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For the past several years, we’ve been on a journey to improve financial access for millions of people around the world. We’ve made it our job to help consumers get the best financial outcomes. This focus on consumers defines us and informs everything we do. In 2019, we reshaped how consumers access credit with Experian Boost™. Since then, nearly 9 million consumers have connected to the product. While we are proud of what we have and continue to accomplish with Experian Boost, we know there is more to be done to ensure more consumers can access fair and affordable credit. Improving outcomes for underserved consumers When credit is used responsibly, it can create new opportunities from getting a college degree, buying a car or home and starting or expanding a business. These are milestones that help people establish careers, build wealth and ultimately achieve greater financial freedom.  Yet, there are millions of consumers who are unable to participate in the mainstream financial ecosystem today because they don’t have a financial identity. Without an established credit history, these consumers struggle to qualify for everything from an auto loan to a mortgage and even an apartment or employment. This problem more frequently impacts communities of color with 28 percent of all Black and 26 percent of all Hispanic consumers currently unscoreable or credit invisible. Increasing financial inclusion depends on creating opportunities for underrepresented consumers to succeed. And this starts with ensuring all consumers have a financial identity. Bringing financial power to all with Experian Go The challenge is many consumers who are not in the credit ecosystem today are unsure where to start. Today, we reached a pivotal and exciting milestone in our commitment to consumers with the launch of Experian Go™. This new program opens the front door to the financial ecosystem for millions of consumers by helping them establish their financial identity and move from credit invisible to scoreable. Within minutes, credit invisibles can have an authenticated Experian credit report, tradelines and a credit history by using Experian Boost™[1], and instant access to financial offers through Experian Go. In fact, early analysis shows 91 percent of consumers with no credit history who connect to Experian Boost, a free feature that allows users to contribute their on-time cell phone, video streaming service, internet, and utility payments directly to their Experian credit report, can become scoreable in minutes with an average starting near-prime FICO® Score of 665[2]. Throughout the experience, we’ll provide ongoing credit education and access to tools like Experian Boost™ to make it easy for consumers to learn how to use and responsibly grow their credit histories. Until now, our industry has struggled to verify the identity of credit invisibles. Over the last several years, we’ve introduced new identity verification technologies to our toolbox. With Experian Go, we’re leveraging these technologies to verify a credit invisible’s identity and get them in the front door to start building credit. No other credit bureau or organization is doing this today. During our pilot, we helped more than 15,000 consumers establish their credit history. This is a great start.  Now that Experian Go has launched, I look forward to helping millions more consumers get the credit they deserve. To learn more about Experian Go, visit www.experian.com/go. [1] Results may vary. Some may not see improved scores or approval odds. Not all lenders use Experian credit files, and not all lenders use scores impacted by Experian Boost. [2] Experian analysis based on an anonymized and statistically relevant sample of consumer credit reports with only Experian Boost tradelines included and FICO® Scores. December 2021.

I’m delighted to announce that Experian has been named as a Top Employer across five countries. Our teams in the UK, Germany, Brazil, Singapore and Australia were all recognised in the 2022 awards which is a fantastic achievement. At Experian we pride ourselves on having a great People First culture, it’s something we are all proud of and want to protect. We do this by supporting a dynamic, positive and inclusive working environment for our employees wherever they are in the world. Our people are passionate about the work that we do, using data, analytics and technology to help transform lives and create a better tomorrow for people and organisations. We see our people live that purpose everyday in their work and it is wonderful to see that pride, about the role we play - supporting clients, consumers economies and society – getting recognised once again.

Last week, Experian’s Nottingham office hosted the National Data Strategy Forum as it kicked off its series of regional events showcasing the power of data. The day brought together a wide range of stakeholders, including National Numeracy, the National Literacy Trust and the University of Nottingham, alongside representatives from the Department of Culture, Media & Sport, to talk about the ways data can benefit Midlands business, societies and communities. From financial inclusion, digital literacy, and the role of data in protecting the most vulnerable in our society, to the ways data can create business opportunities for the future, and how we can work together to support grassroots innovation across the region, the discussion focused on how Government and industry can work together to accelerate regional success. This is an early and important step in helping realise the potential of data to create a better tomorrow for people in the Midlands and across the UK. We look forward to continuing to engage with the NDS Forum to bring that potential to life.

Experian is a passionate believer in the role of data as a force for good in the world. Now more than ever, data has a role to play in helping people and businesses across the UK as they recover from the pandemic and look to the future. The National Data Strategy sets a direction for a dynamic and successful Britain, building on a foundation of data insight and analysis. We’re pleased to be able to host the NDS Forum’s Midlands launch today, and to work with organisations from across the region to support its future success. Working together, we can harness the opportunities ahead to deliver positive outcomes for people, businesses and the economy – both in the Midlands and across the wider United Kingdom. Minister for Media, Data and Digital Infrastructure, Julia Lopez, said: "Data is transforming our economy and society by powering better public services and creating new jobs. We want to unlock the power of data through our National Data Strategy and this event will see us work with local communities in the Midlands to see how we can use data to improve people's lives and build back better from the pandemic."  

With data technology and innovation as the backbone of our company and with our commitment to celebrating diversity, we are proud to share an incredible recognition: AnitaB.org has named Experian North America a Top Company for Women Technologists. Organizations on this list are committed to building workplaces where women technologists can thrive, and this honor is considered an industry benchmark for progress toward equity. Our culture of inclusion internally at Experian fuels our innovations to achieve financial inclusion externally. Being named a Leader by AnitaB.org for the second time affirms we’re moving in the right direction. September has been a big month for us: we also earned a place in Fortune’s Best Workplaces for Women and PEOPLE’s 100 Companies That Care 2021 lists for the first time. My colleague and fellow leader for our Women in Experian employee resource group Karen Tatten shares my sentiments: “It’s fantastic to see our efforts to hire, promote and retain top female talent recognized in the marketplace. It’s a tremendous honor and reminder to all women in Experian of why we chose Experian for our career journey.” At Experian North America, men and women are promoted equally. More than half of our new hires and close to half of all employees identify as women. Former Chief Executive Officer Craig Boundy was recently recognized as a Best CEO for Women by Comparably, an acknowledgement especially meaningful because the award relied solely on the input of employees. Even with these accolades, we strive for better. This year, we are committed to a specific goal for the company globally to help close the gender gap. By 2024, Experian pledges to increase the proportion of women in our executive committee and direct reports to 30%, our senior leaders to 40%, our mid-level leaders to 42%, and our total global workforce to 47%. We look forward to sharing our progress.

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.  

At some point in all of our lives, we will know, or perhaps be ourselves, a person with a disability. It’s a natural part of the human experience, and it crosses lines of age, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and religion. Globally, more than a billion people are part of this community. As society recognizes this commonality, it’s critical that companies do too. Experian does, and I’m happy to share that we have been named to the 2021 Disability Equality Index (DEI) as a Top Scorer. This honor from Disability:IN and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is considered the most robust disability inclusion assessment tool in business. At the most important level – for our people – it means we’re creating an environment where employees of varying abilities know there is place for them at Experian. To know they feel supported, and that we’re going to do all we can to ensure they continue to grow and develop their careers is the most meaningful part of this award. Part of our ongoing commitment includes having an individual who focuses on ensuring our systems, facilities and processes evolve and ultimately exceed regulatory requirements. Only a handful of companies across the nation has a role focused on disability inclusion; it’s exciting to be one of the trailblazers of this work. Being named a 2021 “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” acknowledges this point in our journey and we will continue the work in all the countries in which we do business. This work matters.

This morning, we announced our year-end earnings. Once again, we have demonstrated our resilience in the most difficult of circumstances. With this set of results, I am pleased to report that Experian has now grown through two major global economic downturns. None of this would have been possible without the incredible hard work and commitment of everyone in the company. The coronavirus pandemic is the gravest crisis faced by the world for a generation. From the beginning, Experian moved quickly to make our data insights available to governments, health services, communities, businesses and charities around the world. We also worked rapidly with lenders and governments to support financial accommodation programmes. This has proven to be crucial in making sure financial assistance reached those who needed it, helping people to manage their financial health and ensuring that our economies kept moving through these turbulent times. Looking ahead to the next financial year, our vision for Experian is to continue to bring the benefits of our world class data and analytics capabilities directly to consumers and wider society. Data-led decision making, and technology have been critical in helping humanity to take on the biggest challenge in a generation. It will be a crucial driver of the global economic recovery, helping us all to bounce back stronger and providing the foundations to flourish in the years ahead. I am tremendously proud of our employees around the world. Our people’s professional and personal responses to the pandemic, and the results we have delivered, have been remarkable. We have worked from our kitchen tables, while home-schooling our children, and caring for our family members. We have pulled together and gone above and beyond during one of the most turbulent times in a generation. There can be no greater testament to the character and the strength of our team. I think it’s no overstatement to say that we have delivered one of our most remarkable performances ever. We have made important strategic progress. We have pressed ahead with new product innovation, with our technology transformation, and we have extended our presence across many new markets and segments. As we enter our next year, we do so with strong foundations for further growth and the uplifting confidence that even through the most challenging of times, we can and will continue to create a better tomorrow for everyone.

In March 2020 we left our office desks without knowing we would not return for over a year. It’s been an incredible year and as our focus shifts to navigating our way out of lockdown and our hopes for a post pandemic life, it’s hard not to be reflective. At Experian we have taken the opportunity to rethink how we work going forward. We have had a lot of feedback from our people and we know they want to continue to have a degree of flexibility, but they’re equally keen to maintain the collaborative and innovative culture we have cultivated over the years. The pandemic has accelerated innovation in ways of working and gives us an opportunity to reimagine where, when and how work gets done. Whether it is our data scientists working on brilliant new concepts, our product designers taking part in hackathons across several countries at the same time, or our creative teams working on advertising concepts for a purple cow; we have learned over the past year that flexible working is no barrier to creativity and innovation. When our offices re-open we will give people the opportunity to work in a way that works for everyone – this may be working remotely, in the office, or a mix of both, and flexibility over start and finish times.  In some cases, we may ask people to be office based. Our aim is to strike the right balance between what works for an individual and what works for the business. This balance can mean that we provide more flexibility to people during their workday. It is not just about remote working. It's our commitment to make a difference in our people's working lives. We're obsessed with finding new ways to use data to help transform lives and create a better tomorrow.  Our powerful combination of smart minds, deep data, and sophisticated technology enable us to do things that others can't. And we also want our working culture to make a world of difference to our colleagues. Our culture is what connects us across the world. The role of the office will serve an enhanced purpose and we plan to maximise collaborative spaces and ensure people have the space and create time to connect with their teams – even if it’s on a more ad hoc basis. This is important to us and we make no apology for occasionally insisting on team meetings in the office to make sure we preserve our special culture. Looking back and learning from lockdown has been essential to form our new flexible working plan. It has been clear that colleagues have been experiencing the situation differently. Many of our colleagues have really enjoyed the freedom of working from home, spending more time with their families in some cases, and working at a rhythm that suits them – allowing them to time manage their days to fit in things like more regular exercise, for example. And many have really valued the time they’ve got back from cutting down on all the travel in and out of the office. For others, remote working has at times tested their mental wellbeing. Many of us live alone or have stressful home lives to manage which means that going into a dedicated place of work can be a blessing, maybe even a necessity, or simply a preference. It’s also been a time when businesses have had to embrace the technology of connectivity more than ever before. This has actually brought more of our people together – albeit virtually. Video calls are now a well-established part of our lives. It has been great to get more facetime with colleagues around the world – technology can deliver that for us, but it’s taken a pandemic for us to really embrace it. It’s not been a one-size fits all experience. What this crisis has reminded us, beyond everything else, is that we are all individuals living different lives. As an employer, if we can take one thing from this experience and build on it, it’s that our people will benefit from being offered different working arrangements to suit individual circumstances. We want to give colleagues the option of creating a working environment which suits their situation. So that they can do the best job possible and deliver great results, yes, but also so that they can live fulfilled and balanced lives. It has been a very challenging time, but we can deliver positive outcomes. We need to embrace this moment and build a future of work that is fit for purpose in the 21st century.