NA – North America
Here is what Experian employees are doing in North America …
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 feel that part of Experian’s responsibility as a global information services company is to build and bolster community involvement initiatives that help others. I’m currently a manager of our Fraud Resolution Team and Credit Educator Department in Allen, Texas, but I also have the honor of managing all outreach programs for our branch, bringing together Experian employees to give back to the community. Taking on a volunteer project on top of regular work can be daunting. As the point person for my office’s volunteerism, I’m in charge of communications about upcoming events and drumming up interest and excitement among employees, be it through flyers, silly videos, emails or even free t-shirts. I know a lot of my fellow employees, but I don’t know everyone, so spreading the word isn’t always easy. Despite these challenges, I continue doing this important work because I care about the impact Experian makes in its local communities. My first volunteer experience with Experian was working alongside Stop Hunger Now – an international hunger relief nonprofit – several years ago. I was amazed at the impact we had. Shortly thereafter, I also participated in a canned food drive, rallying Experian employees to visit the Texas Food Bank. After these two chaotic, inspirational, behind-the-scenes experiences, my interest was permanently piqued in on-site volunteer days within the Allen community. Since then, I’ve organized volunteer days with many other nonprofit programs. The amount of organization and work that goes into each volunteer day is much more than you might think. For every Stop Hunger Now event, we package 10,000 meals for those in need, which requires about 100 volunteers dedicating their time. When we worked with Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization devoted to building homes for those who need them, our first two scheduled events were rained out – and it never rains in Texas! I was worried that no one would show up the third time, when we had to reschedule for 7 a.m. on a Saturday. Luckily, every single volunteer spot was filled. We got to meet the family we were building a house for, and we all signed a piece of wood from the house for them. Their gratitude made all the frustration and extra work worth it. It takes a village to get some of these events off the ground, but I have a strong support structure at Experian. And learning to empathize with people through volunteering helps me in my day-to-day work. People who are dealing with fraud can be very emotional, and fraud is unexpected by nature. My volunteering experience has equipped me with the skills needed to empathize with others better and think on my feet.
Patients ideally should know what they’re going to owe when they show up for an appointment – the last thing they need is a big financial surprise to add to the stress of their visit. Similarly, doctors, nurses, hospitals and all healthcare providers help people to stay healthy day in and day out. Providers should be able to go to sleep at night knowing that they’ll be fairly compensated for the work that they do. However, making that happen isn’t easy. Behind the scenes, contracts, benefits and eligibility between medical groups, hospitals and insurance payers are fairly nuanced and complex. Clients benefit when it comes to how much a patient owes a hospital or medical group after treatment, rough estimates aren’t ideal – perfection is difficult/ create problems and issues. Billing must have pinpoint accuracy and add nuance based on unique contract terms that all medical groups and hospitals sign with their employers and payers. The details can actually be quite difficult to keep straight, and there is an extensive amount of variation in each contract’s rules. Experian Health works to make payment transparency the norm, so that patients know what to expect and healthcare providers are paid fairly, accurately and in a timely fashion. I began working for Experian in 2004 but my interest in product development and research eventually led me to Experian Health. My team of more than 100 Experian employees painstakingly reviews contracts, patient eligibility, benefits information and historical claims to generate an accurate fee estimate for each patient’s medical visit. Nuance/aiding are helping to work toward this. We utilize up-to-date technology that organizes all the information we find in an extensive database and review the claims on behalf of both our medical group clients and patients. The biggest challenge for me and my team is anticipating both patients’ and hospitals’ future needs and innovation in the field. Any time healthcare policies are changed or reimbursement guidelines shift, it affects our clients and requires nimble thinking on our part. How do we ensure that our technology is as modern as possible and our team members stay current on the latest trends and news? I’m looking forward to seeing how we continue adapting in the future.
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 October, I had the pleasure of joining many industry leaders and fraud risk professionals from around the world at Experian’s Fusion Summit 2017 held in Scottsdale, Arizona. Our annual Fusion Fraud Summit is a great opportunity to hear from industry leaders on what trends and emerging technology they are currently focusing on. This collaboration with other thought leaders is critical to staying ahead of fraudsters and keeping consumers safe, while providing the best experience possible. In addition to enjoying the sunny Arizona venue, I had the opportunity to network and have candid conversations with attendees and speakers about their fraud challenges and how these challenges affect their businesses. One thing I found striking is that in nearly every conversation, the topics centered on one or more of the following four themes. Security As consumers, we want to feel safe and we want to feel that businesses are doing everything they can to protect us: our payment information, our identity, our credit. Similarly, businesses want to help their customers feel safe, but they also want consumers to know that the data entrusted to them will not fall into nefarious hands. As such, the fraud leaders I spoke with at Fusion are more concerned with security than ever before. But they also know that there is no silver bullet to solve the ever-growing fraud problem. Instead, it’s a multi-layered approach that includes a combination of products and strategies that will recognize identities and assess risk of fraud. Those layers will help to provide the right level of confidence for every transaction. Recognition Being recognized by the people we do business with goes a long way. Whether it’s your coffee shop barista or the front desk clerk at your favorite hotel, being recognized makes us feel appreciated and special. The same applies in today’s digital environment. With the lack of face-to-face interaction online, being recognized when transacting and engaging online is even more important. Customers expect to be recognized and welcomed wherever and whenever they do business. The fraud leaders I spoke with said the same; they want to be as certain as they can about who their customers are. The benefits to this are huge - customers are recognized and welcomed, and it is easier for the business to recognize the fraud. Convenience We all lead busy lives, so it’s handy when we can easily pay bills or make purchases online. But it is not convenient when we’re forced to enter in passwords we may not remember, or get a code from our phone just to prove who we are. Worse yet, purchases could be declined unnecessarily. Now that’s inconvenient. Businesses struggle, especially this time of year, to provide a hassle-free experience for their customers while keeping a handle on increased levels of fraud during the holiday buying season. Most of the executives I spoke with at Fusion would like advanced authentication and security measures that don’t impact customers negatively but provide a better way to establish trust. Trust And in the end, it really comes down to trust. As consumers, why do we prefer to do repeat business with people we know? It is because we trust them. You know them, they know you: recognition helps to stimulate trust. As businesses get to know and recognize their customers, even online customers, they become more confident in evolving the level of conversation and engagement. Trust is at the center of every strong, lasting relationship. And trust is what makes all of us feel safe and protected. While at Fusion, I gave attendees a sneak peek into some of the findings of our upcoming annual Global Fraud Report. Over the last several months, we interviewed 5,500 consumers and more than 550 businesses in 11 markets around the world to hear what concerns and priorities they had. We look forward to sharing lots of great information in the next few weeks and throughout 2018, but for now I can tell you 30 percent of businesses are experiencing more fraud losses over the past 12 months. While these same businesses are eager to introduce new and innovative ways for consumers to open accounts or conduct transactions online, they also are keenly aware that new channels present new challenges. In order to make a difference, we need to work together as an industry to find smarter and more efficient ways to protect both the businesses and the customers they serve. Throughout the coming months, we’ll be sharing the 2018 Global Fraud Report and the findings. I’m sure you’ll find – just as we did – some eye-opening research into how consumers view recognition and trust and what businesses need to do to provide that secure and positive customer experience. For more information about how Experian can help you recognize your customers and better detect fraud, visit: https://www.experian.com/decision-analytics/global/fraud/global-identity-fraud.html
As Doug Conant, the former CEO of Campbell’s Soup once said, “To win in the marketplace you must first win in the workplace.” This is quite befitting as Experian celebrates being named a 2017 top workplace for the fifth consecutive year by the Orange County Register. While we work hard to run our business and service our clients, this recognition is a testament to our culture, which emphasizes collaboration, innovation and diversity amongst our employees. “We are proud to foster a global culture of continuous innovation,” said Craig Boundy, chief executive officer, Experian North America. “Our goal is to create a culture where everyone has a real sense of belonging and trust and is comfortable showing up every day, being their authentic self.” Boundy continued, “We’re thrilled with our continued presence on the Orange County Register list as it validates the great work we do every day for consumers, clients and our communities.” Culture of Collaboration At Experian, we get the opportunity to work with a great group of people that truly want to make a difference in the lives of consumers and our customers, Experian employees do this by working to help people do important things to improve their lives and realize their ambitions; such as buying a car or home, funding an education, growing a business or protecting their identity. This commitment to put consumers first comes from our diverse culture and the collective strength of our highly motivated team members who are constantly collaborating to help Experian create a better tomorrow for millions of people every day. At the Forefront of Innovation As part of our work, we have embraced a culture of discovery that has enabled us to grow and evolve while remaining at the forefront of innovation. 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 past year has been a year of significant milestones, including our partnership with Finicity, the introduction of our Text for Credit product, and our drive to create a more open and adaptive technology environment by implementing API capabilities across the Experian network. Giving Back to the Community We are equally committed to giving back to our communities by creating better tomorrows. From volunteering with the Jessie Rees Foundation – which helps children deal with cancer – and the Blind Children’s Learning Center. This year Experian also provided a $750,000 gift to create the Experian Assistant Professorship in Machine Learning at Chapman University. This investment is being used to expand machine learning opportunities at the university’s Machine Learning and Assistive Technology Lab (MLAT), where Chapman researchers use big data and technology to address challenges of social significance like autism. The gift is the latest of a long series of collaborations between Chapman and Experian. Several years ago, Experian and Chapman began a partnership that involved placing graduate students to become data scientists in internships within Experian to provide them real-world, hands on training. Since then, the partnership has blossomed to include embedding a Chapman faculty member within Experian to better ground the academic community on how data scientists work within the private sector to better shape their curriculum. We’ve also supported scholarships and programs at Chapman to ensure that the field of data science remains inclusive, diverse, and talented. We’ve also helped with the Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. From the moment the storm hit, our team was already rolling up their sleeves. Our corporate responsibility team set up a donation link right away for employees to make contributions to the South/Central Texas American Red Cross, providing critical aid to families. We were met with an overwhelming amount of generosity from our employees, and raised more than $90,000. Also, we partnered with 14 banks with branches in Texas who provided free credit and identity checks for hurricane victims, along with free memberships to our identity theft protection product. Recognition and Awards We continued to be recognized for our innovation and diversity by leading publications and industry organizations. Experian was named to Forbes Magazine’s Top 100 list of the “World’s Most Innovative Companies” for the fourth consecutive year. The Advancing Women in Technology (AWT) organization recently honored several Experian women at its 16th Annual Scholarship event. We are also one of 28 companies named to the Grace Hopper Leadership Index of companies whose representation and development of women technologists is above the mean. We are very proud to be among this select group of companies recognized by the Register for our positive workplace culture that 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 social responsibility activities, technology and innovation, and through our everyday work and business purpose.
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.
Amid a shortage of women pursuing STEM careers, organizations must be committed to helping women who have chosen to enter the tech industry and are poised for success in key areas such as collaboration, creativity, innovation, leadership, and transformation. At Experian, we are an advocate for diversity, inclusion, and gender equality in technology functions and beyond. Showcasing the impact women have in the tech community, the Advancing Women in Technology (AWT) organization recently honored several Experian women at its 16th Annual Scholarship event. Keynote Presentation Experian’s president of partner solutions, Jennifer Leuer, was the featured keynote speaker. As part of her presentation, Leuer encouraged the audience to create a culture of confidence to advance women. “This year’s headlines marked a watershed year for women in the workplace. We need to keep that momentum going by creating a culture of confidence in the workplace, with our families and in our communities,” said Leuer. “One of the many ways we can do this is through mentoring. By providing more women with support and varied perspectives, we assist them with navigating new challenges with confidence.” AWT 2017 Outstanding Executives in Technology Award The Outstanding Executives in Technology award was given to Faith Gaudino, Experian’s senior vice president of corporate project management, for her successful career in technology. For nearly 40 years, Gaudino has worked on Experian’s strategic technology portfolios. Her work is key to maximizing Experian’s investments in technology, business expansion, security and business transformation. “What I enjoy most about my position is the diversity of projects that I work on,” said Gaudino. “My team gets involved in everything from acquisitions to rolling out the latest technology changes throughout the organization. This diversity allows me to constantly learn new things. I am proud to be recognized by the AWT and I hope to inspire other women to pursue and continue careers in technology.” AWT 2017 Rising Women in Technology Award The Rising Women in Technology award recognizes women who have successfully established careers in a variety of technical positions such as engineering, software development, business analytics and management. Five women from Experian were given this award: Becky Clay, marketing automation campaign manager - Clay is responsible for increasing response and conversion rates for the company’s enterprise marketing and internal communications campaigns. Sirisha Koduri, web development lead - Koduri leads the development of Experian’s global content management system. Thy Phan, senior marketing analyst - Phan works on email marketing for the B2B businesses across the Experian enterprise. Anjali Pipriya, software development expert - Pipriya helps develop and maintain the Experian lead capturing platform. Amber Garcia, expert project manager - Garcia manages technology projects for Experian’s online and mobile credit products. “In the technology industry, women have a lot of opportunity to have a voice and be successful,” said Garcia. “At Experian, I have gained confidence in my work, grown and found my voice. I feel this award is a milestone in my career that shows how far that I have come.” Experian puts significant effort in attracting a diverse workforce. We are one of 28 companies named to the Leadership Index of companies whose representation and development of women technologists is above the mean. We also participated in the 2017 Wonder Women Tech Diversity & Inclusion Conference and the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Technology Conference.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, the nation is waiting to assess the scope of the damage.