The changes brought by the Covid pandemic have forced many firms and businesses to retool their operations: support remote staff and clients, find new efficiencies and, for public firms, expand the client base – all while undergoing massive and sometimes daunting changes. For a business that has not automated, those are game-changing challenges. Even for firms or businesses that have some automation, caution may be called for. There are potential risks and the ROI may not be easily identifiable.

Reimagining the business through automation can bring long term benefits in accuracy and efficiency along with increased client engagement. Join us as Avalara shares stories of how they and other businesses and firms are successfully using automation to redefine their business and key points in evaluating the risks. Topics we will cover:

• • Industry trends driving accounting professionals
• • Key areas where technology can help
• • Measuring the potential impact of efficiency and scalability
• • How to take a low-risk approach for steady results
• • Quick wins in automation

Speaker Bios:

Liz Armbruester, SVP, Global Compliance, Operations Liz oversees global compliance operations at Avalara. She brings more than 20 years of leadership experience from a variety of technology sectors including software, media, and services and is known for her strong track record of innovative problem solving, process optimization, and an ability to deliver automation for efficiency and scale.

Liz’s strong commitment to operational excellence and aptitude for partnering cross-functionally helped her drive value in her prior roles with Vubiquity, a provider of content monetization technology, and Zilog, a computing microcontroller manufacturer.

Sona Akmakjian, Sr Director Global Accounting Strategic Partnerships.  Sona is a certified California CPA with 28 years of experience in transnational tax services and automation. Experience includes working for state agency administering sales and use taxes, Big Four accounting firm, tax software company and mid-market consulting firms. Sona has strong skills in areas such as strategic alliances, executive collaboration, M&A due diligence, project and product management with deep industry experience across multiple market segments including specific focus in enterprise segment.