Issue 1 2019

Acquisition International - Issue 1 2019 11 An Influential Figure in M&A What are your thoughts on the state of your industry currently? Are there any issues / changes that are affecting it? One of the major issues faced by data users is that the information that exists on the internet is growing at an increasing rate and that large amounts of this data is unstructured. In order to maximize the value of data, we provide structure within our information products and tools that makes the information more comparable, efficient to access and easier to use. Within our industry, data researchers have traditionally analyzed and treated unstructured data by applying relevant data tags via an intensive manual process. However, technology has the potential to make these processes more efficient. Robotic process automation and machine learning, for example, are more advanced and efficient ways for companies such as ours to cope with large amounts of unstructured data to remove the need for manual intervention in low value tasks. What attributes do you believe are essential to achieving success in your industry or sector? There are several factors that can contribute to the success of businesses that specialize in researching, collecting and treating data. Firstly, the data must be fit for purpose and support the customers’ needs, whether they be compliance, data management, M&A research or another specific task. Therefore, information service providers should have a robust understanding of the subject matter and a willingness to continue to evolve expertise, as the industry or subject will continue to evolve. Secondly, we should be willing to review processes, whether for data sourcing or in creating the database itself. Again, the information industry is rapidly evolving both in terms of the amount of data Company: Bureau van Dijk E-Mail: [email protected] Web: www.bvdinfo.com Awarded: Female Leader of the Year 2018 - M&A Research available and in terms of technological advances that are making data easier to process, and to be more robust. Continual improvement is an important aspect of the work we do and is reflected in the way we update both our datasets and the products that help deliver them. What challenges and opportunities have you faced and how have they affected your role? Bureau van Dijk has experienced continuous growth for as many years as I can remember. Growth brings both challenge and great opportunity. For me, it continues to be an incredibly positive experience for the business and its employees. My team can work across multiple datasets, such as M&A, ownership, foreign direct investment, IP transactions and AML documents. Opportunities to add new skills and knowledge are never far away. How do you manage your staff and how do you cultivate an atmosphere that is conducive to a productive working environment? Establishing a culture where employees can thrive, and grow is fundamental to any business’s success. This is truer than ever when a workforce consists primarily of millennials, and in our case, employees from Generation Z. It is very important that all of our team members are recognized for their contribution to the business, and that their voice is listened to by management. Being transparent as to the direction in which the business is moving and empowering all employees to contribute towards our shared strategic goal, is something I have always considered important. Our employees see first-hand the emergence of new trends within their geographies or the industries that they track. We actively encourage them to bring any new developments to the attention of their managers. This upward and downward flow of communication within our business helps us to be aware of market changes that are either identified by the business from external sources, such as our customers, or via our internal teams’ direct observation of markets and industries. Looking ahead, what are your future aspirations regarding your business? Do you have any future plans/projects that you would like to share with us? Bureau van Dijk is committed to empowering customers to make better, faster decisions, by providing the most reliable private company information in the market. To achieve this, we must also be committed to constant enhancement, whether that be developing our employees, reviewing our processes, generating content, or using technology to work smarter and more efficiently. We continually review and revise our internal processes to reflect the evolution of both the industry and our business. By embracing technology, we can reduce the amount of low-value, manual tasks required of our employees meaning they can increasingly focus on value-add tasks. This also means employees can further develop their skills and knowledge, increase their happiness, their value to the organization and our value to them.