Working with integrity

Our Global Code of Conduct sets out clear guidance to help everyone at Experian uphold our commitment to operate with honesty, integrity and high ethical standards. 

It is supported by detailed policies at global, regional or country level on specific topics such as anti-bribery and corruption, conflicts of interest, data privacy, fair treatment of vulnerable consumers, fraud management, gifts and hospitality, product development and marketing, security, tax, third-party risk management and whistleblowing.

We prohibit anyone acting on behalf of Experian – including employees, third parties and suppliers – from offering or accepting a bribe, or making a facilitation payment to officials, in connection with our business.

Our zero-tolerance approach to bribery and corruption is reinforced by our Global Code of Conduct and associated training, our Global Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy, and our Global Gifts and Hospitality Policy.

Oversight controls apply to higher risk activities such as sponsorships, charitable contributions, lobbying or political donations. We also follow rigorous due diligence procedures to identify any risk of improper payments during mergers and acquisitions, or when we enter into joint ventures.

Suppliers are contractually obliged to ensure their employees, agents and subcontractors do not pay or receive bribes, facilitation payments, gratuities or kickbacks. 

We are committed to upholding the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations’ Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the International Labour Organization (ILO) Standards, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

Our statement on salient human rights, reviewed annually, lists the salient human rights we have identified for Experian and sets out our approach to each of these issues.

Experian is a member of the Slave-Free Alliance, which brings together businesses working towards a slave-free world.

Three-yearly assessments by the Slave-Free Alliance help us identify opportunities to improve our approach to tackling modern slavery risks in our business and supply chain. A quarterly steering group, headed by our Group Chief Procurement Officer, reviews and tracks progress.

Our Modern Slavery Statement provides further information on our commitment, policies and actions to tackle modern slavery risks in our business and supply chain. 

All employees (including part-time employees and contractors) must confirm they have read and understood our Global Code of Conduct when they first join Experian, and reconfirm their commitment every year. They must also complete mandatory online training on it annually.

We enable people to report any suspected policy breach or unethical activity, without fear of reprisal, by talking to their manager or reporting any concerns, anonymously if they choose, through our externally facilitated 24-hour Confidential Helpline. The Helpline is available to employees and third parties, in local languages.

All reported concerns are investigated promptly by relevant functions, such as Human Resources, our Global Security Office or our Global Fraud Investigations team, to identify root causes and take appropriate corrective action.

Our Supplier Code of Conduct, included in contracts with suppliers, provides a guide to our standards for ethical behaviour in our supply chain. We monitor compliance through our third-party risk management framework.