Categoria: Press kit

1) Tell us what your department deals with
I am head of the department which provides intelligence services.
Technically our business is to collect and analyze data to obtain information that can be use for decision-making, aimed at supporting the company’s management in strategic decisions.
The information is exclusively used to verify the fairness of a personal or professional relationship (existing or being finalized), to verify the compliance with the terms and rules of competition or to assest the observance of trademark rights.
AZ InfoCollection was founded over 40 years ago as a detective agency, my department is the result of this long experience in the field of specialized information providing that is nowadays part of the intelligence department.

2) Which aspects interest you most about your job?
My field is very special, I get in contact with different realities on a daily basis and it allows me to cultivate my interest in people and social relations.
We live in a society in which fragility and limits are demonized and even more often ignored. Today a successful man is the one who has no limits, my job makes me focus on these limits, to develop the sensibility to catch even the weakest signals of humans, to understand their real essence and consequently to be able to profile them.

3) What are the basic qualities to become a perfect man of intelligence?
Good listening skills and empathy are key factors, also a free mind from judgments to evaluate the situations objectively. In my department employees are chosen with care, professionalism and discretion are crucial, trust is the base of the relationship with our customers.

4) The AZ Group has a long history based on investigation activities, what is the key of success?
The technological development strategy was the key to success since the early years of the company. In an era in which investigations were made in the field and archived manually in the systems, AZ took the challenge of digitization by automating the storage of information. This was a great competitive advantage and AZ promptly became a player that can best meet the challenges of an increasingly digital market.
I joined the Group over 15 years ago and I have lived as a protagonist the path that has led us to be an example in the field of investigations.
I could sum up the company’s success over the years with these three words: professionalism, innovation and ambition. Thanks to these qualities, we got here.

5) How do you expect the intelligence market will change given the huge impact of new technologies?
With the dematerialisation of processes even crime intelligence activities are increasingly focused on digital reality.
Violation of industrial patents for example may be materialized by sending a simple email, subtracting money that in the past was done physically, it is now easily implemented by a PC.
All activities of “digital forensics”, for example the technical methodologies to reconstruct the contents of electronic media and data storage will increasingly become strategic for our industry.
Data Security & Data recovery will be the future of the intelligence market.
AZ InfoCollection is at the forefront in the integration of new technologies with the most modern bigdata management systems for both internal and external intelligence activities. This constant attention to new technologies allows my department to be a leader in the services offered to customers.

We introduce you another manager of our team.

1) Tell us about your role in AZ InfoCollection
My role in AZ InfoCollection is Head of Welcome & Security department.
These two sectors are very different from each other; the welcome one has a team with experience in reception activities, concierge and events, the security department has specialist technicians and highly specialized technology components to manage.
Both departments have the common goal to provide our customers with the assets protection and the daily maintenance of the business through a network of high-quality protection.

2) What has been your career path until now?
All started back in 1979 with multiple roles in logistics industry then I moved a few years later to a managerial position that brought me into the world of Security with a first role in the Business Assets Protection.
I have always breathed the environment of large multinational companies, working in IBM, then Celestica and finally in BAT where I have gained a long experience in security management that I transfer daily in this new role in AZ InfoCollection.

3) What are the basic qualities of your staff to provide services at the highest level?
I think the basic qualities that all our employees have to ensure every day to obtain excellent performances are exactly those required by the company: speed, flexibility, responsiveness and creativity.
I built a brilliant team, skilled in adapting to the challenges that we face every day in our work, the environment in which we operate is sensitive and we need discretion and professionalism.
From here goes the success of our customers and therefore of AZ Group.

4) What innovations do you expect in the upcoming years in security thanks to the digitization which is increasing?
Applied digitization in our industry certainly brings benefits in the immediate availability of the data combined with the speed in the operations of replenishment, inventory, asset tracking resulting and in resource optimization.
The downside is that the digital activities needs maximum protection from the security systems to the processes. The evolution of the current risks of data leak prevention, vulnerability assessment and penetration test push the security sector to innovation of existing technologies with a consequent review of processes to minimize the risk of impact to the business, our Group is leader in research in this area. We are investing in bigdata management and cyber security following as leader the market developments.

5) What are the strategies AZ InfoCollection has in place for the evolution of the concept of “welcome services”?
Our group is developing a strategy to offer welcome services at 360° ​​to our customers.
We are working on two different segments, on the retail side, we are investing in specialized personnel able to provide protection of stores with a warm and elegant approach.
For the security of industry’ assets, we are developing a strategy of integrated, comprehensive and customized security protection.
We want to extend the brand AZ positioning ourselves in this area as a welcome & security partner of excellence for the market.

5 questions to tell you about our Quality, Innovation & Processes Manager.

1. Tell us about your role in AZ InfoCollection
My role in AZ InfoCollection is Quality, Innovation & Processes Manager.
I work to support the growth of the group, which in recent years has achieved amaizing objectives and results, with processes that are more effective, structured and with a growing output.
The use of technology, the inclusion of talented young people with a new vision, a constant update on what is happening in the market are increasing the engine power of our Group and allow it to be a unique in the player in Italy.
My role is therefore evolving each day to achieve multiple goals that can change every day in a very dynamic market.

2. What are the main changes on the management systems of AZ InfoCollection?
AZ InfoCollection in the last two years has invested significant financial resources in the different business units: the technology is already present, and therefore the future will also rely on this.
The development of management systems, that I manage personaly, is focused on a proper and safe operation processes to support massive data management and be also customizable, in all my projects the basic rule is “simplicity”.
Simplicity in the business service means high standards: speed, transparency, possibility of understanding, dialogue and control.
Here this is the direction in which we are moving.
We are ready to launch a new digital sistem, developed in house, to support the new positioning of the group in the credit management, giving interfaces with ongoing dialogue with our customers.
A true wonder that will help us to evolve in relation to all those clients who entrust us with the management of their portfolios.

3. How a proper process management is increasing the company’s performance in your opinion?
I believe that every action , process , decision can and should be detected and measured.
The KPIs should be modeled on the basis of reality and the purpose for which they are created.
Clearly they can not and must not be only economic and financial performance indicators. Customer satisfaction, reputation, ethics, reliability, for example, are important objectives and also key to reach excellent financial results. Therefore I consider sustainable in the long term only an organizations that focus the greatest attention to the proper management of the processes. And AZ InfoCollection does it.

4. Describe your approach in 5 words
Focused: the respect of the times in the projects and processes is essential.
Collaborative: I firmly believe in the team spirit so I direct all my activities to the maximum sharing
Purposeful: the critical issues exist to be overcome and different eyes help to find new ways and solutions
Resolutive: if it is true that for every problem there is a solution, then just find it and the results are achievable
Versatile: I am convinced that there is not only one way, method, model for doing things. Counting on a team of people means being able to draw on the wealth of each one and lowering the risk of making mistakes.

5. The big data are the focus of debate at the moment, how AZ InfoCollection is moving in this direction?
Our Group is constantly engaged in integrating big data management with micro data management in internal processes. We have a powerful database, we have a knowledge of over 40 years of field work and we know where we want to go. These are all levers and business variables not trivial, which represent a barrier to entry and growth for most of competitors.
I think we really have all that we need to build something unique, it’s up to us as managers to be able to do so.
And I am confident that we will succeed.

We have asked to our Sales Director to tell his story in five questions.

1. What is your role in AZ InfoCollection?
I am the sales manager of AZ InfoCollection in the credit management unit.
My job is to support business growth in the credit management market, producing new combinations of product to new market segment. I am also committed to speed up the enlargment of the credit servicing BU in AZ InfoCollection.
In addition, the business development plan of the group is so challenging as to require a commercial coordination figure with a guaranteed high committment in oversight all activities to devote more focus to strategic ones, which at this stage are key for the company.

2. Tell us a brief of your previous experience
Before joining AZ InfoCollection I had commercial positions in companies linked to the world of credit, first as a Relationship Manager in the UBI Bank where I worked for several years on corporate portfolio management, then in GE Capital where I worked for nearly five years in origination of factoring operations before moving to the world of credit insurance and collection at the Atradius Group. In recent years, particularly from 2010 onwards, I focused on commercial activities on behalf of the company Ribes Spa with functions of commercial responsibility for the Corporate area.

3. What did you find in AZ InfoCollection that you did not expect ?
I found very enthusiastic people with a lot of ideas. I have also found a strong focus on innovation and a strong desire to grow . An excellent team , both personally and professionally .

4. What do you like about your job ?
The ability to interface with partners of excellent quality, from different backgrounds , with whom create relational synergies, exchange ideas and points of view on market trends. I love to create and develop innovative projects and the opportunity to exploit wide-ranging expertise in the field of credit.

5. What do you think are the winning aspect of AZ InfoCollection vision in view of a very lively market?
Producing information to profile debtors and to exploit them to increase collection efficiency and the entire performance of the managed portfolio, is certainly an important competitive advantage that few other players can match.
The ability to operate as a full credit servicer that has the power of infoproviding in its historical core business and is able to directly manage the entire credit process is a strength that characterizes us.
We have also structured our operations to be higly competitive, flexible and fast in the market. But the aspect that really sets AZ InfoCollection is the ability to enhance the customization of solutions around the needs of the client, to accept challenges that others do not accept, with a view of sharing the risks in challenging projects, which in the medium term will be winning.
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The client as center of the behavior of the company is exactly the philosophy that has brought the AZ Group to be one of the top Italian excellence, also according to the Italian Stock Exchange.
Today, with the same vision and the same innovative spirit, AZ InfoCollection launches, as first in Italy, the philosophy: “one client, one servicer “.
It is now available the opportunity for customers to have an integrated management of entire NPL portfolios
– in various asset classes – aiming to an excellent performance, thanks to the combined use of technologies and strategies applied in all collection channels, by using the most important resource and core historical business of AZ Group: infoproviding.
“The new challenge that we have accepted is to customize the credit management in thee dimensions “says Carmine Evangelista , Group CEO ” offering to all of our customers in the NPL market, the ability to create a personalized management of NPL portfolio focused on three aspects: assets class and collection through information, controlling directly the entire supply chain”.

Latest data confirm that the Italian NPL market is approximately 200 billion Euro, the composition of the bad debts is mainly divided between the so-called NPL secured and unsecured, which means grander loans or not granted.

Italians NPL are characterized by type, mostly in banks’ portfolios and can be divided into two main areas: corporate (82 %) and retail (16 %)1 . Also more non-bank players are now approaching the market looking to maximize the operational results.

In this complex market, AZ InfoCollection has now focused its positioning strategy to benefit the many variables that must now be managed to ensure excellence IRR.

AZ InfoCollection is then able to put in system three assets in relation to each other: information, asset classes and collection, each one with its subcategories and with the possibility to intersect each sector and each variable to the client, in order to ensure an excellent performance. To this purpose, in addition to the already skilled management team, AZ InfoCollection has just hired new professionals and expanded its partnerships with leading operators in specific areas , creating a network of first quality NPL performance .

The first innovative products able to maximize performance in the corporate NPL sector are now ready and they will be launched in the upcoming weeks.

Coming soon also a new servicing platform for clients that is the pillar to make AZ, the first Fintech company in credit servicing.

He entered A-Zeta in 1994, just after graduating from Salerno University with a degree in Business and Economics.

He was General Manager of the company from 2006 to 2009 and took over in 2010 as CEO of AZ InfoCollection spa, a position he still holds today.

He has contributed actively to growth of the company, with constant support and focus on development in the two business areas which currently make the Group a sector leader in Italy: economic and financial profiling of potential recipients of credit services and insurance fraud, a sector in which AZ is the benchmark of the domestic market. Evangelista has also continued penetration of the holding company into the non-performing loans sector, specifically on the NPL portfolio market.

Carmine Evangelista has been Chairman and CEO of Martin&Cooper, the holding company’s new subsidiary in the debt collection sector, since 2013.

One of the very first people to obtain a diploma in Information Technology, Antonino Restino has vast experience in a whole range of sectors connected with info providing.

At the end of the 1970s, he became a member of Federpol, and shortly afterwards was elected first as the Interregional President and then as a member of the National Leadership, an office he held for four years. In this position, he introduced many innovative aspects, opening new businesses which led to great benefits for the entire category.

He was then elected as an executive member of the WAD (World Association of Detectives), the world’s largest association of detectives and those performing business and private investigations, and also introduced many innovations in this sector as well.

In 2000, he was co-opted by General Servolini as an executive member of the Presidency of the U.N.I.P. (National Union of Private Investigators) and participates as an expert in various national and international conferences on credit scoring, intellectual property and insurance fraud.

In 1974 he founded A-Zeta, a leading national credit and insurance infoproviding company.

AZ InfoCollection S.p.A. was founded in 2009, of which he is chairman and majority shareholder.

AZ InfoCollection is a Group focused in Credit and Anti-fraud services.
It is also active in the intelligence & security market and heritage protection working in all the Italian market. Clients are the major national financial institutions, international funds, utilities companies, retail companies and SME’s.
The AZ approach in the credit management is unique. Thanks to the deep expertise in NPL individual infoproviding and the proprietary database, the Group is able to target excellent recovery performances in all asset class (Secured-Unsecured/ Individual-SMEs-Corporate).

Founded in 1974 by Antonino Restino, the Group is organised into specialised operating companies located at the offices in Milan, Rome and Naples. Its clients are Italy’s leading insurance firms, banks, consumer credit companies, credit servicers, financiers, legal firms, large corporations, utilities companies and SMEs.

Each sector/market where AZ operates has specific features in which the Group management has invested resources, rethinking and redesigning the existing structure with a disruptive logic.

AZ: sectors of activity and competitive edge

• Infoproviding is the information production and profiling sector supporting loan supply and/or debt collection activities; it also assists in classification of risk for credit protection and protection against insurance fraud;

• The fraud sector, where the Group has been present for decades, is currently a best practice in the sector.

Know-how, organisation and centralisation of the complex network of information sources and processing phases are three factors which give the group its competitive edge and guarantee service performance and quality.

Consolidated processes, highly efficient Kpi and a consolidated nationwide presence are competitive advantages which are hard to beat for smaller players or newcomers.

The Group’s debt collection activities range across substandard and doubtful loans originating in various sectors which potentially cover the entire spectrum of distressed assets.

Technology and the proprietary database guarantee efficiency and performance which, together with the high costs of purchasing infrastructures, are a barrier to entry into the sector.

The strengths of the AZ Group

The Group’s competitive edge derives from its huge proprietary database, to which thousands of pieces of information are added every single day; centralisation and control of information sources and processing phases, know-how, technology, a nationwide presence and decades of experience have been transformed into the ability to create flexible processes and solutions. The licences the Group holds and its ISO 27001 certified data protection and security system (it is the first Italian company in the sector to have obtained it) are further points of strength ranging across all Group activities.

These are the principal reasons behind the rapid growth of AZ over the last two years and the consolidated credibility it has gained over time.

Growth strategy and plans

Future growth is planned both by strengthening the physical channel of business development and – above all – by using the digital channel, which is destined to become the means of dialogue between the company and its market, for delivery of services and also in assisting clients and discovering their needs.

The proprietary database and the data it contains will be further improved by enhancing instruments such as analytics and business intelligence.

The database will be a SIC (Credit Information System) which, with use of web interfaces created using the most advanced user experience know-how, will be accessible to the various contributors (banks, financiers, credit management companies, bad banks, etc.) to check the risk profiles of a single or multiple positions. Various dossiers for acquisition of one or more companies to prompt growth in external activities are also being examined.

Financial profile and shareholders

Shareholders

• 92.50% Antonino Restino

• 7.50% Riccardo Restino

Top Management

• Carmine Evangelista – CEO

• Antonio Orefice – CFO

Principal financial data 2013

Sector of reference

The sector of reference is an infoprovider and credit bureau for financial and insurance services, financial and economic big data analysis and clustering aimed at a credit information system (SIC) for financial and insurance risk scoring.