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Augmented Reality App Aims to Produce Better Images of Donor Organs

United Network for Organ Sharing

Today, United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) announced that UNOS Labs, the organization’s experimental incubator that tests innovative products, tools and methods to improve the donation and transplant system, is developing an app that may help increase organ use by providing surgical teams with higher quality images of donor organs. UNOS operates the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) under contract with the federal government. Currently, organ photos are not consistent in their positioning, lighting, quality or use of scale. These “procurement photos” are used by surgical teams to assist in determining if they should accept an organ on behalf of their patient. UNOS has heard from surgeons across the country that they need better, more standardized photos, with the ability to measure specific portions of a photographed organ. Based on this feedback, UNOS staff started working on a modern solution to address this pressing community need. The plan employs computer vision technology, 3D modeling and augmented reality to eventually introduce a straightforward, smartphone-based solution to a complex, system-wide problem. “What we’ve found in our research is that a photo of an organ is important for determining clinical viability of the organ and its anatomy,” said Senior Data Scientist Morgan Stuart. “We think that recent advances in augmented reality technology can make these photos even more valuable. While our research continues, we think combining mobile augmented reality with the latest computer vision techniques will help standardize, expedite, and enhance organ allocation.” The tool is currently in the proof-of-concept phase. If early tests prove effective, the long-term goal is to provide organ procurement organizations (OPOs) and surgical teams with a mobile app that can capture high-quality, standardized photos, identify organ type, collect anatomical data, calculate size and annotate images. The tool would also include measurement capabilities, allowing surgeons to measure specific sections of the photographed organ. Overall size and unique measures can help determine if an organ is the best fit for a given patient, making this tool a potential game-changer in how organ offers are accepted and potentially reducing the number of organs recovered for transplant that are not ultimately used. “While still in the early stages, the research, development and hard work that have gone into this tool are a direct result of feedback we received from members of the nation’s organ donation and transplant community,” said UNOS CEO Maureen McBride, Ph.D. “We heard that surgeons had a specific need to improve the way they served their patients. UNOS staff were ready to pursue an innovative solution in response, while simultaneously tackling the very real issue of organ non-use. I look forward to seeing the results as this exciting project continues.” Research has indicated that there is a correlation between access to photographs and the acceptance of kidneys, which continue to be the most transplanted organ. Yet, in 2022, 19% of deceased donor organs recovered for transplant, predominantly kidneys, were not ultimately transplanted. Specifically, analysis conducted by the OPTN suggests that for kidneys with a high kidney donor profile index (KDPI), surgical teams were more inclined to accept these more medically complex but still safe organs if photos were included, when compared to teams that had no access to photos. Researchers determined that the likeliest reason is when a surgical team is considering a more medically complex kidney, photos can provide additional context and opportunities to visually confirm size and scale, making it easier to ultimately accept the offer. Funded by a generous donor, the proof-of-concept phase will last up to 12 weeks. If this phase proves successful, UNOS Labs will begin to host focus groups to gather additional community input. Pulling from that data, staff will then begin to develop the mobile app and launch a six-month pilot program. About UNOS United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is the mission-driven non-profit serving as the nation’s transplant system under contract with the federal government. We lead the network of transplant hospitals, organ procurement organizations, and thousands of volunteers who are dedicated to honoring the gifts of life entrusted to us and to making lifesaving transplants possible for patients in need. Working together, we leverage data and advances in science and technology to continuously strengthen the system, increase the number of organs recovered and the number of transplants performed, and ensure patients across the nation have equitable access to transplant. Contact Details Anne Paschke +1 804-782-4730 anne.paschke@unos.org Company Website https://unos.org

June 21, 2023 02:29 PM Eastern Daylight Time

ARway.ai adds to growing patent portfolio after receiving another provisional patent

ARway

ARway.ai chief product officer Shadnam Khan joined Steve Darling from Proactive to share news the company has been granted a provisional patent for 'Device Localization based on Computer Vision and Visual Inertial Odometry.' That technology follows the previously announced Digital Twin patent and is the second in a series of patents planned to secure the technology. Khan telling Proactive this technology focuses on enabling augmented reality and 3D experiences within digital twins, which are generated from two-dimensional floor plans. The patent also has broader implications as it allows for large-scale location persistence without the need for expensive hardware like beacons, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth. The company's echnology utilizes sensors available in everyday devices, such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, odometers, and cameras, to provide accurate positioning and tracking indoors. Contact Details Proactive Investors Canada +1 604-688-8158 na-editorial@proactiveinvestors.com

June 21, 2023 01:57 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Video

NowSecure Achieves SOC 2 Type 2 Security Certification for 4th Consecutive Year

NowSecure

NowSecure, the recognized experts in mobile security and privacy, announced today that it has completed its latest annual SOC 2 Type 2 security audit – the industry benchmark for independent auditing of security controls for software vendors. This certification covers the NowSecure Platform for automated mobile app security testing. For the fourth consecutive year, NowSecure remains the only enterprise-grade mobile application security testing (MAST) provider with a SOC 2 certified cloud platform. The SOC program is governed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the national organization governing auditors with the CPA credential. Considered by the industry as the gold standard for data security, the program provides standards for meeting specific Trust Services Criteria (Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality or Privacy) and the procedures for auditors to review and report on the effectiveness of an organization’s controls in meeting these criteria. By achieving SOC 2 Type 2, NowSecure has demonstrated its ongoing dedication and adherence to the highest security standards to ensure its employees, solutions and customers are compliant, safe and secure. "We have always ensured our platform's security, but achieving this certification by a third-party auditor further validates that we are doing all the right things to protect our customers," said Alan Snyder, NowSecure CEO. “Our customers are under increasing pressure to prove that they have the proper security controls in place, so it makes sense that they place their trust in NowSecure as the industry’s only SOC 2 validated vendor.” Purpose-built to mitigate the mobile app threat landscape, NowSecure Platform provides a battery of 600+ automated tests using static, dynamic, interactive and API security for testing first party mobile apps in the DevSecOps pipeline and for vetting commercial 3rd party mobile app supply chain risk. Mobile app developers, QA, and security teams utilize NowSecure Platform to uncover security flaws, privacy issues, compliance gaps and app store blockers at scale. NowSecure Platform identifies issues fast and helps developers fix them fast through embedded remediation including evidence, fix recommendations, code examples and links to Android and iOS documentation. NowSecure is committed to implementing strict internal security policies and procedures to safeguard customer data and protect the NowSecure Platform from threats to confidentiality, integrity and availability. Learn more about the new NowSecure SOC 2 certification in our latest blog post by Ted Eull, VP of Privacy and Risk, and fill out this form to request the full report. About NowSecure: As the recognized experts in mobile security and privacy, NowSecure protects the global mobile app economy and safeguards the data of millions of mobile app users. Built on a foundation of standards, NowSecure empowers the world’s most demanding organizations with security automation to release and monetize 30% faster, reduce testing and delivery costs by 30% and reduce appsec risk by 40%. Only NowSecure offers an award winning full solution suite of continuous security testing for DevSecOps, mobile app supply-chain monitoring, expert mobile pen testing as a Service (PTaaS) and training courseware. NowSecure actively contributes and supports the mobile security open-source community, standards and certification including OWASP MASVS, ADA MASA, NIAP and is recognized by IDC, Gartner, Deloitte Fast 500, Cyber Defense Magazine and TAG Cyber. Contact Details Hannah LaCorte +1 202-240-7611 press@nowsecure.com Company Website https://www.nowsecure.com/

June 21, 2023 01:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

News Release

Phunware adds artificial intelligence to robust Mobile Engagement solution platform

Phunware Inc

Phunware COO Randall Crowder joins Proactive's Natalie Stoberman to discuss the launch of its AI-enabled Mobile Engagement solution. Crowder says the addition of AI powering its mobile engagement solution means that users will be able to leverage sophisticated machine learning algorithms and AI capabilities to deliver personalized, targeted marketing campaigns that are curated for specific audiences. And with Phunware's platform specializing in helping brands identify, locate and engage the right consumer at the right time, Crowder adds that this new AI enhancement will boost marketing campaigns to evolve past a "one size fits all" approach. Contact Details Proactive Investors +1 347-449-0879 na-editorial@proactiveinvestors.com

June 21, 2023 12:55 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Video

PathAI will Present on Analytical and Clinical Validation of AI-based NASH Clinical Trial Digital Pathology Tool at EASL 2023, and Announces Launch of NASH Explore Product

PathAI

PathAI, a leading provider of AI-powered pathology, will give a late-breaker presentation on new results from analytical and clinical validation studies that tested their AIM-NASH TM product and workflow’s accuracy, repeatability, reproducibility, and clinical validity across thousands of samples from several clinical trials, at the European Association for the Study of the Liver’s International Liver Congress 2023 (EASL), which will be held in Vienna, Austria from June 21 to 24, 2023. During EASL, PathAI will also formally launch and release details on its new NASH Explore TM product. P athAI’s analytical and clinical validation studies demonstrated that AIM-NASH-assisted pathologist reads of NASH resolution, hepatocellular ballooning, and lobular inflammation were superior to unaided pathologist assessment. Notably, there was a large improvement in scoring accuracy for ballooning and lobular inflammation, which are two of the most challenging components to score and standardize across pathologist reads. These results support PathAI’s vision to develop AI-powered digital pathology solutions to assist pathologists in achieving accurate and reproducible scoring, and complement prior results showing that AI-powered digital pathology is sensitive to drug effect that is not detected by categorical pathologist scoring 1 2, while also having the potential to control placebo response rates in NASH clinical trials 3. “The results from these studies inspire confidence in the robustness and value of AIM-NASH, and will pave the way to ultimately adopting AI-assisted NASH scoring as our new gold standard to ensure the greatest confidence in measuring true drug effect in NASH clinical trials,” said Stephen Harrison, M.D., chairman of Summit Clinical Research and a pioneer in the field of liver research and lead author on the study. At EASL, PathAI is also unveiling NASH Explore, an AI-derived panel of >500 histopathology features that spatially characterize NASH biopsy tissue microarchitecture at the cellular-level from H&E whole-slide images. It characterizes the H&E liver biopsy microenvironment at unprecedented resolution, giving drug developers and clinical researchers the ability to unlock insights that will enable precision drug development in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). “Manual ordinal histologic scoring of fat, inflammation, ballooning and fibrosis from liver biopsies has been the gold standard in NASH assessment for enrollment and therapeutic efficacy, but the NASH community has been pushing for more,” said Andy Beck, M.D., Ph.D., chief executive officer and co-founder of PathAI. “NASH Explore will help uncover new histologic signatures and biomarkers of therapeutic response that could be even more predictive of patient outcomes, and provide more precision in stratifying patients for targeted therapies.” In response to the NASH community’s request for more sensitive measures of fibrosis that can be seamlessly integrated into existing clinical trial workflows, NASH Explore was developed to not only infer the presence of fibrosis in whole slide images of H&E-stained tissue sections, but also 1) categorize fibrosis into clinically relevant subtypes, and 2) quantify the presence of these fibrosis subtypes in liver lobular zones. By enabling sensitive, specific fibrosis detection from whole slide images (i.e., without requiring proprietary scanning of physical glass slides), NASH Explore allows for rapid and scalable interrogation into patterns of fibrosis that reflect true disease progression and regression. NASH Explore complements PathAI’s current AIM-NASH product, an AI-powered digital pathology tool that assists pathologists in performing NASH CRN scoring. PathAI’s poster and oral presentation schedule at EASL: Characterizing the histologic implications of resmetirom-induced liver volume reduction using artificial intelligence-powered digital pathology (Abstract OS-029) In partnership with Madrigal Pharmaceuticals 21 June, 9:00-18:00 CEST Analytical and clinical validation of AIM-NASH: a digital pathology tool for artificial intelligence-based measurement of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis histology (Abstract 4102) Oral presentation by: Stephen Harrison, MD, FAASLD 22 June, 18:15-18:30 CEST For more information, visit booth F4 at EASL for a live demo of NASHExplore, or contact us at NASH@pathai.com. Additional information can be found at www.NASHExplore.com. Footnotes 1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33570776/ 2. https://www.pathai.com/resources/comparison-of-manual-vs-machine-learning-approaches-to-liver-biopsy-scoring-for-nash-and-fibrosis-a-post-hoc-analysis-of-the-falcon-1-study/ 3. https://www.pathai.com/resources/comparison-of-the-effects-of-semaglutide-on-liver-histology-in-patients-with-non-alcoholic-steatohepatitis-cirrhosis-between-machine-learning-model-assessment-and-pathologist-evaluation/ About PathAI PathAI is the only AI-focused technology company to provide comprehensive precision pathology solutions from wet lab services to algorithm deployment for clinical trials and diagnostic use. Rigorously trained and validated with data from more than 15 million annotations, its AI-powered models can be leveraged to optimize the analysis of patient samples to improve efficiency and accuracy of pathology interpretation, as well as to better gauge therapeutic efficacy and accelerate drug development for complex diseases. PathAI, which is headquartered in Boston, MA, and operates a CAP/CLIA-certified laboratory in Memphis, TN, is proud to have a team of 600+ innovative thinkers from around the globe. For more information, please visit www.pathai.com. Contact Details Maggie Naples SVM Public Relations and Marketing Communications +1 401-490-9700 pathai@svmpr.com Company Website https://www.pathai.com/

June 21, 2023 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

FiscalNote (NYSE: NOTE) Reports 21% Year-On-Year Growth In Revenue In Q1 2023 and Expects Positive Adjusted EBITDA in Q4

Benzinga

By Jad Malaeb, Benzinga On May 10, 2023, FiscalNote Holdings Inc. (NYSE: NOTE) announced its financial results for the first quarter that ended on March 31, 2023. FiscalNote, a provider of global policy and market intelligence, reported a 21% increase in revenue to $31.5 million compared to the same period in the previous year. This result was consistent with the guidance range previously provided. FiscalNote's subscription revenue, which accounted for approximately 90% of its total revenue, grew 25% year-over-year, with 14% of that increase being organic. The company reported a gross profit of $22.6 million, representing a gross margin of 72%, while non-GAAP adjusted gross profit was $25.2 million, representing an 80% non-GAAP adjusted gross margin. The company had a GAAP net loss of $19.3 million and an adjusted EBITDA loss of $7.0 million with higher Q1 seasonal public company costs, which was consistent with its previous guidance. FiscalNote continued to demonstrate its leadership in delivering AI-enabled policy and market information which empowers organizations to mitigate risk and navigate businesses confidently in an increasingly complex global geopolitical, economic, and regulatory environment. The company's first quarter operational metrics showed an organic run-rate revenue increase of 9% to $124 million as of March 31, 2023, a 19% total growth year-over-year (YoY), and a 10% growth over the prior year on a proforma basis. Its Annual Recurring Revenue was approximately $119 million on March 31, 2023, representing a 19% total growth year-over-year and a 10% growth over the prior year on a proforma basis. FiscalNote’s financial outlook for the second quarter of 2023 foresees a GAAP revenue of $32 million to $34 million, representing 18% to 25% YoY growth, and an adjusted EBITDA loss of $4.5 million to $3.5 million for the quarter. The company has implemented efficiency programs that leverage its prior investments in technology and sales and marketing to optimize operations, enhance the company’s go-to-market strategy, and reduce costs, which are all expected to significantly benefit adjusted EBITDA starting in the second quarter. FiscalNote reiterated its full-year 2023 guidance, with a GAAP revenue of $136 million to $141 million – representing 20% to 24% year-over-year growth – and total run-rate revenue of $148 million to $155 million, representing growth of 17% to 22% over the prior year on a proforma basis. Additionally, FiscalNote expects to achieve approximately break-even adjusted EBITDA in the third quarter and positive adjusted EBITDA in the fourth quarter of 2023, marking an improvement of approximately 71% YoY. FiscalNote's CEO, Tim Hwang, said, "With each quarter, we are continuing to prove our model of building an enduring and resilient growth company with compounding subscription revenue growth, strong gross margins, and, over time, an impressive free cash flow model." The company's financial results demonstrate that FiscalNote is executing well on its plan to become a profitable enterprise SaaS technology provider, and it is confident that it will continue to maintain its leadership in the market. This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Benzinga +1 877-440-9464 info@benzinga.com Company Website http://www.benzinga.com

June 21, 2023 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

FDA Issues Warning Letter To iRhythm: An Opportunity For The Cardiac Monitoring Space And One Company In Particular?

Benzinga

By David Willey, Benzinga The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning to the heart monitoring company iRhythm (NASDAQ: IRTC), stating that its products include violations of FDA device and labeling standards. This highlights the prevalence of such issues in the sector – and opens up a space and creates opportunities for other companies in the remote monitoring and cardiac device market like Biotricity Inc. (NASDAQ: BTCY) which have maintained a robust, safety-first approach for their products. Biotricity is a medical technology company that has spent several years building out a complete cardiac product portfolio. Its goal is to provide best-in-class technology, and its innovative products have already helped deliver improvements to patients in the healthcare self-management sector. The company has consistently maintained an “overbuilding” approach to its products and the data and events they transmit, which ensures that its product limitations far exceed what is required. By positioning itself as a leader with its safety-first approach, Biotricity believes it is able to avoid problems that are affecting companies like iRhythm, an issue the company reports is indicative of problems in the larger healthcare system when it comes to companies that focus on selling drugs or clinical services. Some of iRhythm’s key violations as highlighted by the FDA include: End users were not told about the limit on the number of events (100 manual and 500 auto). Data including significant arrhythmias requiring physician notification were being held inaccessible since 2017. The FDA was not provided with device updates, including algorithm and hardware changes. Labeling and marketing claims stated the device can be used with high-risk patients, which is outside of the device’s use indications. Adverse events were not submitted to the FDA for patient injuries including deaths that may have been related to the other violations by iRhythm. This news has the potential to shake up the sector and open up a space in the remote monitoring industry. The market was worth $4.4 billion in 2022 and is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.5% over the next seven years. In collaboration with its affiliated cardiologist, Biotricity is focused on providing a premium product within the remote monitoring space. The company seems to be well-positioned to take advantage of the FDA’s announcement and the impact it will have on the remote monitoring sector. The company reached a record revenue run rate in April when it passed $13 million in annualized revenue. This extends its growth by more than 8% since March, with the growth being driven by sales of remote monitoring products plus subscription-based recurring revenues. The company anticipates its revenue growth to continue throughout 2023, with the CEO stating that the company was “starting to reach a critical mass with growing device sales.” Biotricity Brings AI To Cardiac Monitoring A recent article from the New England Journal of Medicine highlighted the important role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the future of healthcare. According to the article, AI will make it possible to quickly analyze large quantities of data, increasing efficiency and potentially providing new insights. Biotricity has already been working on AI products for several years, using AI technology to power its medical devices and pull deep data on its patients. Its flagship product, Bioflux®, connects physicians with 24/7 access to real-time data and has already recorded data on over 112 billion heartbeats. As a result, Bioflux has been able to identify 4,960 cardiac events in its more than 111,000 patients. This saved patients approximately $17,238 each and $85.5 million in total. There is a significant need for treatments and devices like Biotricity’s that help identify and prevent cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Costs from treatment and premature death from CVDs are around $219 billion annually. CVDs claimed the lives of close to one million people in 2020, making it the leading cause of death in the United States. “Our algorithms for detection of cardiac anomalies are FDA-cleared, and for several years our team of dedicated AI software programmers are continually striving to push that envelope,” said Dr. Waqaas Al-Siddiq, Biotricity Founder and CEO. With a focus on improving patient outcomes through innovative solutions, Biotricity has been working with AI technology and its large datasets over the past few years to develop the next generation of diagnostics. As well as iRhythm, companies in the cardiac medical device sector include BioTelemetry Inc., Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) and Philips (NYSE: PHG). Read more about what Biotricity is doing here. This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Benzinga +1 877-440-9464 info@benzinga.com Company Website http://www.benzinga.com

June 21, 2023 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Trust & Will to offer estate planning services through UBS Workplace Wealth Solutions

Trust & Will

Trust & Will, the leading digital estate planning and settlement platform in the US, today announced an agreement to provide discounted estate planning services to US-based employees of UBS’s corporate clients that participate in UBS Workplace Wealth Solutions ’ financial wellness program. Trust & Will provides an easy and secure way to create wills and trusts online, with the ability to customize legal estate planning documents that adhere to individual state and county guidelines. The platform uses bank-level encryption that protects customer data and complies with the highest security standards, including SOC 2 and HIPAA. Since launching in 2017, Trust & Will has helped nearly 500,000 families set up an estate plan to create a legacy. “The pandemic has drastically shifted our perspectives when it comes to work, and what we expect from our employers when it comes to providing comprehensive benefits, including education and resources for retirement, financial literacy, and equity planning,” said Cody Barbo, CEO and Founder of Trust & Will. “At Trust & Will, we pride ourselves on our award-winning company culture and are grateful for the opportunity to help build more rewarding workplaces across the country through UBS Financial Wellness.” According to recent UBS research, 68 percent of employees agree that companies have a responsibility to help them achieve high levels of financial wellness, especially the younger generations, who will soon represent more than half of the US workforce. Additionally, eight in 10 Gen Z and Millennial employees look to their companies for help with their overall financial well-being. “We look forward to helping employees of our corporate clients gain access to Trust & Will’s digital estate planning capabilities, which will provide them with greater control over their financial lives,” said Michael Barry, Head of UBS Workplace Wealth Solutions. “Many individuals do not have up-to-date wills or estate plans, and access to these tools will help them prepare for the future, shape their legacies, and provide a degree of support and clarity for their loved ones.” ABOUT TRUST & WILL Trust & Will is simplifying estate planning and settlement with attorney-approved, legally valid documents and processes designed to adhere to individual state guidelines. Since 2017, we’ve helped hundreds of thousands of Trust & Will members leave their legacy with an affordable way to create an estate plan or settle the estate of a loved one. Our platform uses bank-level encryption that protects customer data and complies with the highest security standards, including SOC 2 and HIPAA. Trust & Will is the official estate planning benefit provider for AARP members, along with several leading financial institutions, who all believe in our mission of helping every family leave their legacy. Trust & Will is an online service providing legal forms and information. We are not a law firm and we do not provide legal advice. ABOUT UBS WORKPLACE WEALTH SOLUTIONS UBS Workplace Wealth Solutions collaborates with corporate clients to deliver customized solutions across a range of programs for the workplace, including financial wellness, retirement and equity plans. We currently provide more than 10,000 employers and their two million employees in over 150 countries with access to financial knowledge, benefits programs that prepare them for retirement, and an integrated experience that combines the right mix of people and technology. We work side-by-side with our clients so that everyone feels rewarded at work and optimistic about realizing their long-term financial goals. To learn more about UBS Workplace Wealth Solutions, contact WorkplaceWealth@ubs.com or visit ubs.com/workplacesolutions. Contact Details Danielle Nuzzo +1 631-807-7772 danielle@trustandwill.com Company Website https://trustandwill.com

June 21, 2023 07:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time

NAVEX Study Finds Increasing Convergence of Risk and Compliance Priorities

NAVEX Global

NAVEX, the leader in integrated risk and compliance management software, today announced the publication of its 2023 State of Risk & Compliance Report. More than 1,300 risk and compliance (R&C) professionals from around the world were surveyed. Among the key findings of this study are a perceived decline in commitment to compliance among management teams, a persistent connection with information security (InfoSec) teams for the compliance function, and an increase in overall program maturity. The study also found notable differences across geographical responses. “This year’s findings demonstrate the importance of collaboration between the chief compliance officer (CCO) and chief information security officer (CISO) as the compliance risk landscape increasingly focuses on data privacy and information security concerns,” said Carrie Penman, NAVEX Chief Risk & Compliance Officer. “Risk and compliance professionals are continuing to work across departments to overcome the hurdles posed by the cyber-threat environment and the future of work.” Leadership’s commitment to risk and compliance The level of commitment demonstrated by management to the company’s compliance efforts fell by 8% from 2022 to 2023, while commitment in the face of conflicting interests and/or business objectives dropped by 9%. Three-quarters of respondents indicated that senior leaders encourage compliance within the organization, and nearly as many report seeing executives lead by example through commitment to the business’ compliance efforts. However, despite 70% saying senior leaders demonstrate adherence to compliance, only 47% said this persisted in the face of competing interests or objectives. Post-COVID hybrid work model Last year, 30% of survey respondents indicated their organizations anticipate most employees would return to in-office working conditions with an additional 56% predicting a hybrid scenario; with a fairly even mix of in-office and remote employees. Also last year, 62% of respondents said flexible, work-from-home models had a positive impact on workplace culture. This year, 93% of respondents said their organization is embracing a hybrid work model, if not fully remote, and nearly three-quarters (73%) say it has a somewhat or very positive effect on company ethos. It is well known that positive corporate cultures help drive better business outcomes. This dynamic is critically important as it relates to a remote workforce, who are typically under less direct supervision. For example, remote work makes observing policy and code of conduct violations or other undesired behaviors more challenging and it presents more IT security risks. Interdependence of compliance, data privacy, and IT/information security N early one-third (30% in 2023 vs. 22% in 2022) of respondents said their organization experienced a data privacy/cybersecurity breach in the past three years. Considering this real-world challenge compliance professionals are facing, cybersecurity (60%) and data privacy (57%) are two of the three most chosen topics respondents said their organization will train on in the next two-to-three years. Europe lags the US in focus on non-retaliation Despite regulatory pressures from the EU Whistleblower Directive, European respondents relegated whistleblowing, non-retaliation and related training as a low priority compared to the US. In the US, 66% of respondents said their organization planned ethics and code of conduct training in the next two-to-three years. However, only 45% of respondents in Germany and 38% in France said the same. This training is likely to include material to educate recipients about a non-retaliation policy. Experienced compliance professionals know that a strong non-retaliation policy is necessary for a reporting program to be effective. More than three-fifth of all respondents (68%) indicated that reporting, retaliation, and whistleblowing were either a “very important” or “absolutely essential” compliance issue for their organization, with the following distribution in select countries: 71% (US), 66% (UK), 60% (France), 59% (Germany). In the US, 61% of respondents indicated that there is a non-retaliation policy in place at their organization; this drops to 41% in Germany, followed by the UK at 36%, and France with only 27%. More respondents indicated that their organizations have a data privacy policy included in their ESG program (54%) than a non-retaliation policy as a part of their confidential reporting and investigatory program (51%). Surprisingly, the gap is especially wide in Europe, illustrating an important inconsistency between the intent of the EU Whistleblower Directive and the focus of the responding organizations. Access to and use of data A substantial majority of respondents (69%) said their access to sources of data to monitor and/or test policies, controls, and transactions, was either “sufficient” or “very sufficient.” Nearly seven out of ten respondents feel they have “sufficient” or “very sufficient” access to the data their programs need. It is notable that far fewer indicate they have a purpose-built solution to administer various program aspects (23-34%) such as incident management or policy management solutions. Depending on the program element, between 12% and 28% are still using a paper-based management method. This approach makes it difficult for programs to efficiently manage, analyze, and leverage the operational data they are bringing in. Program maturity and reporting structure Today’s stringent regulatory environment, combined with societal expectations for greater transparency, require more compliance rigor than ever before. Compared to 2022, a significantly greater share of respondents (53% in 2023 vs. 38% in 2022) described their programs as managing or optimizing (on the Ethics and Compliance Initiative HQP maturity levels of underdeveloped, defining, adapting, managing and optimizing). Interestingly, program maturity seems to have little impact on where inside the organization the compliance function reports. Among all respondents, a similar number of respondents (22%) reported that compliance is independent and reports to executive leadership. “Effective programs, ones with cross-functional collaboration, executive and manager buy-in, strong policies and training, robust internal whistleblowing/non-retaliation mechanisms and vigilant third-party management, are best poised to navigate the ever-changing regulatory landscape while fostering a culture of ethics and compliance. Even for the most mature programs, the task of fostering those dynamics will always be one of continuous improvement,” added Penman. To learn more, download the full report here or read the blog here. Register for The State of Risk & Compliance in 2023 webinar here. ### About 2023 State of Risk & Compliance Report The benchmark research was conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of NAVEX among 1,315 adults, who are non-academic professionals (management/non-management or higher) and knowledgeable about their organization’s risk and compliance program in the United States (n=738), United Kingdom (n=177), France (n=157), Germany (n=151), Canada (n=50), and other countries (n=42). The survey was conducted between January 30 – March 10, 2022. About NAVEX NAVEX is trusted by thousands of customers worldwide to help them achieve the business outcomes that matter most. As the global leader in integrated risk and compliance management software and services, we deliver our solutions through the NAVEX One platform, the industry’s most comprehensive governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) information system. Contact Details Anita Lo +44 7778 754858 anita.lo@navex.com Company Website https://www.navex.com

June 21, 2023 12:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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