Uncovering insights and driving innovation: Steven’s story

Hi, I’m Steven, and I’ve been part of the Equifax team for nearly six years.

My journey at Equifax began in mid-2018 as a Data Analyst within the Data Quality and Linking team. This role focused on improving the quality and linking of our commercial data assets.

Fast forward to today—I am now a Data Asset Manager for the Commercial Fraud and ID space within the Decision Science and Engineering team. I oversee the entire life cycle of our commercial data assets, from acquisition to retirement. In simple terms, I ensure we’re using the right data to drive business growth and profitability.

What makes you passionate about data?

What excites me about data is the ability to uncover insights that most people can’t see. For example, I have access to data showing what’s in a person’s credit file or how entities are related, like identifying if someone is a director of multiple companies.

At Equifax, we also help customers assess the risk of doing business with a particular entity. Some individuals hide behind companies to commit fraud, spinning up businesses solely for deceptive purposes. Thanks to our comprehensive data, we can often detect and uncover these fraudulent activities. That’s why I’m passionate about working with data. It empowers us to make a real impact.

What path did you take to get where you are today?

I began my career at one of the world’s largest hard disk drive manufacturers in Malaysia. While my role was officially as an engineer, my work was more aligned with that of a data analyst. The facility generated millions of data points daily, and we analysed this data to improve product quality and reduce failures in the manufacturing process.

I have to admit—I was initially averse to statistics. I disliked it in school, so imagine my surprise (and horror) when my first day on the job involved being handed a large dataset and having to analyse it using statistical methods. It wasn’t something I enjoyed at the time.

Fortunately, I had supportive colleagues and access to company resources that helped me build my skills in statistics. Over time, I improved, and that experience sparked my love for working with data.

One of the most important lessons I've learned throughout my career is the value of resilience and a willingness to learn. These qualities are essential for both personal and professional growth, regardless of our chosen path.

How are you continuing to drive and develop your career at Equifax?

I recently completed the Google Professional Data Engineering certification, which Equifax sponsored.

About two years ago, I was assigned to lead a project to migrate our commercial data assets from on-premise systems to the Data Fabric on the Cloud. This project exposed me to many new concepts and tools, such as Bigtable, BigQuery, and Pub/Sub—terms I had little familiarity with at the time.

Thanks to the certification, I now have a deeper understanding of these technologies, including their strengths and limitations in the context of Google Cloud.

I’m particularly excited about the upcoming commercial transformation project next year. With my newly acquired knowledge, I feel better equipped to advise the business on best practices and strategies for leveraging cloud technology effectively.

I’m grateful for the opportunities Equifax has provided, and I look forward to contributing to our ongoing transformation journey.

Learn more about available opportunities at Equifax.