The background checking industry can look like a river full of kayaks, with each provider paddling by themselves in their own directions. For Zinc, that independence has driven speed, efficiency, and innovation. But we realised as fun as zooming past other kayaks is, a lone effort can only take the industry so far.
As David Cole, Zinc’s Head of Regulatory Affairs puts it, “If you care about the future of screening, you need to help shape it.” And we care so much. So, we’re stepping out of our kayaks and into a canoe.
Zinc is now a member of the Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA).
In March 2026, Zinc officially became a member of the PBSA.
The reason we joined is simple: to make the background screening industry better.
We want to bring our fresh perspective to the table to help modernise this industry we love. There are so many opportunities for innovation and automation, and joining the PBSA means we can actively participate in discussions and forums that will help us build a better experience for candidates and companies alike.
To kick off our partnerships, we sat down with Will Hoggarth, Chair of the PBSA Europe and Africa to deep dive: why the PBSA exists, what its mission is, and how we can help make background checks better for everyone.
About the PBSA
“The PBSA is a global organisation that is committed to advancing excellence across the screening industry,” says Will. Since its inception in 2003, the PBSA has worked to support employers with best practices for background screening, ensuring the industry consistently upholds the highest ethical and performance standards.
With councils across the USA, Canada, APAC, and Europe and Africa (which Zinc is now a part of), the association plays a key role in setting standards and supporting the industry worldwide.
Each council is made up of a range of committees, all working to connect members, represent the industry to regulators, and promote consistent standards across regions.
We are happy to announce that three members of the Zinc team will be joining the committees in the Europe and Africa council.
- Gabriella Scott-Lister, Head of Product at Zinc, is joining the Education and Innovation Committee.
- Georgia Randall, DBS Compliance Lead at Zinc, is joining the Criminal Records Trade Body (CRTB).
- And David Cole, Head of Regulatory Affairs at Zinc, is joining the Events Committee.
Alongside Will Hoggarth, we interviewed all three to learn more about their involvement in the PBSA and what they’re most looking forward to.
Watch the full video here:
Technology to overhaul an age-old process
When asked where the background screening industry can improve, Will pointed to technology adoption and automation. He explained that many core practices — such as candidate forms — have remained largely unchanged since they were first introduced. While there’s a certain comfort in these established processes, he noted that newer generations of HR leaders are increasingly questioning their efficiency and relevance.
“I think we need technology to redo the process entirely,” he continued. And by technology, Will doesn’t mean AI. “We are extensively discussing where to use AI, given the nature of our business and the data we’re handling,” suggests Will. “But there is plenty that can be done in terms of automation,” he said.
A specific way Will thinks technology can be used to overhaul processes is the potential of integrating with government bodies such as the HMRC to source candidate data at its origin, instead of relying on self-reported data and spending additional time to verify it.
The PBSA and its Education and Innovation committee play a key role in prompting these conversations amongst members. Whether it’s webinars about new legislations or healthy debates on the “right way of doing background checks”, the PBSA tries to create as many opportunities for members to learn from each other.
“Our goal is always to bring new and innovative perspectives to our members, so that we are giving them as much value as possible within the association,” said Will.
The power of knowledge
In a landscape as competitive as this one, we were curious about how the PBSA strikes a balance between knowledge sharing and competition amongst its members.
Will’s answer was simple: “the people who think about having a leg-up against their competitors tend not to get involved.”
Will mentioned how participating in the PBSA with an “open book” approach can unlock valuable insights for members. He continued, “learning from different companies and their methods unlocks strategic decisions.”
In that vein, he said that the biggest benefit of joining the PBSA boils down to “what you know and who you know.” Not in a clique-y way, but in a way that broadens your horizons about what you think is possible.
“We are constantly trying to educate members that there are other, safer ways of doing background checks,” said Will. And that education only comes from being in rooms where people speak openly, for an interest greater than themselves.
The way forward
During our chat, Will highlighted a perspective that closely aligns with Zinc’s mission: “Most people look at background checking as an annoying thing they have to cross off their checklist. We want to change that.”
When asked how to change that, Will responded that integrating background checks with other onboarding processes was key.
He explained that background screening is often viewed as a solo part of the onboarding process. But he believes that there is a great opportunity in connecting it with other processes such as equipment ordering and administration processes to create an onboarding ecosystem.
Combined with faster adoption of automation and technology, Will believes this could transform background checking from a pain point for HR and TA professionals into a seamless, trusted part of the hiring process.
We are so excited to be part of the PBSA and we can’t wait to do our bit in shaping the future of background screening.
To learn more about how Zinc is changing background screening for the better, chat with our team today.
