Bullish Callcredit rebrands as profits soar to record high

callcredit new brand 2Callcredit Information Group has posted a record 18% increase in gross revenue to £201m for 2016, up from £170m in 2015, with group operating profits up 20%, as it unveils a major rebrand designed to position the business for continued growth both in the UK and overseas.
The company, set up in 2000 primarily as a marketing information business, now claims to have overtaken Equifax to be the second biggest firm in the UK credit reference market behind Experian, based on revenue.
As part of its results reporting, Callcredit also revealed its ambition to become the UK leader in consumer insight, decisions and engagement, while building its business and reputation worldwide.
Callcredit chief executive Mike Gordon said: “Today marks a milestone in the group’s history. By maintaining excellent client relationships and staying focused on a strategy of investing in product and service development aligned to our customer’s needs, we have grown to become an industry leader. Today’s results represent seven consecutive years of profitable double digit revenue growth and provide the springboard for further UK and international expansion.”
Growth during the period was both organic and acquisitive. The group’s client base expanded with a number of key account wins across multiple sectors and was augmented by a number of strategic acquisitions. To support this, IT infrastructure investment also increased by more than a third year-on-year.
During 2016, Callcredit bought customer experience specialist Numero and device fraud protection firm Recipero. At the beginning of 2017 it restructured its wider operating model, appointing both a head of North America and a separate head of International markets. Last month it acquired leading Spanish fraud prevention and anti-money laundering business Confirma, and appointed a head of Spain.
The rebrand is designed to show the interconnected nature of the group, amid claims that it can transform data into meaningful insights to enable clients and consumers to make faster and more informed decisions.
Gordon concluded: “A sharpened strategic focus and an emphasis on empowering information, give us a clear roadmap and impetus for the next stage of our ongoing growth. Our strong UK base and expanding international operations mean we are increasingly well positioned to serve both our domestic and international clients. Our clear ambition and new values better reflect who we are and what we do.
“With GDPR, PSD2 and Open Banking all on the horizon, regulatory and technological change is having a profound effect on people’s habits and expectations. To better serve them, institutions need to move faster and think smarter. We continue to invest heavily in our capabilities to ensure we meet the ever-expanding needs of businesses and individuals in an increasingly data-reliant world.”

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