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Every day we work with companies doing amazing things with their data. We are therefore delighted to be sponsoring the very first Experian ‘Data Excellence’ award at this year’s Lloyds Bank National Business Awards. It gives us the chance to celebrate organisations for their innovative thinking and excellent use of data - an area we at Experian are very passionate about. The quality of entries for this category was high, showcasing some real-life examples of how data-driven solutions can not only deliver better outcomes for customers, but also embrace the opportunities presented by an ever-changing data landscape. However, there could only be one winner. So, we are pleased to announce that Cleveland Police are the deserving recipient of the inaugural award for their ‘Golden Nominal’ project – an initiative which demonstrates how the power of better data can have a positive impact on policing. The project responds to the huge challenge that having vast, unquantifiable number of duplicate records was posing on delivering an efficient and appropriate response to the community. And not only has it far surpassed targets in terms of reducing duplicates, most importantly it’s provided opportunities to serve the community better and identify those most vulnerable far more quickly. Such was its innovative nature, the project was recognised at a national level by the Home Office, who provided co-funding from its Innovation Fund – a fantastic result for them. The award was presented by Experian’s Chief Data Officer, Jonathan Westley, to Maria Hopper from Cleveland Police at the awards ceremony in London. She said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be named as winners of the ‘Data Excellence’ award. Our data initiative allowed us to solve a challenge that was hindering our ability to respond quickly and accurately to those who need it most in our community. For us, winning this award is fantastic recognition of the critical role that data plays in delivering positive policing and keeping people safe.” To hear more from Maria, you can watch this short video. We would like to congratulate Cleveland Police on a well-deserved award win, along with all the other winners on the night. To find out more, you can visit the National Business Awards website.
Following this year’s One Young World summit, we sat down with Jade Starrett, Global Talent and Engagement Director at Experian, and Abigail Lovell, Senior Vice President of Global Corporate Responsibility and Shared Marketing at Experian, to talk about the importance of the summit and how Experian’s partnership with the organisation is helping us to create a better world for our clients and partners. Q: Why does Experian participate in One Young World? A: Jade: I think it’s a really positive, inspiring initiative for us to be involved in as an organisation and it’s incredibly well aligned to our purpose of Creating a Better Tomorrow. So, I think with all the brand work that we’ve been doing over the last couple of years, there’s a huge relevance to what we do, who we are as a business, and what we’re trying to achieve. As of now, we employ 57% Gen Y across Experian and 25% of our employees across Experian are under 30. So, we’re a really young business and I think we all know that for many young people, they’re passionate about social change and they really want to make a difference in the world. A: Abigail: That’s exactly what it is - a way of connecting young people and employees to our brand purpose of Creating a Better Tomorrow. And our ambassadors do this by not just connecting with corporate responsibility leaders around the business but also with other young people around the globe from different companies. These folks are innovators and change makers who bring all of this together to come up with ideas that can positively impact the communities where we live and work. Q: What benefits have you seen from being part of One Young World for the past six years? A: Jade: There are clear benefits for the individuals themselves who participate. They come back from the summit inspired and energised by the people that they’ve met and the leaders they’ve heard. I think they also benefit from the personal growth, development and motivation that the experience also gives them. There is a societal benefit because the work that the ambassadors are leading and pioneering through the organisation positively impacts society and supports our corporate responsibility agenda. We’ve consciously aimed to try to tie in peoples’ ideas and passions with what Experian does as a business and what capabilities we can use to make a difference. A: Abigail: Yes, One Young World has really inspired change makers across our business to make a positive impact in the community. We’ve had projects that support refugees to expand our consumer education programme and to help people get more empowered around finance and credit in their own region. One Young World offers an opportunity to make a positive impact on society and consumers. \"I think our aim of celebrating what we do in this CSR space more, talking about it more, communicating it more widely will help us from a talent attraction point of view, particularly with younger people.\" Q: Why do you think it’s important for Experian to foster a culture of innovation? A: Abigail: Innovation is on the minds of all our leadership team. It’s a key differentiator for us in the marketplace. It’s part of our DNA and is fundamental to the way we make a real impact to society and in the world. We invest in new products and services that help more people get affordable access to essential everyday services. And many of these products started as social innovation projects developed by people in our business, for example Limpa Nome (which translates to “Clean name”) in Brazil. Jade: I also think that to be really creative and innovative, you need to break your normal daily routines and ways of thinking. When you’re put into and immersed in an environment like the One Young World summit, with people who have vastly different experiences to your own, you are inspired to think differently. \"Essentially if you think about Experian’s business strategy, innovation is such an important pillar of that strategy for growth. And that’s innovation in terms of social innovation like Abigail talked about, and it’s innovation across our entire business agenda.\" Q: How does Experian encourage young people to take that learning and bring it back into the organisation? Jade: When we first started looking at our participation with One Young World, the majority of corporates who send people and who have corporate memberships don’t do what we do. We wanted to tie it directly into the business and we wanted individuals to have real skin-in-the-game. So, it was a very conscious decision on our part to create a competition to encourage people to think “what am I passionate about”, “what is Experian trying to deliver for our clients and consumers” and “is there a need for this that we can help fill and create social change” - and use that to apply to become one of Experian’s One Young World ambassadors. A: Abigail: And the way that we do this is ahead of the One Young World summit, our ambassadors identify local social challenges that they are passionate about so they can debate and find innovative solutions with like-minded individuals at the actual summit. When they return, they are fired up, they are ready to draw on the knowledge from the summit, and then they work with the local corporate responsibility teams in the regions to put their learnings into practice to help solve some of the biggest social challenges. Q: Is there a One Young World project that really stands out for you? A: Abigail: Australian Business and Community Network (ABCN) runs the Business Class Program (formerly governed by Schools Connect Australia), a non-profit organisation in Australia that matches companies with schools in disadvantaged communities to improve educational outcomes of students. Sarah Hughes, a member of our first cohort of One Young World Ambassadors leads the programme which is now in its fifth year. This programme has seen 400 employees from Experian volunteer their time and impart their knowledge and skills to students at McClelland College and their teachers. ABCN conducted a thorough evaluation of the students’ progress and found that with Experian’s support, around 600 students showed improvements in educational outcomes. This year, Sarah integrated an exciting new award-winning digital financial literacy programme, Banqer, into the school’s curriculum and it’s being rolled out to 250 students this year. For me, this is a fantastic example of how we can work together to Create a Better Tomorrow.
The following is written by Jan Barratt, Experian. We owe everything to the millions who lost their lives in the Great War, fighting for our freedom. Without their sacrifice, the world we know would be a very different place. This November marks a whole century since the guns finally fell silent on WW1. It’s only fitting we use this landmark anniversary to remember and celebrate everything they did for us. The Games of Remembrance 2018 is an opportunity to do exactly that. Inspired by a generation’s love of football and its ability to unify, The Games of Remembrance harnesses the power of the beautiful game to remind us all of the immense bravery and sacrifice of millions. We’re proud to sponsor the Games and to play a small part in helping those memories live on and to commemorate the people who lost their lives in the conflict. Furthermore, we’re thrilled that this year’s celebration comes to Nottingham, a place where Sir John Peace, Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire, and the late Eric Barnes built up Experian from its roots almost 50 years ago. Today, we employ more than 2,000 people across the East Midlands region. We’re proud to be sponsoring the Games of Remembrance, and we are proud to be part of the Nottingham community. We remember.
We recently participated in Finovate Fall, where we joined top fintechs and financial institutions from around the world to debate about the current state of the financial services industry and more importantly, its future. A future where the so-called ‘experience economy’ will unfold and those putting the customer at the center of their innovation will thrive. But, how to get there and remain relevant in an ever-challenging environment? Committing to a culture of technology and innovation that transforms interactions between businesses and consumers is the first step. Take financial institutions and fintechs, for example. Despite their different approaches to what it takes to serve their customers better, both traditional and non-traditional industry players agree that technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning play a pivotal role in their respective digital transformation strategies. But with the change comes the challenge: most of organizations recognize they still struggle to fully operationalize the output of their advanced predictive analytics. To be true to our own commitment to technology and innovation and help businesses execute machine learning models within their decision processes, we have launched a new release of our flagship decisioning platform. The latest PowerCurve release integrates machine learning to deliver a faster and better analysis of data. These actionable insights will help our clients identify the opportunities presented by each of their customers quicker and more easily. Leveraging today’s technology to sustain tomorrow’s growth We believe that enabling businesses to leverage their current technology investments to support future growth is key to ensure they get the full benefit of their commitment to innovation. The latest PowerCurve capabilities allow custom plug-ins to be added at any time to support the next generation of technology and decision-making strategies while ensuring consistent, precise and personalized experiences that satisfy consumers’ demands over time. This enhanced flexibility means that businesses can get value of their current data and technology investments today and keep at pace with the latest and most effective decision management strategies across the entire customer life cycle. In addition, PowerCurve will continue to satisfy compliance requirements and provide the necessary governance and explainability that is essential in today’s market. With the updates to our decisioning platform and incorporation of machine learning capabilities, businesses will be able to make the right decisions today, resting reassured that those decisions will remain precise and relevant in the future.
Digital transformation is dramatically changing the way consumers and businesses interact. E-commerce and social media are setting the standards for digital experiences. The advance of fintech is driving competition. All while fraud reaches an all-time high, prompting an ever-stringent regulatory framework. This confluence of emerging technologies and intense competition adds even more pressure to grow business faster. In such a scenario, growth is fueled by acquiring more customers – those with whom you can build lasting, valuable relationships over time. However, traditional approaches for customer acquisition no longer suffice. As a business leader, how do you tackle these challenges? What can you do to attract and acquire new customers? To help answer these questions, we commissioned Forrester Consulting to survey over 900 key decision makers across industries. What we found is that getting actionable insights from complex data sources to make consistent, precise decisions is still a major challenge. The majority of executives also indicated that not having a single customer view had a direct impact on profitability. They struggle to make accurate decisions that are both meaningful for consumers and profitable for business. To overcome these challenges and realize their strategic priorities, businesses of all sizes are increasing their investment in advanced analytics and decision services. We understand that the current market environment can be daunting. But with challenges come new opportunities. We can help you modernise your digital decisioning approach to enable precise and profitable lending decisions across the life cycle. Using a unique blend of best in class data, advanced analytics and digital decision strategies you will know your customer better. As a result, you can, deliver the experiences they demand and make lending decisions with less risk. Download the executive summary of our Global Decisioning Report 2018 and discover how businesses of all sizes are leveraging data, advanced analytics and digital decisioning to better serve customers and future-proof growth.
We’re committed to creating a better tomorrow for consumers, clients, our people and our communities. Experian enables life’s biggest moments and ambitions through the confident use of data. We’re unlocking the power of this data to help people access the essentials they need to fulfil their life ambitions. As the world’s largest credit bureau operator, we have an important role to play in enabling access to finance for millions of people who could otherwise be excluded from mainstream credit and services. We help people prove who they are and build a strong financial track record. Our data and analytics also gives lenders – our clients – the information they need to make fairer, faster decisions for people who are applying for credit. We deliver our purpose through our core business activities, our social innovation products and solutions, and our corporate responsibility (CR) programme. One of these initiatives is the annual One Young World competition. One Young World was founded in 2009 with the intent of bringing together young talent from around the world who are passionate about creating social change to address the most pressing issues the world faces. For the sixth year, Experian is proud to support One Young World and every year, we send five ambassadors, one from each of our regions, to attend the summit. To become a One Young World Experian ambassador, employees were asked to submit a proposal for a new product, partnership or initiative that supports our brand purpose of Creating a Better Tomorrow. The winning submissions, one from each region, were selected to become ambassadors. Over the coming months, they will work with employees across the organisation to bring their ideas to fruition. Meet the five Experian ambassadors we will be sending to the summit in October and the projects they will be driving throughout the year to create a better tomorrow. Be sure to follow @Experian on Twitter as we’ll be posting live updates from the event in October! Jessica Childs Jessica works in the Experian Marketing Services - Product Team in North America. She has worked at Experian for almost two and a half years. Last October, she went to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to help people upended by the hurricanes. This experience inspired her to think about how Experian can use data to help people who are at the highest financial risk after natural disasters. Her project is made up of two parts: preparing for a disaster and understanding the financial risks posed by natural disasters; and disaster recovery which involves providing tools and resources to be successful after a natural disaster. “I am so excited to be selected as one of Experian’s 2018 One Young World Ambassadors and to continue my work that I started almost a year ago to help victims of natural disasters who are at the highest financial risk. The amount of natural disasters continues to increase year-over-year and while there has been an incredible outpouring of volunteers and support, there is always more to be done to not only educate those at risk, but also identify victims and help mitigate the inevitable financial repercussions.” Tanya Kostadinova Tanya is part of Decision Analytics, based in Bulgaria. She has worked at Experian for a year. Early this year, Tanya participated in a giving back day, organised by the Experian CSR team in Bulgaria, to paint houses for orphaned children and children in foster care. Inspired by what she saw, her idea involves creating an application for these children to give them the best start in life. The application would include information about their labour and healthcare rights, financial advice, advice on how to find a job, and this information will be presented in simple videos and easy-to-follow quizzes. “I am very happy and excited to be working on my project. I believe this idea will increase financial education and will help these vulnerable groups of people. In this way, we will create a better tomorrow not only for them but for all of us as society.” Larissa Alfino Larissa is part of our Internal Communications team based in Brazil and has been at Experian for a year. Larissa’s project is called Open Windows, it’s a global project aimed at promoting socioeconomic empowerment for refugees by breaking down social barriers, providing essential advice and helping them to gain access to credit and social services. This information would be served through an app allied with a network of partnership with financial and social institutions for a healthy social integration. “I am honoured to have the opportunity to be part of Experian’s One Young World Ambassadors and connect with other young leaders to create a better tomorrow. Many refugees are living extremely tough lives and Open Windows would be a simple and affordable way to help financially empower them.” Laura Thomas Laura is part of our Community Involvement team in the UK&I and has worked at Experian for almost 18 months. It’s predicted that there are over 40 million people trapped in modern slavery across the globe and Laura’s idea focuses on how Experian can help find and support these people. The projects aim is to develop the Experian Modern Slavery Assistance Programme – a collection of products that could be used in partnership with anti-slavery charities to identify people being kept in slavery and help rebuild the financial identities of those freed from slavery. “I am so pleased and excited to have been selected as one of Experian’s One Young World Ambassadors for 2018. It’s an amazing feeling to be chosen and I’m eagerly anticipating all that the summit has to offer.” Jasmine Rodil Jasmine is a Product Management Associate in the Credit Services Product Management team, based in Sydney, and has worked with the company for three months. An estimated 39 million people living in India are pushed into poverty each year because of healthcare expenses (a figure that is expected to rise) and Jasmine wants to do something about it. Her vision is to create a Health and Wellness indicator to improve a person’s ability to afford and access healthcare in India. The project would involve using data to look at the patient’s journey to access healthcare and the issues they face and suggest actions to gain access to quality healthcare and health insurance. “I am not only grateful to have been selected as one of Experian’s 2018 One Young World Ambassadors but I am proud to be amongst such a talented and amazing cohort of people with the same passion as myself, to drive change.” Our Ambassadors are currently collating their top takeaways on this year’s One Young World summit in the Netherlands – we’ll be updating this blog with those insights very soon so make sure you come back to have a read about their experience.
This article is by Michele Pearson, general manager of Experian Mortgage, and co-sponsor of Experian’s PRIDE employee resource group (ERG) Like most of us in the LGBT+ community, my coming out story is more like an unfinished novel than a tightly worded chapter in a book once read and forgotten on a bookshelf. It unfolded over the years. I wasn’t always confident enough to be fully out, but I never pretended to be something I wasn’t. For me, there wasn’t a day of reckoning or a loud declaration. I arrived at this point over the years, and there were two pivotal incidents that served as catalysts for me. First, after working at Experian for several years, a male colleague stunned me when he said his feelings were hurt that I didn’t trust him enough to bring my whole self to work. I was dumbstruck by his frankness and desire to know the real me. And second, I realized I couldn’t ask my children to go through life with two moms confidently and comfortable if I wasn’t truly authentic in every aspect of my life as well. For me, coming out happens again and again. I will always need the quiet confidence to say, “I’m a mom, a daughter, a friend. I’m an executive. And yes, I am gay.” When Experian asked me to lead our company’s LGBT+ ERG, I took a moment of pause. Yes, this was a big decision, but ultimately, drawing on that confidence, it was an easy decision to make. In light of the 30th anniversary of National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11, I want to assure people wondering if acknowledging diversity is significant, it is. The difficulty some of our LGBT+ colleagues face making daily decisions about where they can be fully present aren’t merely insecurities. They are the realities of being LGBT+. No federal law exists protecting the rights of employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in the United States. In 28 U.S. states, employees aren’t afforded state-level protection for sexual orientation, meaning they can be fired for being lesbian, gay or bisexual, and it’s even worse for transgender members of the workforce. The fear is real for many members of the LGBT+ community – but so is the motivation to seek change and create an inclusive workforce in America. Just imagine working in America if everyone felt as safe as I do to bring their whole selves to work? The mental and emotional energy I expended hiding my whole self from my colleagues many years ago saddens me. Could I have bonded with others quicker, positively affecting team performance and achieving goals faster? Could I have helped someone else know it was OK to be fully themselves at Experian and watched them confidently come into work every day? Today, I’m not raising my voice for myself. I’m raising it on behalf of talented LGBT+ employees across the country and to tell business leaders that the economic results they’ll receive by instilling and nurturing inclusion is worth it. According to research presented at Deloitte’s IMPACT 2017 conference, organizations with inclusive cultures are six times more likely to be innovative, six times more likely to anticipate change and respond effectively, and twice as likely to meet or exceed financial targets. It’s the right thing to do. I feel fortunate to have spent the last 20 years at a company that is overt in saying it’s OK to be who you are: You are not only welcomed here, you belong here.
The following is written by Alison Sharp, Experian. Mental illness affects thousands of people in the UK, their friends, families and work colleagues. In fact, one in four of us will be affected by mental health issues at some stage of our lives. It\'s hard enough to experience mental health problems, without having to face the judgement, shame and isolation that often surrounds it. Today is World Mental Health Day, an opportunity for us, and others, to help raise awareness of mental health issues. However, our work to change the way people think and act about mental health problems doesn’t stop here. I am proud that our MD, Charles Butterworth, signed the Time to Change pledge last month, to help bring an end to mental health discrimination and show our commitment to supporting mental health awareness. Signing the pledge marks the beginning of a shift to make sure well-being and mental health support becomes the norm for us. I believe that the workplace should be an environment where everyone can thrive, no matter who they are. Experian joins the wide movement of more than 800 organisations that have signed the Time to Change pledge, including E.ON, British Gas, Ernst & Young, Transport for London, Royal Mail, Barclays, Shell, Pepsico, the Church of England, Sunday Mirror, Marks and Spencer, WH Smiths and many NHS trusts, universities, and local authorities. At Experian, we are dedicated to making colleagues feel more support and connected to the help we have, as and when they need it. I truly believe that mental health is something that shouldn’t be brushed off or pushed aside and I hope that if you are suffering, or know someone that is, that you have the courage to reach out for support because after all, it is OK to not be OK.
Working at Experian I am constantly amazed by the many innovative ways we work with data, to find new and exciting solutions with our partners. If we can harness the power of data, and derive real value from it, it has the potential to make hugely positive changes to the way we all live and work. And there’s no doubt that organisations of all shapes and sizes are stepping up to meet the challenge, investing in technology and insight to move with the times. With that in mind, I am delighted to be able to announce the finalists for Experian’s inaugural ‘Data Excellence’ award, part of this year’s Lloyds Bank National Business Awards. This award is the first of its kind, and was designed by us to recognise organisations that are pushing the boundaries in this space, creating opportunities for people, businesses and society in the process. We’ve had some great entries and the final shortlist features some of the finest examples of those working at the forefront of data and analytics. It’s a diverse and dynamic group. Data, innovation and technology has the power to change the world for the better and there’s no better way to demonstrate this than through real-life examples. The award shortlist showcases this perfectly. All our finalists have demonstrated the capacity to use data-driven solutions to not only deliver better outcomes for their customers, but embrace the opportunities presented by an ever-changing data landscape. So, who made the final shortlist? Center Parcs Cleveland Police Minicabit Principality Building Society SyndicateRoom Validis Zurich Insurance The judges now face the difficult task of selecting a winner, someone who truly personifies data excellence. At Experian, we pride ourselves on our culture of continuous innovation, that’s why we are so excited to celebrate the UK’s most ‘data excellent’ companies at this year’s National Business Awards. I’d like to wish all the finalist the very best of luck, To find out more, you can visit the National Business Awards website.