Shows
SkyStemFraud Story - Paul H.This is the story of Paul H., an accountant who stole more than $1 Million from his clients through his bookkeeper business.
2025-09-1004 min
SkyStemFraud Diary - KubientThis is the story of tech company, Kubient, and its former CFO and Audit Committee Chair, who fabricated information surrounding the company's nascent revenue scream and lied to its auditors as part of their scheme to conceal the fraud.
2024-12-1807 minSkyStemFraud Story: IRL Social AppThis is the story of IRL, an up and coming social app that was once valued at $1 Billion, until it was revealed that most of its users were fake.
2024-12-1304 minSkyStemFraud Story: FTX / Prager MetisThis is the story of FTX's external auditor firm, Prager Metis, and the role it might have played in contributing to the spectacular collapse of FTX in November 2022.
2024-10-1005 minSkyStemHow Milford Federal Streamlined Month-End Reconciliations and Saved Time During AuditMilford Federal Bank is headquartered in Milford, MA, and has been serving its communities since 1887 for over 136 years. Today, it has roughly an asset size of $500 million and 4 locations. In this session, we’re thrilled to have Melissa Mestre, VP Finance at Milford Federal Bank, share her firsthand experience with SkyStem ART.
2024-09-2732 min2024-08-2603 min2024-08-2606 min2024-08-2606 minSkyStemFraud Diary - Janet MelloThis is the story of Janet Mello, a civilian who is accused of stealing $100 million from the Army.
2023-12-0906 min
Shashank RedemptionEp#26 - Making Boring Products Interesting and Maintaining a Work-Life BalanceOn this episode, Shashank interviews Shagun Malhotra, founder of SkyStem. In this wide-ranging conversation, they talk about judging start-ups in South America, maintaining a work-life balance, and making a boring product interesting. Shagun also talks about her entrepreneurial journey and how her company's product helps automate 40% of reconciliations in 30 days.
2023-11-3030 minSkyStemMastering Efficiency: How UWCU Elevated the Month-End Close Process Through AutomationUniversity of Wisconsin Credit Union is a $5 Billion dollar institution headquartered in Madison, WI. With more than 300,000 members. UWCU is the third largest credit union in the state of Wisconsin and currently operates 29 full service branches throughout the Madison and Milwaukee metro areas. In this webinar, we will chat with Sandy O’Connor, the Director of Accounting Operations at UWCU, about her accounting team’s journey into the world of month-end close automation and how that made an impact on her team’s closing process today.
2023-11-2750 minSkyStemFraud Diary - Columbus Zoo and AquariumThis is the story of Tom Stalf, Pete Fingerhut and Greg Bell, who were indicted this month and are charged with fraud and misuse of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium's assets to the tune of $2 million.
2023-09-2206 minSkyStemFraud Diary - John NockThis is the story of John Nock, an Arkansas businessman convicted in $18 million investment fraud conspiracy this September 2023
2023-09-0804 minSkyStemFraud Story: Aimee BochThis is the story of Aimee Boch and her non-for-profit Feeding Our Future, along with 60 other individuals, orchestrated a $240 million scheme to defraud a federal program designed to feed underprivileged children.
2023-07-2509 minSkyStemBecoming a CEO With a Vision for Technology and TeamworkCheck out the latest episode of the CUES Podcast, "Becoming a CEO With a Vision for Technology and Teamwork," with guest Dana DeFilippis, CCE, CEO of Merck Sharp & Dohme Federal Credit Union. Now CEO at the credit union for two years, DeFilippis has leveraged the knowledge she gathered to help her use technology and teamwork to promote staff innovation and better serve members.
2023-06-1521 min
CUES PodcastBecoming a CEO With a Vision for Technology and TeamworkA decade before CUES member Dana DeFilippis, CCE, became CEO of Merck, Sharp & Dohme Federal Credit Union in Chalfont, Pennsylvania, she decided she wanted the job.Coming to credit unions from public accounting, DeFilippis prepared for the CEO role by adding leadership of the IT department to her duties as VP/finance of the $825 million institution, excelling at opportunities her CEO gave her to present to the board, attending CUES’ CEO Institute and earning her certified chief executive designation, and getting to know every part of the organization.Now CEO for two years, DeFilippis has le...
2023-06-0821 minSkyStemChit Chat: Elevating the Month-End Close Process Through Automation -- Lancaster LeafLancaster Leaf Tobacco Co., Inc., is a subsidiary of Universal Corporation, the leading global leaf tobacco supplier. Lancaster Leaf manages Universal’s dark air cured tobacco operations in all relevant traditional dark air-cured origins. Lancaster Leaf supplies virtually all of the major cigar manufacturers in the U.S. with filler, binder, and wrapper from the U.S. and other origins.
In addition to domestic supply, Lancaster exports filler, binder, and wrapper to international cigar manufacturers. Lancaster Leaf contracts directly with farmers in all dark air cured growing regions around the world including the United States, the Dominican Re...
2023-05-3150 minSkyStemFraud Diary - Ali and Yousef JaafarThis is the story of Ali and Yousef Jaafar, a father and son who were sentenced to federal prison this month in connection with a massive "ten-percenting" scheme that resulted in over $20 million dollars in fraudulent lottery winnings.
2023-05-2604 minSkyStemFraud Diary: George Constantine, Marc Elefant and Andrew DowdThis is the story of George Constantine, Marc Elefant and Andrew Dowd. These three individuals, together with others, attempted to defraud their victims of more than $31,000,000 through "trip and fall" accidents in New York.
Episode source: https://dailyvoice.com/new-york/mamaroneck/31m-trip-fall-fraud-scheme-attorneys-doctor-sentenced-for-defrauding-ny-businesses/
2023-04-2805 minSkyStemFraud Diary - Guo WenguiThis is the story of Guo Wengui, who was arrested this week for allegedly orchestrating a complex $1 billion fraud scheme that duped online followers with promises of outsized investment returns.
2023-03-1704 minSkyStemFraud Diary - Deloitte ChinaThis is the story of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Certified Public Accountants LLP ("Deloitte China"), who paid a $20 million penalty to the SEC for asking clients to perform their own audit testing, and presenting the results as its own.
2023-01-0904 minSkyStemBoost Month-End Efficiency by Going Paperless - Pinnacle Financial Partners, Inc.This Chit Chat session features Jonna Wall, Financial Analyst of Pinnacle Financial Partners, a ~$40 Billion (assets as of 06/30/2022) publicly traded financial institution based in Nashville, TN with locations in many markets throughout the southeast. Join us as we discuss the Bank’s journey to become more efficient during month-end close, at a time when it was also going through a period of tremendous growth.
2022-12-1443 minSkyStemFraud Diary - German NinoThis is the story of German Nino, a former investment advisor as UBS, who allegedly Stole $5.8 Million from investors’ discretionary accounts.
2022-11-0103 minSkyStemFraud Diary - Justin CostelloThis is the story of Justin Costello, who allegedly defrauded victims out of $35 million based on the 'mirage' of being billionaire, Harvard MBA, Iraq veteran.
2022-10-1905 minSkyStemFraud Story - Rosa BonillaThis is the story of Rosa Bonilla, former First Lady of Honduras, who misappropriated $590,000 of public funds and spent it on real estate, credit card payments and her children's school fees.
2022-09-2404 minCUES PodcastEasing the Pain of Month-End CloseSponsored by SkyStemClosing the books at the end of the month can be a lot of work. Doing it month after month can be grueling. And when the organization is growing and adding new technology, well, that can just make an already tough job that much more difficult, says our guest in this episode of the CUES Podcast.Jennifer Stein, CPA, CGMA, is senior project manager for SkyStem, a CUES Supplier member based in New York City and the sponsor of this show. A former corporate controller, Stein has been through the ups and...
2022-09-2220 minSkyStemTaking the Close Process From Good to Great - Machias Savings BankThis episode features Tara Bartko, SVP Accounting and Finance, and Jody Dennison, VP Accounting of Machias Savings Bank.
With nearly $2.2 billion in assets, 300 employees, and 16 locations stretching across Maine, the team at Machias Savings Bank believes that with every relationship there is a way to keep their customers moving forward, now and in the future. Founded in 1869, and a leader in customer experience and community, Machias makes an impact beyond products and services by donating nearly $1 million to Maine non-profits.
Machias Savings Bank was named the #1 Best Small Bank in Maine in 2020 by Newsweek. It ra...
2022-08-2349 minSkyStemFraud Diary - City of Cottage Grove MNThis is the story of the City of Cottage Grove, MN, which fell victim to a wire fraud scam to the tune of over $1.2 million in losses. The investigation is still ongoing as of August 2022.
2022-08-2307 minSkyStemFraud Diary - Marc SpornThis is the story of Marc Sporn, who committed healthcare fraud worth $20 million to fund a lavish lifestyle.
2022-06-3007 minSkyStemA New World Needs a New Way to Close (as Featured on the The Finance Executive Podcast)A key responsibility for anyone in the finance function is closing the company books on a monthly, quarterly and yearly basis. And although to a layperson that may seem like a straightforward process, anyone with an accounting or finance background knows it’s anything but.
Filled with multiple stakeholders and dependencies, the financial close can be a complicated process for even a small organization. But that complexity can increase algorithmically with the size of the organization.
In this episode of the Financial Executive Podcast featuring Nancy Wu at SkyStem, Nancy speaks about the increased use of autom...
2022-06-2829 minSkyStemFraud Diary - Michael KailThis is the story of Michael Kail, an ex-Netflix executive convicted of taking $500K+ in bribes and kickbacks from tech companies for approving streaming contracts with Netflix.
2022-05-2804 min
SkyStemSlash Admin Work and Eradicate Paper for Month-End Close -- C&F BankThis "Chit Chat" session features Matt Guth, VP and Assistant Controller of Citizens and Farmers Bank (C&F Bank), $2 Billion publicly traded financial institution based in Virginia. Join us as we discuss C&F Bank’s journey to build a month-end close process involving less administrative burden and no more paper.
2022-05-1946 minSkyStemSigns of a Poor Month-End Close ProcessWhat are the top indicators of a month-end close process that is not up to snuff?
2022-03-3103 minSkyStemFraud Diary - Marie Fulle and Comerica BankThis is the story of Marie Fulle, the ex-bank manager of Comerica Bank who embezzled over $1 million from a customer over the course of one year.
2022-03-1704 minSkyStemFlashing Insight: 20 Years of SOX2022 marks 20 years since the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2022 was established. How do retail investors feel about it and how has compliance / audit functions fared?
2022-02-2303 minSkyStemFraud Diary - Peter Armbruster of Roadrunner TransportationThis is the story of Peter Armbruster, the former CFO of Roadrunner Transportation, who executed a complex securities and accounting scheme that resulted in $245 million of shareholder losses.
2022-02-1404 minSkyStemFraud Diary - Kevin McInnis of Merida GroupThis is the story of Kevin McInnis, former CEO at Merida Group, who orchestrated a $150 million healthcare fraud scheme.
2022-01-2804 minSkyStemFraud Diary - Kevin Miller and Co-ConspiratorsThis is the story of Kevin Miller, Eam Peng Chou, Mean Peach, Chonnathason Has and Thi Ho, who stole $2.4 million from a Maryland-based company over the course of three years.
2021-11-0104 minSkyStemFraud Diary - Luckin CoffeeThis is the story of Luckin Coffee, the Wall Street darling that was ultimately found to have falsely inflated revenues by $300 million.
2021-10-1905 min
The Entrepreneur Spotlight Show with Andy JacobShagun Malhotra, CEO and Founder, SkyStem, A DotCom Magazine Exclusive InterviewAbout Shagun Malhotra and SkyStem:
Shagun is the visionary behind the product and user experience. A CPA, CIA and an experienced auditor and process consultant, she designed ART for accountants. Having gone through the broken and inefficient process various times over, she believed there was a more efficient and user friendly way to do reconciliations. Being process focused, Shagun injected process within ART to deliver a product that is highly integrated and process centric. Shagun started her career in public accounting and has worked in Fortune 100 companies such as Marriott and Freddie Mac. Her work focused primarily...
2021-09-1730 minSkyStemFraud Diary - Maryann StoffelThis is the story of Maryann Stoffel, a 70-year old woman who misappropriated ~$650,000 from the Vermillion Township in Dakota County, Minnesota.
2021-09-0707 minSkyStemFraud Diary - Zachary HorwitzThis is the story of Zachary Horwitz and his production company, who allegedly orchestrated a pyramid scheme that raised $690 million dollars.
2021-08-1005 min
SkyStemStreamlining Month-End Reconciliations Through Automation - Stock Yards Bank & TrustSkyStem’s Head of Sales and Support, Nancy Wu, and Stock Yards Bank & Trust's Corporate Controller, Derek Slone, explore his team's progression from a manual reconciliation process to one that is automated and modernized.
2021-07-1946 minSkyStemFraud Diary - Suraj SamarooThis is the story of Suraj Samaroo, who defrauded IKEA out of $400,000 by processing unauthorized customer refunds.
2021-07-0705 minSkyStemFraud Diary - Interview with John KurtzweilJohn Kurtzweil joins the SkyStem Podcast to discuss his experience working as the Corporate Controller of MiniScribe in the late 1980's around the time a massive fraud was discovered to have been perpetrated at the company.
2021-06-1442 min
SkyStemFraud Diary - MiniScribe CorpThis is the story of MiniScribe Corp, whose employees perpetrated massive fraud in the mid to late 1980s.
2021-05-1309 minSkyStemFraud Diary - Rita Crundwell (Part 2)This is the story of Rita Crundwell, who stole $53 Million from the City of Dixon, Illinois over the course of 22 years (Part 2 of 2).
2021-04-2609 min
SkyStemAFP & SkyStem - Month-End Close Automation with Linda Harris (Ichor Systems)The Association for Finance Professionals (AFP) sits down with Nancy Wu at SkyStem and Linda Harris at Ichor Systems to discuss modernizing the month-end close process at Ichor Systems. As featured in AFP Conversations podcast.
2021-04-2630 min
AFP Conversations225. SkyStem: Month-end Close AutomationSkyStem is a leading provider of month-end close automation platforms. Its solution, ART, helps CFOs and controllers shorten the month-end close cycle and time to issue financials by automating balance sheet reconciliations, managing month-end tasks, performing flux and variance analysis, and providing insightful reporting. In this episode of AFP Conversations, Tom Hunt, CTP, AFP’s Director of Treasury Services, sat down with Linda Harris, assistant corporate controller at Ichor Systems, and Nancy Wu, head of sales and customer support for SkyStem, to discuss the month-end close and reconciliation process, potential challenges teams may face, and best practices fo...
2021-04-2630 min
SkyStemTotal Accountability Through Month-End Close Automation - CountryMarkHeadquartered in Indianapolis, CountryMark is an agricultural cooperative firm in the crude oil and oil refinery business. Nikki Collier, Director of Accounting & Finance for CountryMark, joins us in this webinar to share her experience in automating month-end close and reconciliations to modernize the process and provide much-needed organization and accountability to the mature organization.
2021-03-2948 minSkyStemFraud Diary: Rita Crundwell (Part 1)This is the story of Rita Crundwell, who stole $53 Million from the City of Dixon, Illinois over the course of 22 years.
2021-03-1708 minSkyStemFraud Diary: Tangoe & ManagementToday's case involves a company called Tangoe, an IT Expense Management Company, that was accused of accounting fraud by the SEC along with four of its high ranking executives: Albert Subbloie, Gary Martino, Donald Farias and Thomas Beach.
2021-02-1109 minSkyStemFraud Diary: Sheila JamesonThis is the story of Sheila Jameson, who embezzled $1.8 million from Enersys over the course of 11 years.
2021-01-1907 min
SkyStemA Controller's Journey into Month-End Close Automation - AquarionSkyStem’s Head of Sales and Support, Nancy Wu, and Aquarion’s Corporate Controller, Deb Kirven, explore the challenges facing today’s finance and accounting function. Deb and Nancy journey through Aquarion’s decision to evaluate and adopt month-end close automation while touching upon topics such as cloud solutions, change leadership and consensus building.
2020-11-2550 min
SkyStemReduce Risk Through Month-End Close Automation - Lake HealthEstablished over 100 years ago, Lake Health is a leader in community health care in Northeast Ohio and the largest private employer in Lake County. Join Lisa Mothersbaugh, Director of Accounting at Lake Health, as she shares her team's journey to modernize the close and reconciliation process with the goal of improving overall work quality and reduce financial statement risk.
2020-11-2547 min
SkyStemWinning Back Time Through Month-End Close Automation - AMRGAM Retail (Part of G-III Apparel Group) operates retail stores for Wilson Leather, G.H. Bass & Co., Calvin Klein Performance, Karl Lagerfeld Paris, and DKNY. Join Charlie Kettering, Finance Director at AM Retail, as he shares his team's vision for modernizing month-end close. Charlie and his team, over the course of one month, turned a manual reconciliation process into one that is electronic, and in the process, successfully saved two weeks of man hours per quarter.
2020-11-2546 min
SkyStemSaving Time Through Modernizing Month-End Close - Kemba Credit UnionKemba Credit Union was established in 1934 to serve employees of the Kroger Company. Today, it has over $1 Billion in assets and offers a plethora of banking, lending, investing, financial planning and insurance solutions to its members. It aims to provide its members with the best that technology has to offer. Join Janet Oiler, Controller at Kemba Credit Union, as she shares her team's exploration into month-end close and reconciliation automation, and how modernizing this process has impacted the way her team approaches month-end activities.
2020-11-2551 min
SkyStemA Better Month-End Close - 121 FinancialAt the end of every month or quarter, credit union finance professionals tackle the close process, or the preparation of the credit union’s financial statements for publication. It requires extensive research and reconciliation on the part of the finance team, and completing these tasks manually can be challenging.
Nancy Wu, head of sales and customer support for SkyStem, says many credit unions experience pain points in their close processes. This is where automation tools can help to streamline the close process, removing inefficiencies and allowing teams to work more effectively together.
For $551 million asset 121 Fi...
2020-11-0619 min
CUNA News PodcastSponsored: Automation and the month-end close processAt the end of every month or quarter, credit union finance professionals tackle the close process, or the preparation of the credit union’s financial statements for publication. It requires extensive research and reconciliation on the part of the finance team, and completing these tasks manually can be challenging. Nancy Wu, head of sales and customer support for SkyStem, says many credit unions experience pain points in their close processes. This is where automation tools can help to streamline the close process, removing inefficiencies and allowing teams to work more effectively together. For $551 million asset 121 Fi...
2020-09-2419 minAmerica's Credit UnionsSponsored: Automation and the month-end close processAt the end of every month or quarter, credit union finance professionals tackle the close process, or the preparation of the credit union’s financial statements for publication. It requires extensive research and reconciliation on the part of the finance team, and completing these tasks manually can be challenging. Nancy Wu, head of sales and customer support for SkyStem, says many credit unions experience pain points in their close processes. This is where automation tools can help to streamline the close process, removing inefficiencies and allowing teams to work more effectively together. For $551 million asset 121 Fi...
2020-09-2419 min