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I am delighted to have announced our new partnership with Code First Girls, a non-profit organisation that teaches women to code for free, and helps increase the number of women – an under-represented group – working in tech.     As a South African woman of Indian heritage, a single parent of two bi-racial girls aged 18 and 22, and a human resources executive with a passion for talent, leadership, and development, I work daily with my team to support Experian deliver on its brand promise of powering opportunities to create a better tomorrow for our people, consumers and businesses globally. So I am personally and professionally very proud of this development.    Our partnership means four young women can study for a Code First Girls‘ Nanodegree, while working as paid interns in EMEA for the next nine months.    These young talents come from diverse backgrounds, helping us diversify our workforce and bringing fresh thinking and new perspectives. They’ll benefit from our flexible ways of working, being based primarily from home. They’ll gain international experience as they are joining our Data Science and Innovation teams in South Africa and Italy.    Moreover, they will help us drive our financial inclusion agenda by working on our United for Financial Health programme. This means we will have four young women working on financial inclusion solutions for women and four 18 to 25-year-olds working on financial inclusion solutions for the same demographic.  This is a people-led innovation that contributes to the circular economy and adds purpose to our Company’s commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in its fullest sense, supporting our sustainable business goals.   This isn’t philanthropy or theory. This partnership means our interns will work hard, learn and develop themselves as they prepare for a career in data and tech. It means we will also learn and evolve through this initiative.    I’m curious: how do young, fresh talented people experience us?  Will this partnership really enable four young women to start sustainable, fulfilling careers in tech, data, artificial intelligence, or software development?  Will it help Experian attract and retain the best early tech talent in future?    As with every innovative step we take, we’re unsure of the outcome, and that’s OK, as well as exciting. What is important is that we’ve started a new journey together, and  I’m excited to see where it takes us.    If you’d like to meet our EMEA interns and track their journey, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Black History Month launches in the UK today. Throughout the month, we’ll be holding a series of events to support Black British people to realise their personal financial and business aspirations. Look out for webinars on Credit Scores and Property Investing on 6th October and Credit Scores and Entrepreneurship on 13th October, with guest speakers including Kazeem Alli-Balogun, Sebastian Newby, Stephanie Taylor, Rachael Twumasi-Corson from Afrocenchix, Ismail Oshodi and Raphael Sofoluke. Register here. The last week of October also sees the launch of the first Experian Entrepreneur Challenge, a 5-day bootcamp helping Black micro-entrepreneurs define the roadmap towards business success. The week includes topics like how to spot opportunities for business expansion, and formalising business and funding growth, with special guests from Experian teams holding masterclass sessions on topics like market research, marketing and recruitment. At the end of the week, entrepreneurs will pitch for £3000 worth of funding to help grow their business. Participants will be uploading video diaries over the course of the week, which takes place from 27th October onwards – you’ll be able to check out their experiences on our YouTube channel here. Finally, the Experian team will be sharing personal experiences and career advice at two exciting events, Black Tech Fest and UK Black Business Week. We’re proud to be sponsors of both events. Watch out for more updates and ways to join in virtually nearer the time!

Today the UK Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) launched its consultation into the new data strategy for the UK. The consultation lays out an ambitious approach to protect consumers and deliver positive change in the UK. We welcome the announcement and share its vision for a thriving, innovative digital Britain, one where people feel confident that their data is looked after and know that their privacy is protected. We’ve always believed that data has the power to help improve lives, businesses and economies both in the UK and around the world. Over the last 18 months data-driven services have helped people manage their money during unprecedented economic and financial uncertainties; helped small businesses connect with their customers; and supported charities, the NHS and local Government in deploying resources and support to those who need it the most. Now, data can help rebuild the economy, nurture the green shoots of future success, help people take control of their financial lives, and position the UK as a global leader in consumer protection and technological innovation. We look forward to engaging with the consultation process, and working with stakeholders across the ecosystem to help shape that future vision. You can find the full consultation document here and this morning’s press announcement from the Government here.  

We believe every individual deserves the opportunity to reach their fullest financial potential through fair and affordable access to credit. While leveraging data, analytics and technology are key components of this, we must also ensure consumers understand how credit works and the ways it can be used as a financial tool throughout their lifetimes. This notion is the impetus behind our annual State of Credit report. Now in its twelfth year, this report takes a close look at how consumers are managing their credit histories to educate them about the factors influencing their financial health. This year’s report shows the average credit score has climbed to 695 – the highest point in more than 13 years. Many consumers were managing credit well before the pandemic’s arrival and the accommodations afforded by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act may have helped consumers protect their financial health. At the same time, stay-at-home orders and record savings levels may have contributed to fewer missed payments, lower credit utilization rates and lower debt. While these findings are positive, we recognize they do not tell the full story. There are tens of millions of consumers who lack fair access to credit because of a limited credit history. Low-income consumers and communities of color are disproportionately credit invisible, preventing them from obtaining low-cost, traditional financial services. There is significantly more work to do to ensure all consumers have fair access to credit. We are committed to working with lenders, regulators, businesses, consumers and partners to eliminate credit invisibility and improve financial equity and access. Our meaningful partnership with Operation HOPE, the largest financial literacy nonprofit in the U.S., is one example of this commitment brought to life. Operation HOPE has goals that align with ours: to uplift disenfranchised youth and adults from poverty to thriving in a credit ecosystem. Together with Operation Hope, we are making a tangible difference in financial inclusion by helping consumers raise their credit scores through financial coaching, education and tools like Experian Boost. As part of this year’s State of Credit report, we also helped introduce Operation HOPE’s new HOPE Financial Wellness Index. This new tool will be a valuable resource for the Hope Research Institute who plans to leverage it to identify the communities most in need of financial literacy programs. “While consumers on average are managing their credit histories well, we know there are many communities in critical need of more financial education and resources,” said John Hope Bryant, Operation HOPE founder and CEO. “By helping people raise their credit scores, we are empowering them to take advantage of one of our nation’s most democratic tools. From housing and employment to healthcare and education, credit worthiness can be leveraged to improve our overall quality of life. We’re committed to using the HOPE Financial Wellness Index as a force for good in the communities we serve.” Through our investments in expanded data, technology, advanced analytics and new innovations, we will continue to help lenders identify consumers who are excluded from the credit ecosystem, but who can fulfill their financial obligations and pay responsibly. At the same time, we will continue to take strides that empower consumers to take control of their financial lives. For additional free educational resources and more information about this year’s State of Credit report, I encourage you to visit the links below. State of Credit report findings: https://www.experian.com/blogs/insights/2021/09/state-of-credit-2021 Join Experian’s weekly #CreditChat hosted by @Experian on Twitter with financial experts every Wednesday. Bilingual and Spanish speakers are also invited to join Experian’s monthly #ChatDeCrédito hosted on Twitter at 3 p.m. Eastern time beginning September 16. The Ask Experian blog includes answers to common questions, advice and education about credit Positive telecom, utility and streaming service payments can be added to your Experian credit report by visiting experian.com/boost Additional resources available at https://www.experian.com/consumereducation

The summer months in Italy often provide us with a short time to take a break and recharge our batteries as we head into the second half of Experian’s financial year. Yet, there is still the opportunity to move important projects further forward. In July, Chief Operating Officer of Experian EMEA Marco Benvenuto announced we had agreed to partnerships with two non-profit organisations as part of our United for Financial Health programme. MircoLab and AMS both have goals that align with ours in working to reduce financial exclusion. Today, I can provide you with more details about our partnership and how we will help groups of people who find it hard to access fair and affordable credit because they lack relevant financial data. These credit “invisibles” can often come from vulnerable groups such as NEETs (Not in Employment, Education or Training), foreign caregivers and female victims of violence. The Covid-19 pandemic has been a challenge for us all, not least the people in these groups. Working with our partners, the IncludiMi initiative aims to create a new credit assessment based on data that can contribute to a more inclusive measure once analysed. We will also strengthen the skills of the people involved by offering financial education and mentoring them to become economically independent. At the heart of the new programme is the planned IncludiMi app, which will allow credit “invisibles”, including the unbanked, to have their financial health estimated by reviewing non-traditional data. People will use the app to create and understand their personal and family’s budgets while following tips and suggestions from the financial education sessions led by experts at our partners. We are excited about the potential this partnership - and the United for Financial Health programme overall - has to improve the lives of so many people by tackling financial exclusion. I look forward to providing you with further updates on our progress in the coming months.

Experian works hard at having a workplace culture where everyone feels a sense of belonging. We’re constantly evolving and improving, and proud to share several recent acknowledgements that we’re on the right track. We have a robust multi-generational employee base, and know that the diversity of perspectives and experience spark innovations that lead to financial inclusion for all. Millennials make up the largest portion of our workforce and we’re thrilled to be named a Fortune Best Workplace for Millennials. Millennials want to work for organizations that offer fair pay and meaning, inclusive benefits beyond parenthood, gender equity, flexibility and safe spaces, according to Great Place to Work (GPTW). Employee comments to a GPTW survey indicate our team believes we are doing well: “One question you ask is do we hire people who fit in... No, we don't always - which is why we can innovate and create change - if everyone agrees on every approach, we wouldn't be nearly as successful as we are. That's one thing that makes it a great place to work - our diversity of thought and approach to problems.” Gender equity has been a focus of ours, from recruiting to talent development. Almost half of our new hires, current employees and promoted talent identify as women. Further demonstrating our commitment to diversity and inclusion, former Experian North American CEO Craig Boundy is ranked the #12 Best CEO for Women 2021 by Comparably. This ranking is based on 10 million ratings across 60,000 companies, Every CEO on the list is in the Top 5% of all CEOs rated by female employees. Experian also earned several other awards from Comparably: Best HR Teams of 2021 Best Company Outlook of 2021 Best Places to Work in Los Angeles 2021 Top 10 for Career Growth “I've worked for a ton of different technology companies and have never seen such a strong leadership team nor seen a company invest so much in their employee's future!” (quote from GPTW survey) “Opportunity to grow and move around various lines of business through your career within Experian - allows you to continue to challenge yourself and grow without leaving the organization.” (quote from GPTW survey) Comparably’s Annual Best Places to Work Awards rely solely on the input of employees, which makes these honors especially meaningful. We appreciate their feedback and their contributions every day. Check out our 2020 Power of YOU report to learn more about our coworkers, leadership and how we serve our communities.

At Experian, we create a better tomorrow by powering opportunities for consumers, customers, our people and communities.  We use the full range of our capabilities to drive financial education and inclusion, and one of the ways we do this is through our United for Financial Health programme. I am delighted to announce the launch of this important programme in two of EMEA’s markets today.  We’re excited for the positive difference our two new partnerships will make to help vulnerable consumers financially recover from the impacts of Covid-19. In Italy, incidents of domestic violence have increased considerably during the global pandemic, with the Italian National Institute of Statistics reporting a 75% increase in calls to anti-violence helplines in 2020 alone.  Further statistics show women are particularly affected by unemployment due to Covid-19, reducing victims’ financial independence and their ability to escape from situations of abuse.  The increase in domestic violence since the onset of the pandemic has also been highlighted globally by the UN. To help those impacted, we intend to partner with MicroLab and Microfinanza, who support women victims of domestic violence, foreign caregivers, and young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs).  Our partnership aims to help these people access credit, so they have the financial means to improve their current situation, and take steps toward creating a better tomorrow.  We will collaborate to deliver financial education, and we intend to develop an app that captures open (non-traditional) financial data to help them build their credit profiles. In South Africa, unemployment stands at 32.6%.  A large proportion of people in the country run or work for small to medium-size enterprises (SMEs). By helping these organisations access affordable credit so they can continue to operate through the pandemic, we believe we can have a tangible impact on people’s employment. We will partner with the National Small Business Chamber, a non-profit membership organisation that supports SMEs.  Together, we will educate small business owners on their financial and credit health, empowering them to improve their personal and business credit profiles to access the funding required to maintain and grow their businesses. Combined, we estimate our partnership with our NGO partners will reach 3.8 million consumers, helping deliver on our Company’s commitment to reach 100 million people by 2024. We start work on these projects today on our path to creating a better tomorrow.

You may have recently seen the announcement of Experian’s new Employer Services business. While we have a longstanding history of serving multiple industries, we recognize some may wonder what prompted Experian to enter this space. It may even seem like a means to another end. In an effort to dispel any preconceived notions, I’d like to highlight what led us to invest in this business, how we plan to address employers most pressing pain points as employees return to work and what the industry can expect from us. The truth is our clients asked us to enter the employer services market. Employers have been seeking alternatives to legacy services. They’ve been asking to have a company of Experian’s scale and capabilities fill in the gaps, invest in innovation, and provide high-touch customer support. Essentially, our goal is to deliver on their ask and be an indispensable partner to employers across the U.S. Here are three ways we are bringing this vision to life: 1. The industry’s best and most trusted providers are now part Experian. A critical piece of our strategy is to bring together the best the industry has to offer. We have a solid track record when it comes to acquiring companies who disrupt industries with innovative solutions to difficult problems. So, we scoured the market to identify companies that would allow us to provide unmatched human capital management expertise. Through our acquisitions of Emptech, Corporate Cost Control (CCC), and Tax Credit Co. (TCC), I am confident we have assembled the best-of-the-best. Individually, each company has a trusted reputation for providing unmatched service to some of the most recognizable brands. As we come together, we are leveraging our combined capabilities to deliver secure, scalable and transparent services to even more businesses. We can assist employers across industries with streamlining complex and time-consuming Human Resources activities and support their finance team’s tax credits processes, through services including: Electronic I-9 verification management Unemployment claims management Employment and income verification fulfillment Tax credits and incentives management, including Work Opportunity Tax Credits (WOTC) Ultimately, we are helping employers turn workforce management into a competitive advantage by improving candidate and employee experiences, safeguarding employee information and maximizing the benefits of various tax credits programs. By leveraging our experts, our clients can spend more time focusing on their people. 2. Our services are backed by high-touch customer service and powered by industry-leading innovation. While we are rightfully recognized as the largest credit bureau in the country, I’ve personally seen our business grow over the past 20 years into something much more than a credit bureau. We are a global technology company and market leader in business insights and analytics, focused on empowering consumers. We invest heavily in innovation across a wide spectrum of industries, and we are committed to investing long-term in technology and processes to improve outcomes for employers and their employees. In fact, Experian has been recognized as one of the most innovative companies in the world by Forbes for several years – for our work in all of the industries we serve. At the same time, our services are delivered with the highest standards of data privacy, accuracy, security and transparency. Our clients will always know how their data is being used and how it benefits their employees. Our business continues to evolve to deliver world-class services for our clients and consumers. We’re bringing this same innovative mindset and focus to meet the evolving needs of employers. 3. We’re “All In” on Employer Services. While we recognize the employer services space was ripe for innovation long before the pandemic, the ensuing stay-at-home orders, rising unemployment, reemployment and legislation changes created a perfect storm for employers, Human Resources and finance professionals. We’re facing an entirely new set of workforce challenges today. Whether you need unparalleled unemployment claims management, tax credit expertise, verification of income and employment reliability and transparency or work eligibility certification, we’re here to bring the best Experian has to offer to help and we’re going all in. Our promise is that we will listen to our customers to understand their unique needs and invest to provide the capabilities and high-touch service tailored to best serve them. We know employers need a partner they can trust, who is focused on their business and their employee’s experience and who will bring new ideas to the table on managing a complex workforce in this ever-changing environment. We have the teams in place with deep expertise to tackle the toughest challenges. We’re thrilled to be here, and we’re committed for the long-term. You can learn more about our Employer Services business by visiting www.experian.com/employer-services.

The use of digital payments continues to trend upwards. While the pandemic pushed consumers online quickly out of necessity, it has since become a preference due to the convenience factor. As businesses transform their operations to accommodate this rapidly growing volume of digital transactions, they must factor in the additional vulnerability caused for online fraud and identity theft. At Experian we are committed to helping our clients improve the customer experience, while at the same time protecting consumer identities and information. Experian was recently acknowledged in Juniper Research’s Online Payment Fraud Deep Dive Strategy & Competition 2021-2025 as an established leader in fraud detection and prevention. Juniper Research, one of the leading global analyst firms in the mobile and digital technology sector, scored Experian high for their marketing & branding strength, service range & features, financial performance in the sector, experience in the sector, operations & global reach, partnerships, creativity & innovation, and future business prospects. View infographic with key fraud trends According to Juniper Research, “Experian continues to invest into its fraud detection and prevention solution and uses its vast array of customer data to deliver an effective set of solutions across the entire consumer journey, from onboarding, through account management/account takeover and transaction risk mitigation.” The reports highlights Experian CrossCore platform noting, “Experian leverages a combination of proprietary solutions and partner capabilities and data – integrated into its CrossCore platform – where it leverages a robust machine learning approach that takes into account these dynamic sources of data.” All of Experian’s fraud detection and prevention services are available through Experian’s CrossCore partner ecosystem, which combines advanced analytics, rich data assets, identity insights and fraud prevention capabilities. Businesses using the Experian CrossCore partner ecosystem can connect any new or existing tools and systems in one place to quickly adjust strategies based on evolving threats and business needs, which helps to improve efficiency and reduce operational costs. Learn more about the CrossCore platform here.