Latest news with #BakerTilly
Forbes
5 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Navigating Readiness, Governance And Risk When Integrating AI
Ann Blakely is the managing principal of Baker Tilly's digital solutions practice, with a focus on modernizing legacy business models. For organizations striving to maintain a competitive edge, implementing AI solutions has become nothing short of a strategic imperative. Organizations are increasingly challenged to not only integrate these solutions into core business functions but to do so strategically and responsibly, ensuring they adhere to evolving regulatory standards and provide a strong return on investment. This requires both a thorough understanding of AI tools and a comprehensive approach that considers organizational readiness, robust data governance frameworks and security measures and ethical implications. Exploring the critical dimensions of AI adoption can provide organizations with the insight needed to prepare for, implement and manage their AI technologies in a way that is secure, responsible and aligned with long-term strategic goals. The Evolution Of The AI Landscape The AI landscape has evolved from foundational automation technologies to highly adaptive, autonomous systems that mirror human cognition. Initially, intelligent process automation (IPA) technologies, such as robotic process automation (RPA), were developed to augment repetitive and multistep tasks. AI, a subset of IPA, took things a step further with technologies beginning to learn, reason and make decisions like a human. This includes technologies such as: • Natural Language Processing (NLP): Systems that understand and respond to human language inputs, such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT. • Machine Learning (ML): Systems that learn from data to make predictions. • Deep Learning: A subset of ML that introduced artificial neural networks capable of processing unstructured data and autonomously extracting features. From these technologies, GenAI emerged. It uses LLMs and generative adversarial networks (GANs)—a notable application of deep learning—to create new content (text, images, audio, etc.) based on learned patterns, revolutionizing content creation across industries. Building on these advancements, agentic AI introduced interactive, autonomous agents capable of performing complex tasks, adapting to anomalies in real time and continuously learning from new data. This shift marks a transformative leap in AI's evolution, moving from tools that assist humans to intelligent agents that collaborate with and augment human decision making. Preparing Your Organization: AI Readiness AI readiness is the foundation for any organization aiming to responsibly and effectively integrate AI into its operations, as it addresses an organization's ability to adopt, deploy and scale AI technologies in alignment with its strategic goals, workforce capabilities and technical infrastructure. Organizations should assess AI readiness across five key dimensions: 1. Opportunity discovery 2. Data management 3. IT environment and security 4. Risk, privacy and governance 5. Adoption Each dimension plays a critical role—from identifying high-impact use cases and ensuring data quality, to establishing secure systems, managing compliance and fostering an organizational culture of AI literacy and trust. Together, these dimensions provide a holistic view of an organization's preparedness to leverage AI safely and productively. Understanding and investing in AI readiness is essential because it enables organizations to move beyond experimentation and toward sustainable, value-driven AI adoption. Evaluating current capabilities across the five dimensions, identifying gaps and developing a tailored road map that aligns AI initiatives with broader organizational strategy ensures efforts are purposeful and well-integrated. Starting with small, high-impact use cases—particularly those involving manual or repetitive tasks—allows organizations to demonstrate value early, build momentum and scale AI initiatives with confidence. Risk Mitigation And Compliance Considerations Organizations need to deploy AI initiatives in a way that prioritizes safe and responsible AI usage. As AI tools have broad access to vast amounts of organizational data, a primary concern behind their deployment is the inadvertent exposure of sensitive, confidential or proprietary information, which can create serious reputational, financial and legal liabilities. Equally important is the current lack of data and AI literacy among workers. Without proper training, employees may misuse or outright resist AI initiatives. Regulatory pressures are also mounting, with both federal and state-level legislation on the horizon. While no comprehensive federal regulations currently exist, states like Colorado and Utah have already enacted laws, and others, such as California and Illinois, are advancing legislation focused on transparency, fairness and risk management. This patchwork approach has created a fragmented regulatory environment, requiring organizations to track and comply with varying laws at the state and industry levels. To mitigate these risks, organizations need to develop a robust AI governance framework and principles that guide safe use. These principles must align with organizational values and account for risks ranging from cybersecurity and regulatory concerns to operational errors and broader societal impacts. Establishing An AI Governance Program Much like traditional data governance, AI governance provides a structured framework to oversee the safe, ethical and compliant use of AI technologies. A comprehensive program should include: 1. Well-established policies, standards and ethical guidelines that are thoroughly reviewed and aligned with strategic goals and core values. 2. Clearly defined roles and responsibilities by assigning appropriate individuals to oversee AI initiatives and ensuring everyone understands their duties and point of contact for any AI-related inquiries. 3. Comprehensive risk and compliance frameworks that align with your regulatory landscape. 4. Standardized tools and architecture to ensure consistency in the development, training and integration of both proprietary and third-party AI models and systems. 5. Continuous AI model management practices to confirm outputs are fair, unbiased and aligned with organizational standards. 6. Robust observability practices to validate that AI models are functioning as intended and are being used correctly. Additionally, an AI governance program should be part of a broader change management and adoption strategy, empowering employees with the knowledge and skills needed to use AI tools responsibly. This includes improving AI literacy, setting clear usage guidelines and providing ongoing training. Ultimately, by taking a proactive, structured approach to AI governance, organizations can reduce operational, reputational and legal risks while fostering a culture of innovation and trust in AI-powered tools. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Inomin Announces Final Approval of Beaver-Lynx Transaction
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 7, 2025) - Inomin Mines Inc. (TSXV: MINE) ("Inomin" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it received shareholder approval at its shareholder meeting on July 3, 2025 of its earn-in and joint venture agreement with Sumitomo Metal Mining Canada Ltd. ("Sumitomo") pursuant to which the Company granted to Sumitomo the right to earn up to an 80% interest in the Company's Beaver-Lynx project in south-central British Columbia (the "Transaction"). The Transaction received 99.9% approval from shareholders. The Company has also received final approval from the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") with respect to the Transaction. At the meeting, the Company's shareholders re-elected all of the Company's current board of directors, John Gomez, Anil Jiwani, Ari Shack, John Peters and William Yeomans, and approved the appointment of the Company's auditor, Baker Tilly WM LLP. The Company's shareholders also re-approved the stock option plan in accordance with the requirements of the TSXV. For further details on the Transaction, readers are referred to the news releases dated November 4, 2024, March 6, 2025, May 8, 2025, and June 18, 2025. About Inomin Mines Inomin Mines is focused on the identification, acquisition, and exploration of mineral properties with strong potential to host significant resources, especially critical minerals, as well as gold and silver. Inomin trades on the TSX Venture Exchange with the symbol MINE. For more information, visit On behalf of the board of Inomin Mines: Inomin Mines Inc. Per: "John Gomez"President and CEO For more information, please contact: John Gomezinfo@ Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oregon improved its Motor Voter system, but at ‘high-risk' for future issues: Audit
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – After in Oregon's automatic voter registration system led to a number of people being registered to vote — despite not showing proof of U.S. citizenship — a new shows the state has taken steps to improve the system, but some future threats remain. The audit comes after in September 2024 revealed that 306 non-citizens had potentially been registered to vote. Officials corrected this number later that month, explaining that voters had been registered to vote since 2021. The number grew to by November. According to the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicle Services, only 17 of those individuals had actually voted and most of them were confirmed as citizens. DON'T MISS: Trump executive order will make Oregon elections 'less safe,' Secretary of State says The department explained that the error likely occurred when staff mistakenly selected non-U.S. citizen IDs, like foreign passports or birth certificates, as proof of citizenship. The findings led Governor Tina Kotek and then-Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade to jointly call for an independent audit of Oregon's Motor Voter program. On July 3, Oregon's Department of Administrative Services released an audit conducted by a third-party organization, Baker Tilly Advisory Group, which analyzed steps the state has taken to address the voter registration issues. DAS noted the audit found those steps were 'largely effective.' WATCH: Climbing teens rescued from God's Thumb near Lincoln City 'The audit concluded that new processes and internal controls at DMV and (the Oregon Secretary of State's Office) improved areas where errors were previously identified, although some gaps remain and additional improvements could be made. Those additional improvements are focused on reviewing (Oregon Motor Voter) related rules, manuals and trainings; creating formal processes for tracking and evaluating errors in the system; and conducting more regular oversight of data and error logs,' DAS said. While the state made improvements in some areas, the audit also identified one area, which auditors labeled 'high-risk' for potential issues in the future. The high-risk issue focused on gaps in the Motor Voter system when it comes to validating citizenship records. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now According to the audit, the state relies on 'legacy citizenship records,' leading to potentially inaccurate citizenship designations being made for some Oregon residents. 'Legacy records, including notation of proof documents establishing citizenship, from before theimplementation of (Oregon License Issuance and Vehicle Registration) were not carried forward into OLIVR customer records,' the audit states, noting (the Oregon Department of Transportation) cannot require information for re-verification of citizenship once it has been established. The audit further explains that relying on these records poses a risk for some records receiving 'citizen' designations despite someone showing documents proving U.S. citizenship. Oregonians aren't reporting bias crimes as often. AG Rayfield says that's concerning 'Reliance on legacy citizenship records introduces a risk that inaccurate or unsupported 'C-Citizen' designations may persist in the system. This could result in ineligible individuals being automatically registered to vote and only discovered if/when future transactions reveal non-citizen status based on documents presented,' the audit says. While sampling these transactions, auditors found one in 35 (2.8%) sampled transactions had an unsupported citizen designation. 'Although the number of potentially ineligible individuals being automatically registered tovote is likely too small to affect the outcome of an election, the existence of such cases poses amoderate reputational and compliance risk. It may undermine public trust in the voter registration process and expose the agency to increased scrutiny,' auditors wrote. These 4 Oregon beach towns among the best on the West Coast, according to Conde Nast Traveler The audit recommends that officials with the Oregon Department of Transportation develop a plan to address legacy data concerns with insights from other automatic voter registration leaders. ODOT agreed with the recommendation, with the goal of having a plan by December 2025. In a statement responding to the audit, Gov. Kotek said, 'I take any error that undermines Oregonians' confidence in their election system incredibly seriously,' adding, 'From the moment the errors were caught, I committed to ongoing accountability and continual improvement of the Oregon Motor Voter program. This report underscores the strength of that work.' 'This independent audit is one of many things we are doing to lock down and root out errors in the Motor Voter system and earn back Oregonians' trust,' current Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read added. 'My team is already acting on these recommendations, and I'm glad to hear that what we've done so far is effective. We are committed to running fair, secure, accessible elections here in Oregon.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Zawya
07-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Egypt: Bonyan opens EGX's 1st full IPO of 2025 on July 6th
Arab Finance: Bonyan for Investment and Development begins trading on the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) Sunday, July 6th, in what is currently the market's first full initial public offering (IPO) of the year. The company is seeking to raise EGP 1.8 billion by offering 20% to 21.9% of its shares, about 362.903 million shares, according to its IPO prospectus. The listing includes retail and institutional tranches, with an indicative price range between EGP 4.96 and 5.44 per share. Independent financial advisor Baker Tilly valued the stock at a fair value of EGP 7.52 per share. Under the private placement, institutional investors and individuals with financial solvency are allocated 95% of the offered shares, representing 344.758 million shares or 20.8% of the company's shares. This tranche is open until July 10th, with a minimum subscription of EGP 10 million and a 30-day, 15% price stability mechanism. AS for the public offering, natural and legal persons can subscribe to the remaining 5% of the offering or 18.145 million shares, around 1.1% of the company's share, until July 15th. Subscriptions range from a minimum of 100 shares to a maximum of 200,000 shares, with a 30-day, 100% price stability mechanism. The final share price will be announced on July 11th. The company will proceed with a EGP 250 million capital increase through a closed subscription of 50.4 million shares by its sole shareholder, Sky Realty Holding. Bonyan had initially aimed to raise EGP 3 billion through the IPO, targeting a 33% stake, including EGP 2.5 billion from a secondary offering and EGP 500 million from newly issued shares. CI Capital and Arqaam Capital are coordinating and bookrunning the offering, with Mubasher as the offering agent. Legal counsel is being provided by Matouk Bassiouny & Hennawy. PwC is acting as auditor. © 2020-2023 Arab Finance For Information Technology. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Business Wire
26-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Baker Tilly to Expand Southeast Presence with Addition of KraftCPAs
CHICAGO & NASHVILLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Leading advisory, tax and assurance firm Baker Tilly announces its intent to acquire KraftCPAs PLLC (KraftCPAs), a Nashville-based accounting and advisory firm with a decades-long track record of service and specialization across key industries. The combination marks another milestone in Baker Tilly's strategic growth, further expanding its footprint in the Southeast and enhancing its ability to serve clients in one of the nation's fastest-growing markets. For more than 60 years, KraftCPAs has built a strong reputation for client service, integrity and deep industry knowledge across assurance, tax and advisory services. The firm's expertise spans construction, healthcare, manufacturing, nonprofits, professional services, real estate and private equity. 'Our firms share a commitment to high-quality service and a culture rooted in collaboration and integrity,' said Chris Hight, chief manager of KraftCPAs. 'By joining Baker Tilly, we're expanding what's possible for our clients and giving our team exciting new paths to grow and thrive.' The Nashville market continues to experience rapid growth and transformation. KraftCPAs's strong local presence and industry specialization, combined with Baker Tilly's national scale and resources, position the combined firm to meet increasing demand for specialized, forward-looking solutions. 'This combination is about bringing together two like-minded firms to better serve our clients and communities,' said Monica Dalwadi, Baker Tilly managing principal – Eastern U.S. 'KraftCPAs brings not only deep local roots, but also industry expertise that strengthens our presence in the Southeast — a region where we're focused on strategic, long-term investment.' The combination with KraftCPAs follows Baker Tilly's recent merger with Moss Adams, creating a firm with enhanced national scale and industry-leading capabilities. Together, these moves reflect Baker Tilly's bold strategy to deliver more for clients — wherever they do business — and foster growth for professionals within the organization. Allan Koltin, CEO of Koltin Consulting Group, who advised both firms on the combination, said: 'KraftCPAs is highly respected in the Nashville business community with a long history of trusted leadership. Their decision to join Baker Tilly is a smart, strategic move that positions both firms for continued success and growth in a competitive market.' About Baker Tilly ( Baker Tilly is a leading advisory, tax and assurance firm, providing clients with a genuine coast-to-coast and global advantage in major regions of the U.S. and in many of the world's leading financial centers – New York, London, San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston. Baker Tilly Advisory Group, LP and Baker Tilly US, LLP (Baker Tilly) provide professional services through an alternative practice structure in accordance with the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and applicable laws, regulations and professional standards. Baker Tilly US, LLP is a licensed independent CPA firm that provides attest services to its clients. Baker Tilly Advisory Group, LP and its subsidiary entities provide tax and business advisory services to their clients. Baker Tilly Advisory Group, LP and its subsidiary entities are not licensed CPA firms. Baker Tilly Advisory Group, LP and Baker Tilly US, LLP, trading as Baker Tilly, are independent members of Baker Tilly International, a worldwide network of independent accounting and business advisory firms in 143 territories, with 47,000 professionals and a combined worldwide revenue of $7 billion. Visit or join the conversation on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. Founded in 1958 by the late Joe Kraft, KraftCPAs PLLC is one of the largest independent certified public accounting firms in Tennessee with a staff of more than 250 people. KraftCPAs has offices in Nashville, Chattanooga, Columbia, and Lebanon. For information, visit
