Certn hires executive to oversee markets in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa

Six months after acquiring European company Credence, background screening firm Certn has appointed an executive to lead markets in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Michael Whittington has been hired as the new managing director of Credence and Certn EMEA, the company announced today.

Whittington’s role will be to spearhead expansion in the EMEA region while aligning the cultures of Certn’s growing international team.

Whittington is a 30-year veteran of the background screening sector, having started his first background screening business, Financial and Personnel Research Limited (FPR), in 1992. Since then, Whittington has held senior roles at Kroll, G4S Employee Screening, and Risk Advisory. He has also served as chair of the European branch of the Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA) and remains an active member.

Whittington’s close regional relationships will be key to Certn’s growth prospects in the EMEA area, according to CEO Certn Andrew Mcleod. “Having strong leadership at the local level enables us to meet the unique needs of customers across regions and empower them with the tools needed to build trust in the workplace,” he said.

Founded in 2016, Certn was launched when its founders saw the business case while building their previous startup, RentMoola, which provided rent collections and credit checks online. They noticed the current credit rating systems weren’t fully capturing the profiles of ideal candidates as accurately as they could be. They started Certn to solve that problem.

The company has now developed what it calls a human risk intelligence solution that modernizes the background check process using AI and machine learning. Clients like employers and landlords use it to streamline candidate screening processes and reduce costs.

As the firm grows, it has raised over $108 million to fuel expansion, and today’s news comes just two months after the company raised $65 million in Series B Funding.

It’s now on Whittington to decide how the firm can best put its capital and growing EMEA team to work. “As we continue to expand in the EMEA region, I’m looking forward to contributing my three decades of experience in the industry as managing director,” Whittington said, in a statement. “We’re committed to providing a seamless experience to customers across the globe, and this appointment is the next step in ensuring we maintain this quality.”