"Is Your Data Intelligent?"

The core leadership team were veterans of the industry, having created the original direct marketing success story for pre-approved personal loans at financial services leader, Direct Axis. The team developed these techniques to very high levels of sophistication, building on the methods they created at their start-up company, Advanced Application Database. AAD was acquired by Direct Axis to take advantage of pioneering work it did in the field of accurate consumer profiling.

Julian had a strong entrepreneurial instinct, and he saw an opportunity in the market for a more focussed Data Quality business that could provide services to a broad range of consumer companies that were increasingly aware of the need to leverage their customer databases more effectively.

Effective Intelligence opened its doors in 1998, and rapidly built a successful business. The company was the finalist out of seventeen companies considered   to be acquired by the SA Post Office (with its then partners New Zealand Post International) as it looked to redefine itself in the face of falling postal revenues. The acquisition process was far advanced when organisational issues at the Post Office led to major initiatives being cancelled. Effective Intelligence (EI) decided to restructure and refocused on the corporate business – and never looked back.

Soon after the founding of EI, work began developing a technology platform that could help manage the vast databases of consumer information that were growing in companies around the country. In 2002, we completed the first version of InfoArchitect, our flagship data quality management tool.

We now offer a broad range of consumer information management services. These include solutions for targeted prospecting and the intelligent enhancement of customer contact data, as well as the technology needed for managing it. We are also the only data solutions company in SA that has appointed an independent Ombudsperson to ensure that we continue to set the pace in meeting international data standards and ethics. The EI Ombudsperson is Christiane Duval, who has significant experience in all aspects of data privacy.

In 2007, EI secured a significant investment from retail credit provider RCS, based on its strategic needs. Shortly after this, TSiBA University invested in EI in order to secure a regular and growing dividend income.

We have now celebrated our tenth birthday, and are expanding our offerings to provide clients with a more advanced range of customer and prospect database solutions.