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It’s an exciting time for all of us at Experian. When I became CEO, just over four years ago, we set a clear path to put an even greater focus on our relationship with consumers and how we can help them in their financial journey. Today, as we prepare to launch Experian Boost, we are marking a major milestone in that commitment. There are more than 100 million Americans who don't have fair access to credit today. These consumers are often overlooked by lenders and forced to rely on high interest credit cards and loans. Too often they find themselves stuck in a never-ending cycle in which the best of intentions and the desire for a better financial future clash with reality. At Experian, we know that a credit score is the gatekeeper to better financial opportunities. It can make or break people’s access to the very things that help them thrive in today’s economy like getting a loan for a family car or access to a credit card with a lower interest rate. Unfortunately, many consumers have credit files that are considered too “thin”. And while they may be paying their utility, mobile phone and cable TV bills on time month after month, this responsible behavior hasn’t been acknowledged or rewarded with a higher credit score. Experian Boost changes this scenario and give consumers the credit they deserve. As a business, we want to ensure that as many people as possible can access and participate in the financial system and we believe everyone deserves a fair shot at achieving their financial dreams. Today’s Experian Boost announcement drives our mission forward by giving consumers more control over their credit score. This industry-first online platform will give consumers an opportunity to instantly improve their credit scores by adding positive telecom and utility payment information directly into their credit profile. Experian Boost is free and will be accessible to every credit-active adult in America. We recently briefed Experian’s Consumer Council, a group of 12 leaders from organizations committed to helping consumers on their financial journey, on Experian Boost with great feedback. Here’s what one of the organizations, the Credit Builders Alliance, had to say: “Limited credit activity and history are key barriers for consumers to achieve their financial goals,” said Dara Duguay, executive director, Credit Builders Alliance. “We fully support initiatives that promote financial inclusion and think Experian Boost could play an important role in overcoming that barrier. We look forward to seeing how Experian’s new platform impacts consumers.” Innovations like this and the modernization of an industry don’t happen easily. I couldn't be prouder of our employees who have been working for past three years to make this platform a reality. We are pioneering a bright future for the world of credit with Experian Boost, a product which is emblematic of the innovation culture we foster at Experian. Experian has a fundamental purpose that is shared by colleagues around the world: to strive to be a champion for the consumer. With Experian Boost, we're bringing our purpose to life and we can’t wait to share it with you. To find out more about Experian Boost, please visit: experian.com/boost.

Most of us have experienced the feeling of frustration when it comes to online security protocols. You need to log-in to an account, but you’ve forgotten your password. When you choose an option to reset your password, you are asked to answer one of your security questions. But you forget which movie you said was your favorite while you were growing up. You take a guess, but unfortunately it’s the wrong one and you find yourself locked out of your account. At this point, you’re annoyed and wonder why accessing your account is so difficult in the first place. Historically, the attempt to balance customer security and convenience has been one of the biggest challenges online businesses have faced. As consumer expectations for smooth online experiences increase, businesses aim to deliver security protocols that make customers feel safe and protected, while allowing for easy and convenient access. According to our recent Global Fraud and Identity Report, 66 percent of consumers like security protocols when they transact online because it makes them feel protected. In fact, the lack of visible security was the number one reason customers abandoned a transaction. However, while consumers may tolerate the nuisance of common barriers to accessing their accounts, including forgetting their password or having to re-renter other security controls like CAPTCHA or two-factor authentication, higher friction doesn’t necessarily mean better security or a better overall experience. If businesses were able to offer a frictionless customer experience that was as secure, if not more secure, than the experience today, they could potentially increase overall revenue and growth. One-third of the consumers we surveyed said they would do more transactions online if there weren't so many security hurdles to overcome. And the number rose even higher in different age groups. For instance, the percentage rose to 42 percent when it came to millennials. We believe that a fundamental shift in the thinking is required. No longer, should businesses attempt to balance security against consumer convenience, but rather, we believe that with the right use of technology, analytics and data, both goals can be simultaneously achieved. In the name of both security and convenience independently, we are already seeing data-driven, artificial-intelligence powered systems operating behind the scenes. We believe that a merging of these two functions will yield significant benefits for the business as a whole. For this to work, businesses will need to gain and maintain the customer's trust without the familiar perception of security. Customers want to be recognized and businesses want to address the growing fraud they are experiencing. Solutions that combine device and behavioral intelligence with other data points such as biometrics, processed via advanced machine-learning, could help businesses in the future, simultaneously recognize their customers more accurately, and do so without challenging them. Winning companies will move from balancing security against convenience, to achieving both goals via a synergistic approach, and ultimately will evolve trust through technology, data and analytics.      

For each of the past six years, Experian’s position on the Orange County Register’s list of Top Workplaces has continued to rise, and it’s cause for real celebration across our workforce. This marks a special year for us, as Experian North America was awarded the #1 spot on the list. “Our team members bring their own backgrounds, perspectives, and approaches to work, which together helps us make smarter decisions, develop better products and ultimately deliver more value to consumers,” according to Craig Boundy, former CEO of Experian North America. “This #1 ranking validates our commitment to embracing a truly inclusive culture where everyone has a real sense of belonging, knowing they can show up every day and be who they are, professionally and personally.”   The Power of YOU As part of this commitment, we’ve created an environment where everyone is comfortable bringing their whole self to work, regardless of differences or backgrounds. It’s about advancing a culture that not only respects differences, but actively celebrates them. We call this The Power of YOU. We celebrate our diversity through a range of fun and engaging cultural events, social clubs and volunteer opportunities with nonprofit organizations. As an example, this year we launched a variety of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), including: Military Veterans and Patriots group African American group, Asian American group Hispanic and Latino group Namaste (Indian) group Experian Pride Network group Pictures of employees at various ERG events The Power of YOU initiative builds on the Women in Experian (WiE) group, which was formed two years ago and is focused on improving gender balance across all levels of the organization. Spearheaded by a global team of female leaders from across the business, the group focuses on helping women achieve their ambitions and build successful careers. Each month, employees meet to plan initiatives ranging from guest speakers and lunch-and-learn events to job shadowing and mentorship programs to International Women’s Day activities. Humans of Experian Another exciting initiative is Humans of Experian. This video series highlights the personal stories of employees across the organization. Each story shares an employee’s unique experiences and perspectives and illustrates what it means to be a part of our organization that values and celebrates inclusion and diversity. You can see their stories here: Innovation and Business Success Our culture of diversity and inclusion has enabled Experian to grow and evolve while remaining at the forefront of innovation. For more than 40 years, Orange County has been the heart of our North America operations. We’ve remained focused on developing a culture that achieves and sustains higher performance while giving back to the community, and we’ve strengthened the business across every front. As a result, 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 is the driving force behind Experian being named to Forbes’ prestigious World’s Most Innovative Companies list for the last several years as well. We’re very proud to be ranked as the #1 Top Workplace by the Orange County Register for our positive workplace culture, which 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 technology and innovation, social responsibility, and our everyday work and business purpose.

In an article published by Bloomberg this week, Brian Cassin, Experian CEO, discusses the transformation of the business from a credit bureau to an innovative, global information services firm. The story highlights some of the remarkable work Experian does with high-profile clients including Coca-Cola and Fannie Mae, using data to inform marketing and strategy decisions. The article also references recent product innovations including Ascend, which offers analytics on demand, and PowerCurve, our market-leading decision analytics platform. Worth mentioning is that Experian’s strong financial performance also comes through in the article, which notes that the company’s stock price has doubled since 2015 while the FTSE 100 index has stagnated. Check out the full article.

Data science is transforming the way the world works. And yet it’s no secret that there aren’t enough women pursuing a career in STEM. At Experian, we’d love to see that change.  It’s better for everyone when industries are diverse; it makes us all stronger, more creative and more effective. Part of encouraging new generations into our industry means recognising and celebrating the achievements of the female role models working in data today. That’s why we’re thrilled to sponsor this year’s Women in Data (WiD) conference, an event designed to help inspire, educate and support women in the industry.  Women like Experian’s Sarah Robertson, who recently shared her story with leading women’s publication, We Are The City, and who will be sitting on our panel session at the event. We want to have a workforce that’s as rich in diversity as the people who use our services. That’s one of the many reasons we’re so excited by WiD’s mission. Together we hope to empower and encourage women into the data science industry, supporting the next generation of data scientists who can help shape the future. You can find out more about the WiD community on our recent podcast.

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.

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.

The workplace is more just than a place of business. It should be a community that supports its employees and promotes a culture where people can be their most authentic selves. That’s an ideal Experian very much understands, believes in and strives for. And because of that commitment, we’re proud to be recognized by Great Place to Work as one of the best workplaces in the country.   We’ve built a workplace that encourages collaboration, creates constant innovation and supports diversity. We greatly appreciate the hard work our employees have invested to help consumers, clients and our local communities. And it’s important that we continue to support that great work. Offering health and family resources, promoting diversity programs, and carrying out employee-wellness policies are just a handful of ways Experian has helped to foster a supportive work culture for our employees.   Our goal is to create a workplace where people feel accepted and their work is validated so that they can continue to perform at the very highest level. A supportive work culture contributes to a positive work experience and employee motivation. In the Great Place to Work survey completed by about 2,000 U.S. based employees, 96% reported having great pride working at Experian and 95% believe the company has a great atmosphere.   Experian’s dedication to their employees has not gone unrecognized. Forbes Magazine placed Experian in the Top 100 list of the “World’s Most Innovative Companies” for the fifth year in a row, and The Orange County Register named Experian a top workplace in 2017 for the fifth consecutive year. Experian has also been recognized for its commitment to diversity by the Advancing Women in Technology organization and the Grace Hopper Leadership Index. These accolades reflect the company’s workplace culture as an environment of employee growth and success.   Company success starts with the success of our employees. Building an environment where employees feel supported, challenged, and valued is a top priority for Experian. We are proud of the hard work our employees have dedicated to helping our communities and we remain committed to supporting their success.