so, we’ve helped millions of consumers instantly improve their FICO® Score. This was a game changing move that is making a tangible difference for consumers. In fact, Experian Boost users have accessed more than $1.7 billion in credit due to improved credit scores. While we are proud of what we continue to accomplish with Experian Boost, we know financial inclusion depends on all of us doing more. On all of us doing things differently. We recently released new research in partnership with Oliver Wyman which shows 106 million Americans, or 42% of the adult population, lack access to mainstream credit because they are credit invisible, unscoreable or have a subprime credit score. Communities of color are more likely to lack access to mainstream credit, with 28% of Black and 26% of Hispanic consumers unscoreable or invisible, which is perpetuating historic disadvantage. While we have made a lot of progress in recent years by incorporating new data in decisions, as an industry, we can and must do better to ensure all consumers have access to fair and affordable credit. The old way of doing things, the old tools, will not work to ensure more consumers can access the financial services they need when they need them. The score models historically used by lenders are leaving nearly 50 million Americans behind. We need better data and better technology to help more consumers. When advanced analytics and machine learning are combined with expanded data sets as they are with Experian’s Lift Premium™ score, 96% of the population can be scored, including an estimated 65% credit invisibles and the entire conventionally unscoreable population. This is significantly greater than the 81% of consumers that can be scored by conventional scores today. Scoring 100% of Americans and expanding fair access to credit to creditworthy consumers is our goal. This is an exciting time as we are nearing a point where we can say, no matter who you are, where you live or what part of your financial journey you’re on, we can score you and help you access the financial services you need. We can’t do it on our own. Financial inclusion depends on industry adoption of these new tools and insights. As we begin a new year, I believe the financial services industry is at an inflection point. And I am hopeful. I think we can all agree it’s time for a new way of doing things and today we have the tools available to make it happen.

It’s a privilege to be recognized for a cause that’s important to so many of us at Experian.  I am honored to be awarded a bronze Stevie® Award in the “Women Helping Women – Business” category for supporting women in Decision Analytics (DA) and overseeing our employee resource groups across DA. The award specifically calls out our long-standing Accelerated Development Program (ADP), which identifies and mentors women business leaders within our organization The Stevie Award trophy is one of the world’s most coveted business prizes, representing more than 60 countries.  The awards have been given to small, medium and large businesses for an array of categories since 2002. In 2018, HR Director Richard Teague and I helped launch ADP, which has identified 44 mid-career, high-potential women on the Global Decision Analytics team in a leadership training program. Around half of the women who participate have been promoted within two years. The ADP program also complements our DEI initiatives, which includes our five employee resource groups that have played a valuable connecting and our engagement our team members during both the pandemic and personal challenges. If you would like to find out more about any of the GDA DEI networks, including how you can get involved, please contact the relevant network lead: Mental Health – Chris Fletcher Disability and Neurodiversity – David Bernard LGBTQ+ – David Gallihawk Gender Network – Marika Vilen or Jen Cosgrove Race and Ethnicity – Shri Santhanam

An industry’s greatest innovators are successful not only because they deliver superior products in the present, but also – and perhaps more importantly – because they continuously solidify their place in the future through a drive to create a better tomorrow that encourages modernization and disruption. With this approach, Experian has been named Most Innovative Company of the Year in the 2021 11th Annual Best in Biz Awards. Over 700 companies entered, and winners of this prestigious honor were chosen by a small group of prominent editors and reporters from top-tier publications like Associated Press, Forbes, CNET, and Wall Street Journal. In their day-to-day reporting, these judges hear about and cover companies which are on the forefront of innovation. Over the last year, Experian has focused on helping consumers and financial institutions with a wide range of challenges. This includes opening up credit to underserved communities, adapting to changing consumer expectations, addressing the growing threat from fraud, and becoming a more agile technology provider in an ever-changing market. We are truly honored to be recognized as Most Innovative Company of the Year by the Best in Biz Awards. Experian embraces a culture of discovery that enables us to grow and evolve while remaining at the forefront of innovation. Of course, the key is to never stop questioning, evolving, and innovating. And we won’t.

Having a diverse workforce is vital to help us innovate and deliver on the needs of our increasingly diverse clients and consumers. Over the years, we’ve made some great progress, but there’s so much more we can do and it’s going to take the collective effort of all of us to continue to move the needle. That’s why we’re gearing up to celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD). It’s a day celebrated in many countries around the world to recognize the achievements of women and drive equality among men and women. At Experian, IWD activities are extending throughout the month of March. Have a look at what’s going on around the world as Experian celebrates this important day: Asia Pacific The Asia Pacific region is hosting a range of activities across our offices in March, which will include round-table and speaker events as well as an opportunity to network and pledge their support for IWD. EMEA and UK&I EMEA and UK&I are joining together for IWD to support and celebrate diversity and inclusion. The week started with a video of employees from both regions reflecting on what diverse teams bring to our business. Employees will also be invited to a variety of events to engage and network with inspirational women and hear stories from our leaders on what diversity means to them personally. Latin America Throughout the month of March, Latin America has been running a campaign to share stories of achievements in their region and raise awareness about breast cancer prevention and other diseases more common in women. On IWD, there will be a panel of women leaders who will address issues such as the social inclusion of women in the region, women’s participation in the labor market, Experian’s commitment to female leadership and the importance of a work/life In Brazil, IWD is kicking off with a presentation by members of the United Nations to present their 50-50 Gender Equality program (which aims to eliminate gender inequalities by 2030) and how they are working with companies around the world to achieve this vision. Employees will have an opportunity to hear from leaders in our business about diversity and inclusion plans for the region, and listen to a panel of external speakers discuss diversity challenges and career development. North America Our employees in North America will be kicking off the week with celebrations across their ITS’ 13 offices in the region. Each office will have daily activities throughout the week, and all employees – including virtual and those based in smaller offices – will be invited to attend webinars focused on Diversity and Inclusion topics. On IWD, there will be panel discussions with senior leaders who will speak on various career development topics. To close out the week, there will be a special Book Club discussion on March 9. We will continue to update this blog post all week with pictures and other ways we’re celebrating IWD. Bookmark this page and come back.

I work at SEGA, a global games company. I first met Nakamura-san, my contact at Experian, about eight or nine years ago. I remember telling him at the time that I was a little sceptical of credit report and analytic companies – I thought they were either too expensive or their reports weren’t detailed enough. However, a year later I needed help from a company like Experian, and I thought I’d put them to the test.   My team and I were starting to communicate with overseas markets, to work with companies around the world. So, I phoned Nakamura-san. It was a business negotiation, so I had my poker face on – I played the usual mind games you have to, insinuating that if Experian did this job well then our company might be able to offer them even more business in the future.   Safe to say, they passed the test. We’ve been building a really positive relationship with Experian for the last eight years.   We’re working with companies in Hong Kong, Taiwan and London at the moment. To work with them, we need information – for instance, we need to know if they’re actually located where they say they are. Even if a company gives us an address, it’s always possible that it operates from a different country – we’ve all heard about companies and their tax havens. When we have these questions, Nakamura-san and his team at Experian collect and analyse data on these companies, and give us very thorough information – breaking it all down and explaining everything to us really clearly.   It’s really difficult to get the rich, detailed analysis of data you need, but Experian provides us much better data than any of our previous credit research companies managed to. They consult with us, and help us use this data to get our business to a better place. I’m very grateful for it – they’ve added great value to our business. Mr. Shinji Mutazono, Team Manager, SEGA Group Companies Finance Department, SEGA Holdings CO., Ltd. 

In Malaysia, nearly 280,000 people live without electricity. By volunteering with the Liter of Light program, we’re bringing solar panel lights to remote villages, transforming the quality of life and brightening the darker hours for families. In Malaysia, more than 1 percent of the population lives without electricity – one of life’s basic necessities – which equates to nearly 280,000 people living in darkness after the sun goes down. Some people have never had electricity in their life, making simple tasks like cooking or reading nearly impossible after dark. I wanted to change that. My day job is to support and enable individuals within Experian to pursue various career opportunities, but what I’m most passionate about is the way Experian helps me invest in my local community through the Heart of Experian Corporate Social Responsibility program. This year, my team and I had the chance to collaborate with Liter of Light (LOL) – a global, grassroots movement committed to providing affordable, sustainable solar light to people with limited or no access to electricity. In February, we joined one of their projects to install 60 solar street lights in the village of Orang Asli, an indigenous community in the Cameron Highlands.   Over the span of two days in February, a group of 30 Experian volunteers built and installed the solar panel lights. On the first day, the LOL team taught us how to build the panels, teaching us the skills needed to cut wire, assemble PVC pipes and drill holes. The second day, we rode in Jeeps through muddy roads and a three-foot deep river to reach the village. We spent hours unloading the lights and assembling the panel boxes, plotting the village maps and identifying the right spots to install the solar panel lights. I was happy to see some of the local villagers’ curiosity and participation throughout the day. Some helped us assemble the lights while others prepared the right spots for installation by building bamboo stands. The weather was kind to us, so by 5 p.m., nearly all the lights were installed – just before dark! After completing all the hard work, our team recorded a group video using a drone that all of the Orang Asli children chased after. Thanks to our service project providing light to a village in darkness, 150 villagers in Orang Asli will now have more productive, higher-quality lives during the dark hours of the day. I’m so glad I got to play a role in that.