8 to 8:30 a.m.
Registration and Networking Breakfast

8:30 to 8:50 a.m.
Welcome, Introductions, and Keynote

8:55 to 9:45 a.m.
Educational Session: The Benefits of Payment Automation
Michael Goodman, National Solution Consultant, Commerce Bank
Anthony Robinson, VP, Senior Sales Executive, Commerce Bank

Has your organization maximized business processes to take advantage of the technological improvements in processing payments?

Our speakers will show the benefits of payment automation which may improve operational efficiencies, enhance controls, streamline reporting, improve vendor relationships and create a revenue stream to improve your bottom line. Advancements in vendor payment processing which can include AP Cards, ACH, Checks or Wires will save your organization time and money.

Additionally, technology can make reconciliation easy and efficient, minimize fraud risk, and maximize float time.

Join us for the knowledge needed to select the appropriate solution for your organization.

Learning Objectives:

• Which best practices contribute to a winning payments automation program
• What the Pros and Cons are of different payment methods
• How to take a holistic approach to using the right payment at the right time for the best return for your organization

9:50 to 10:40 a.m.
Educational Session: 5 Things Every Accounts Payable Leader Must Know Before Automating
Greg Bartels, President, IPS, Inc.
Mark Brousseau, President, Brousseau & Associates

It is easy to get swept up in the benefits of automating your accounts payable and invoice processing: reduced operational costs, improved working capital management, better control of corporate spending and fewer compliance and fraud risks. But taking the wrong approach to accounts payable automation is sure to result in wasted time and money correcting systems and process issues, strained stakeholder relationships, a loss of trust with senior management, and a poor return on investment.

This session will reveal five critical strategies for ensuring the success of an automation project. Our speakers will combine their expert insights with real-world anecdotes to detail what accounts payable leaders need to know when evaluating, cost-justifying and deploying and automated solution.

What you will learn:

• The hottest trends in accounts payable automation
• Five keys to evaluating, cost-justifying and deploying an automated solution
• Critical considerations when evaluating accounts payable automation providers
• How to make sense of emerging technologies such as RPA, AI and machine learning
• Lessons learned by real-world organizations that have automated accounts payable

10:40 to 11 a.m.
Networking Break

11 to 11:50 a.m.
Educational Session: Recovery Audit: Into the Deep End of the Pool
Jeff Katz, COO/Co-Founder, Strategic Audit Solutions

In this session Jeff will share decades of experience and take a deep dive into the world of Recovery Auditing. Go beyond the basics of this service. Learn how your data drives most recoveries and can drive a deeper understanding of your processes. Recovery firms are experts with data and can pull together disparate sources to identify errors and provide you with actionable information. Information that you may not be able to pull together with your resources. With your data, and expertise of these firms, there are countless analytics that can be delivered, by knowing what to ask for.

11:50 a.m. to 12:50 p.m.
Networking Lunch

12:50 to 1:40 p.m.
Educational Session: 5 Keys to Influence all Generations to Complied Performance
Ed Robinson, President, RPG

Is your organization experiencing the talent management shift? Are the generations in your company being challenged by new ways of doing business, different values and changes in behavior? Are your leaders effective at driving high-performance results? This high impact program cultivates the best in your millennials by showing leaders how to embrace and leverage the generational differences within your company. Ed will share how millennials and other generations affect succession planning and organizational performance. Participants learn to understand the key strategies they need to use as leaders, coaches, and mentors to produce high payoffs in their staff. They will leave the program enthused, motivated and empowered to take action!

1:45 to 2:35 p.m.
Educational Session: 5 Things Every Accounts Payable Leader Must Know Before Automating
Kelli Wooten, Managing Director – Tax, KPMG LLP

The IRS and state tax authorities are paying closer attention than ever to information reporting and withholding issues and we are seeing lots of regulatory updates in this space. Come learn how to navigate the new Form 1099-NEC, how to address the increasing number of penalty notices, and other changes in this space.

2:35 to 2:55 p.m.
Networking Break

2:55 to 3:45 p.m.
Educational Session: Controls Accounts Payable Vendor Master Teams Can Implement to Prevent Fraud in the Vendor Master File
Debra Richardson, Business Owner/Founder, Debra R Richardson LLC

In today’s reality of cyber-attacks and fraud, the vendor master file has become the target of cyber criminals through phishing attempts including Business Email Compromise (BEC) scams. Focusing on the Vendor Master File, implementing Authentication, Validation and Management internal controls and best practices will reduce the potential for both internal and external fraudulent payments.

Learning Objectives:

• Implement compensating controls to mitigate segregation of duties conflicts
• Implement internal controls to confirm new vendor setup data and existing vendor changes are valid
• Identify vendor changes and determine if confirmation processes have been followed
• Understand how to utilize payroll and human resources data to combat internal fraud
• Explain Authentication, Validation, and Management as a 3 Step Process for Vendor Setup & Maintenance to set up Real Vendors and keep the Vendor Master File clean.  

3:50 to 4:40 p.m.
Educational Session: Abandoned and Unclaimed Property and Why You Should Give Escheat
Heela Popal, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)
Robert Joseph, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)

Unclaimed property compliance is an area that is commonly overlooked by many companies, and rather than raising taxes, many states are turning to unclaimed property compliance as a source of revenue in the face of budget shortfalls. All 54 U.S. jurisdictions including (Guam, Puerto Rico, District of Columbia and US Virgin Islands) have an unclaimed property law. With states targeting companies of all sizes and in all industries for unclaimed property audits, companies could experience a significant drain on internal resources and a negative impact to their bottom line as a result of an audit.

The interactive sessions will include a discussion of best practices in regards to risk management, compliance, and governance associated with unclaimed property.

4:40 to 5 p.m.
Closing Remarks, Door Prizes, and Networking

Attendees who successfully complete requirements will be eligible to receive up to 7.0 NASBA CPE credits. The Institute of Financial Operations is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org.

*Speaker and topics subject to change without notice.