Experian 2007 Annual Report Download - page 17

Experian Annual Report 2007 | 15
How have things changed for Experian since
gaining independence?
For the great majority of us at Experian it has been
business as usual. We have a clear strategy for growth,
which we’re continuing to implement with enthusiasm
and confidence. The only significant change is that most
of our employees are now shareholders, which was the
result of a grant of shares at the time of the demerger.
For me this was one of the best outcomes of Experian’s
independence. It means that our people have a real stake
in the future of the company and can align themselves
even more closely to our goal of creating value for
shareholders through sustained profitable growth.
Were you pleased with the Group’s performance
last year?
Yes, I was delighted with our performance. It was our
fifth consecutive year of double-digit sales and profit
growth, which is a significant achievement by any
standards. We did exactly what we said we would do.
We delivered strong organic growth; we improved our
margins; we achieved strong cash generation and we
continued to deliver against our strategic objectives. Just
as important is that it was a balanced performance,
which came from all our principal geographies.
Where do you see the best future growth
opportunities for Experian?
Experian is well positioned to take advantage of many
long-term growth trends. In our core credit markets, we
are seeing government departments and companies in
sectors such as telecommunications and healthcare
wanting to make use of the expertise we first developed
in financial services. Fraud prevention is one example of
how we are successfully transferring this expertise to
different market segments. We are also seeing clients
wanting to communicate with their own customers over
multiple communication channels and to switch more of
their advertising expenditure to new media. This is good
for our marketing businesses and enables us to capitalise
on investment in services such as email delivery and
market research. The continuing growth of the Internet is
creating tremendous opportunities for our Interactive
businesses as consumers make greater use of this
medium for information and purchasing. And, of course,
we are also seeing increasing demand for our skills from
emerging markets such as China, India, Latin America
and Russia, which is helping to drive our geographic
expansion. Experian is a business with multiple
growth drivers.
What are going to
be the main challenges
for Experian going forward?
We have so many great opportunities that probably our
biggest challenge is deciding which ones to focus on
next. As with any business, issues can occasionally
surface that are beyond our control, but we have the
advantage of not being overly dependent on any one
geography, client, channel or economy for our success.
One challenge we face all the time though is the need
for talented people to support our growth plans. We are
a people business in the real sense of that word and we
pride ourselves on being able to attract employees with
the skills and ambition necessary to develop and grow
our business. Talent management is one of our top
priorities and indeed our talent plans are regularly
reviewed by the Group Board.
How is Experian preparing for the future?
By being in the right markets with the right products and
the right people leadership. Innovation is key to our
business and ensures that we continue to provide clients
with market-leading solutions. Last year alone we rolled
out over 20 new products. We are also expanding into
new geographies to create future platforms for growth
and to enable us to support clients on a global basis. We
are continually investing in our future - in people, in
products, in acquisitions and in our infrastructure.
What do you think Experian will look like in
five years’ time?
We’ll be bigger, with a greater presence in more
countries. Our clients will be even more diverse and we
will be firmly established in many different sectors
beyond our original financial services and retailing
markets. We will have an increasing number of clients
who rely on us to deliver wide-ranging solutions across
many different geographies. Our Decision Analytics
products will have become the global standard in
their respective niches and will be deeply embedded
within our clients’ decision-making processes at an
enterprise-wide level. We will be a recognised leader in
all types of customer acquisition through our Interactive
and Marketing businesses. And many more consumers
will have Experian websites “bookmarked” as their
favourite sites for saving money and making important
financial decisions.
What is it about Experian that makes you
feel most proud?
Without question, our people. Whenever I visit an
Experian office, wherever it is in the world, I am struck
by the energy and enthusiasm of the employees I meet.
We are fortunate in having a great team of committed
people, who I know share my optimism about the future
for Experian.
20
Last year alone we rolled out
over 20 new products