Social Responsibility

I’m the Managing Director of Serasa Experian, meaning I work with Experian’s Business Services Unit to identify how data can unlock new opportunities for businesses across Brazil. I worked in the banking industry for more than twenty years, but joined Experian two years ago because I was excited by the company’s innovative use of data to solve real-world problems. I regularly work with small businesses in Brazil and hear firsthand about the challenges they face. From client conversations and recent data analysis, my team discovered that companies across the country were having difficulty identifying trustworthy suppliers for their supply chain. In fact, a recent Experian survey found that eight percent of suppliers pose risks to their business partners due to labor, tax or environmental problems. Verified background information – such as financial history and risk of default – are surprisingly difficult to find, making it difficult and time-consuming for small businesses to find trustworthy supply chains. We knew there had to be a simpler way to match companies. That’s why we created Serasa Conecta, an online marketplace that connects verified suppliers with verified buyers. Using Seresa Conecta, a buyer of a clothing store, for example, can register a customized page and scroll through the pages of trusted retail suppliers who can partner with their business. Suppliers, on the other hand, can use the portal to identify new customers to help increase sales and build their reputation. On the backend of the marketplace, Experian analyzes each company’s background, and can help determine which companies could forge the best partnerships based on simple reports and balance sheet analyses. Whenever a buyer selects a supplier, Experian also runs a risk assessment of both parties to ensure it’s a good fit. When Serasa Conecta was launched, buyers and suppliers in Brazil were thrilled by the marketplace’s ability to both increase sales and verify safe companies quickly and easily. I take pride in knowing my team and I have made a positive impact on thousands of small businesses in the country. Although I have only been at Experian Serasa for two years, I am excited to see how data can continue to unlock opportunities, connecting communities and improving the lives of companies around the world.  

  My work with the non-profit side of Experian started more than a decade ago, when I was asked to provide some general oversight with a project. I was only meant to play a supporting role, but my passion for the work blossomed immediately. It also seemed fortuitous that my colleagues could jokingly call me “Tammy Non-Proffitt.” Non-profits are dedicated to furthering and advocating for their respective social causes, but they don’t always have the resources they need to drive their message home. Additionally, non-profits sometimes have trouble understanding who their actual donors are due to a lack of data insights. With the limited budgets non-profits have, it would be a shame to waste hard-earned dollars on a campaign that won’t resonate with the right people. Luckily, Experian utilizes data that helps non-profits target the audiences that care about their causes across multiple channels, driving donations that are crucial to the organization’s function, while raising awareness about their cause and furthering their efforts. Recently, I worked with the Raleigh, North Carolina-based non-profit Rise Against Hunger, an international organization that prevents hunger by providing food and aid to people who need it. When Rise Against Hunger was looking to promote several fundraising Facebook campaigns, our data allowed the organization to identify the right audiences for them to target. With this data, Rise Against Hunger can directly target people who are more likely to care – and donate – to their cause. I’ve also had the opportunity to work with The Orangewood Foundation, based in Santa Ana, California, which prepares former and current foster youth to reach their potential and learn about the basic life skills they need to succeed. Like Rise Against Hunger, Orangewood needed help segmenting their own current donor base for different promotions and campaigns, based on age, location and area of interest. Orangewood provides services to more than 1,500 youth every year, so making sure they are targeting the right people for donations is extremely important. Since I began working with Orangewood, I’ve had the chance to visit their campus and charter school, and was simply blown away by the quality of their staff and facilities. Data drives and informs decision-making, helping organizations like the non-profits I work with make smart choices about their communications outreach. In addition, my recent work has not only allowed me to help non-profit clients I care about, but also connected me with other Experian employees, showing how different teams can effectively collaborate to use data for good.  

In the United States, many individuals struggle with managing their money. In fact, a recent study by Mintel found that only 19 percent of respondents would rate themselves highly on their financial knowledge. As the Director of Public Education at Experian, this finding, while concerning, is not surprising. Since joining Experian twenty years ago, my team and I have spoken with thousands of consumers across the country about personal finance. From bank presidents to blue-collar workers, the individuals I speak to all want the answer to one question – “how can I plan for my financial future, taking into consideration life’s ups and downs?” The Mintel survey found that 21 percent of Americans today are not at all confident about reaching their financial goals, but my team and I are working every day to change this. We are committed to working with various communities within the U.S. to help them better understand their finances. We provide training for young men and women in the Air Force about how to succeed financially while on active duty and when returning to civilian life as part of a program with the Hero’s at Home organization. In partnership with the Society for Financial Education and Professional Development, we also educate young adults at historically black colleges and universities, answering questions about building credit and managing money. Through the LifeSmarts Competition, we challenge high school students to compete on knowledge of personal finance. And through some of our other programs, we work with low-income women and immigrant populations to promote financial inclusion by helping them establish credit or understand loans. Through these experiences, we’ve met countless inspiring individuals from various backgrounds with compelling success stories. For example, a member of the Air Force once told us that, following one of our sessions, she was able to improve her credit and buy her first home. Stories like this are why I am so proud to be part of the only dedicated financial education team in the industry. I am excited to continue empowering people from all walks of life to reach their financial goals.  Learn more about the Mintel research here.

I’m the head of Serasa Experian’s DataLab, where my colleagues and I focus on using data and artificial intelligence to solve complex challenges for our customers. Our team of data scientists and applied research practitioners use data analytics to create new products and services that address world needs. One successful product is RWA, a platform that analyzes the dynamics of cities to help businesses make informed decisions on their next site location. Occasionally, however, we also discover innovative ways data can solve our own obstacles at Experian. Last year, several departments within Experian were facing similar challenges. We realized the problem could be solved if each group got together to share their perspectives, brainstorm and then collaborate on a common solution. At the end of that project, our teams decided to find more ways to encourage cross-team collaboration within the DataLab network more often. That’s when we decided to launch our first hackathon. Hackathons are events where a large number of people are challenged to participate in collaborative computer programming projects. Various challenges are proposed and the goal is to optimize, reinvent or replace current solutions, providing the participants with the freedom to select their project and team. For our inaugural hackathon, we challenged 80 programmers, designers and project managers to work together for more than 24 hours to create efficient authentication and retention processes to benefit customers. In our second hackathon, we asked participants to create a new Serasa Experian app that would improve relationships with consumers, along with new products that would utilize Experian’s database. The winning app solution ended up using positive registration data to improve personal credit scores for consumers. This app is now in the process of implementation. For our most recent hackathon, held in 2017, we challenged 200 employees and external participants to develop solutions. One of the challenges was to develop solutions to improve the lives of visually disabled individuals. We invited three people with visual disabilities to share their experiences, giving the teams a personal perspective for how a new product could improve their daily lives. For more than 40 hours, the teams worked tirelessly – utilizing data analysis, product design and business planning – to develop their innovative ideas. Although we have only hosted three so far, I hope to continue bringing the culture of the hackathons into our day-to-day activities at Serasa Experian. By collaborating more with coworkers in the past couple of years, I have been inspired by their ability to approach problems in unique ways. I am proud to foster such a collaborative environment and excited to see my coworkers prove a fundamental belief at Experian - hard work can also be fun when you work hard and play hard.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, the nation is waiting to assess the scope of the damage.

Knowledge is the key to unlocking financial success. Experian is committed to increasing consumer understanding of financial concepts.

Financial health matters. That’s why we’re joining the Center for Financial Services Innovation and the nation’s leading banks, financial services providers and nonprofits in supporting #FinHealthMatters Day on June 27, 2017.

We’re at a critical point in our nation’s history. We need to make a stand and address the root causes of financial instability in this country. I believe the lack of financial education and access to cheaper financial products are two of the key contributors impacting people’s financial health today.

As Serasa Experian’s Corporate Sustainability Manager in Brazil, I’m dedicated to my job promoting diversity and inclusion efforts at work.  But it also happens to be my passion. I believe that companies have a responsibility to reflect the diversity found in society, giving everyone equal opportunity to excel regardless of color, gender or disability. And yet, while a lot of companies over the years have made great strides toward hiring a diverse array of people, sometimes the harder — yet more impactful — work is making sure that diverse group of employees can continue to develop professionally after they’re hired. To this end, Serasa Experian’s Business Network for Social Inclusion (Rede Empresarial de Inclusão Social) launched a program called the Top Talent Project, which encourages and accelerates professional development once someone with physical disabilities is hired. I don’t want to simply hire people with disabilities; I want to ensure they can be productive and grow in their roles. While people with disabilities can bring great experience and skill to their positions, they may need some help integrating into teams. That’s why we work closely with each new hire, their managers and their mentors to guide them on a daily basis. If someone is hearing-impaired, for example, they may know only sign language and not Portuguese, making it difficult for them to communicate with their team. Through the Top Talent Project, we train new hires to communicate at work with their Portuguese-speaking coworkers. And then we give sign language training to their team members! We work hard to create a working environment that ensures success for everyone. In 2016, Serasa Experian received the United Nations Good Practices for Workers with Disabilities Award for our inclusion work in Brazil. That same month, I also was honored to receive the Empregueafro Award from the City Council of São Paulo for promoting ethnic diversity. All these accolades make me so proud because they’re a reflection of the way we at Experian take care of our people. Ten years ago, I changed careers so I could focus more on making the world a better place. Serasa Experian has given me the opportunity to do just that.