Tag: Experian

Australia – Global data and technology company Experian has announced the completion of its A$820 million acquisition of consumer and commercial credit bureau, illion, in Australia and New Zealand.

The acquisition and integration of illion’s 500-person team, data, software and intellectual property into Experian will create a unified business that brings together complementary capabilities, assets, people and customers. 

The combined organisation is set to enhance market choice and deliver data-driven solutions for businesses and consumers across the region.

Following the acquisition completion, Experian has confirmed that John Banfield, CEO of illion, will be stepping down following the successful completion of the acquisition. Banfield played a pivotal role in transforming illion’s performance and culture, culminating in the company’s acquisition by Experian. 

Malin Holmberg, CEO at Experian EMEA and Asia-Pacific, said, “Having successfully led the Australia and New Zealand business for the past seven years, Andrew Black, will take leadership of the combined organisation, overseeing the strategic integration and growth plans, leveraging our global innovations.

Meanwhile, Andrew Black, CEO at Experian A/NZ stated that Experian’s five-year strategic plan will quickly unlock value of the combined team and capabilities, with the first phase balancing speed and service continuity for customers.

“This is a historic day for our business, our people and our customers – and it’s just the beginning,” Black said. “Through this acquisition we aim to continue our growth trajectory in Australia and New Zealand, significantly expand our market and bring new capabilities to redefine what a data-driven technology business can be.”

He added, “illion has built an impressive product portfolio, data assets and customer base that are diverse and complementary to Experian’s strengths and we have a robust integration plan that will enable our customers to quickly realise the benefits of the combined entities. One of the big wins here is the combined data assets which will provide more choice for our customers. This is going to supercharge our product and service capabilities, in alignment with Experian’s global strategy, in a way that simply hasn’t been possible before.”

Black also confirmed that the new combined entity will be rebranded to Experian, likely within the next 12 months, although some of the illion product names that have gained credible market awareness will continue.

“Our people are our greatest competitive differentiator, which is not only recognised by our customers but also leading workplace authorities such as Great Place to Work and Work180. The integration will foster a culture of collaboration, bringing together our best talent to create a unified, empowered and high-performing team,” Black said.

London, United Kingdom – Global information services company Experian has announced that is acquiring a strategic stake with global customer engagement and commerce media company Reward. As part of the investment, Kashif Aslam, currently the head of corporate development at Experian, will join the Reward board of directors with immediate effect.

The investment cements an existing commercial partnership between Reward and Experian. This further collaboration will focus on leveraging Experian’s rich data and audience activation capabilities to fuel Reward’s offerings across banks and retail, expanding reach to create a more rewarding experience for consumers.

Moreover, the partnership focuses on pioneering new ways to enhance Reward’s customer engagement programmes. Aligning unique strengths across both entities, the pair will look to scale solutions across international markets, fusing technology and data analytics to provide improved services and more personalised reward offerings, based on a better understanding of consumers’ needs and preferences.

Looking ahead, both Experian and Reward express immense enthusiasm about the transformative potential this partnership promises to make on a global scale.

Jamie Samaha, CEO at Reward, said, “Experian’s investment in Reward is a powerful endorsement of our vision and international growth strategy. With a goal to give back $2 billion to customers by 2025, we are excited to leverage Experian’s global footprint and capabilities to enhance our service offering to our bank and retail partners.”

Meanwhile, Colin Grieves, managing director at Experian Marketing Services, commented, “Our investment in and partnership with Reward is an exciting step forward for our business. Reward’s principal belief that everyday spending should be rewarded is entirely aligned with our mission to help consumers improve their financial well-being. We look forward to developing our joint capabilities to help Reward service its banking and retail communities both in the UK and internationally. There is a great deal we can and will do together.”