EQUIFAX ANZ
His search for a new opportunity centred around three critical pillars: an organisation with market share demonstrating customer understanding; commitment to ongoing investment in data, technology and AI; and the ability to demonstrate great product ideas.
“ That was Equifax,” he says.“ If I look at my data space, I have about sevenand-a-half petabytes of data – the physical equivalent of about 760 million four-door filing cabinets.”
The scale is staggering, but what truly sets Equifax apart is its approach to innovation.
The company maintains 200 products in the Australia and New Zealand market, continuously developing new offerings through a dedicated vitality index.
While commonly known for credit assessments, Equifax’ s range extends far beyond, providing services from fraud prevention to employment screening and medical practitioner credentialing for hospitals.
The company’ s roots in Australia date back to 1967, when it began as the Credit Reference Association.“ We’ ve had other names of Baycorp, Mercury, Veda and then ultimately Equifax bought the organisation and we became Equifax Australia and New Zealand,” Paul explains.
“ Equifax itself has got a long history in AI,” he continues.“ We have 100 patents awarded in AI alone and 130 patents pending.”
This robust foundation in AI innovation, coupled with a global approach to sharing ideas, provides a powerful platform for transformation.
“ I saw data and AI a few years ago as the emerging next frontier”
PAUL GLADIGAU, CTO, EQUIFAX ANZ
Paul points to Equifax’ s commitment to invest US $ 1.5bn in technology transformation as evidence of its serious approach.
Tackling complex technology challenges When Paul arrived at Equifax, he faced significant challenges. The company’ s technology environment reflected its history of mergers and acquisitions, creating a complex web of systems and platforms.
260 May 2025