Nitza Lamas, Vice President, International Solutions & Compliance

Grab a latte and pull up a chair and join us for a great interview with Nitza Lamas, Vice President of International Solutions & Compliance, SJV & Associates.

Nitza shared that she has been in the industry for over 25 years.

Prior to becoming a part of the background screening industry Nitza worked as an Industrial Engineer providing operational assessments, cost analysis, process review, feasibility studies, time & motion studies for the Risk Management sector at Equifax. Back then it was called the Insurance Division since most of their products were insurance related.

Along the way she moved to a department called Methods and Procedures. Her primary focus was to assess new products and review business groups that were not meeting financial goals, to determine root cause and provide resolution. The Background Screening division back then was not producing as expected and she was assigned to conduct a feasibility study which concluded that there was a lack of proper technology and workflow issues. Shortly thereafter in 1990 she joined the Background Screening unit, at the request of upper management to develop a new production system and implement process improvements. The Insurance Division spun-off from Equifax in 1997 and became ChoicePoint Inc. until 2008 when it was acquired by LexisNexis (now FADV).

With her very welcoming smile Nitza shared that one of the things she really likes about the industry is that it is very exciting, never a dull moment! It is an evolving industry, always changing. Although most of the products and services are basically the same (a commodity like many refer to), there are always changes in the services, challenges, new technology and methodologies to implement.

When asked about the company’s mission she shared that SJV’s mission is to be the premier Global Research Provider to the Pre-Employment and Tenant Screening industries. By combining innovative technology with human expertise, the company aims to deliver timely, high-quality, and complete background screening solutions, helping our clients make the best hiring decisions and tenant placements possible with the goal of ensuring a safer home and work environment.

Although new to her role, she jumped at the opportunity to share some of the new developments that are happening at SJV & Associates. SJV has provided International Criminal and Verification services since 2010, however, it her job to expand, solidify the research network and to bring on additional product offerings globally. The company is now providing Global ID Verification Solutions for over 200 countries, while also providing wider and broader coverage within each country for criminal searches. She beamed as she said there’s a lot more to come on the horizon in 2016, so stay tuned! And no she would not even give me a hint of what was coming.

She added that SJV is continually growing and revolutionizing their products and their employee knowledge base. As the leading provider in the wholesale screening space, the company is continuing to develop new technologies, new integrations, and their latest Client Connect 2.0 user interface to help CRAs stay ahead of the curve.

With a someone serious tone she noted that “There’s such a difference with SJV in their approach to customers and the solutions they provide, it’s unlike anything she has experienced in background screening. They are not just trying to build great solutions, but more importantly, they’re all about building great relationships with their employees and customers. That’s what comes first. That’s really the ‘SJV difference’ that I’ve experienced since I joined the company.”

Moving on to my favorite question “If you could look into a crystal ball, lets’ say ten years down the road, what do you see happening in the background screening industry?”

After thinking about it, Nitza said “I believe the Background Screening Industry will see an increased demand for international services as pre-employment screening becomes a more acceptable practice of businesses across the world. At the same time there will be an increase in regulations and restrictions that will dictate certain changes in our industry. However, I am confident that we will overcome and adapt like this industry always does.”

Back on the personal side, she indicated she had just read Guests on Earth by Lee Smith and now is reading Strength Based Leadership by Tom Rath.

The person she would most like to meet is Miguel de Cervantes – Spanish novelist poet or maybe it would be Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots

Finally, when asked about her favorite quote she said she has many, however, one of her favorites is “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great” by Zig Ziglar. Seems quite an apropos quote for a trained Industrial Engineer and successful business executive.

You can contact Nitza at NitzaL@SJVAssoc.com.

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