Latest news with #Clanwilliam
CNN
3 days ago
- Science
- CNN
Saving South Africa's endangered sandfish
Once so plentiful that their annual migrations churned water into waves, the Clanwilliam sandfish – endemic to South Africa's Western Cape – have been in rapid decline for the past few decades. Meet the conservationists helping restore this threatened freshwater species.
Irish Independent
13-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Proposal to US court could finally clear the way for completion of Clanwilliam sale
The sale – agreed in March – could clear the way for a more than $300m (€257m) payout to the victims of convicted US fraudster Greg Lindberg – who became Clanwilliam's biggest shareholder after an acquisition in 2014. The Irish firm was in no way involved in Lindberg's high-profile $2bn fraud case but the proceeds generated by Clanwilliam's sale is seen as one of the biggest likely sources of recovery for victims of Lindberg's fraudulent activities, to which he pleaded guilty in 2024. Attorney Joseph W Grier of Grier Wright Martinez was appointed in January by a US court as special master in the case and tasked with identifying, liquidating and distributing the proceeds of Lindberg's assets. In his latest court filings to the US District Court for the Western District of North Carolina as part of a consent motion, Grier has set out a proposal to allow the Clanwilliam sale to complete and estimated that the proceeds of the sale of Clanwilliam to TA Associates will total $318m, depending on currency movements. According to Grier, completion of the sale of Clanwilliam has been held up by various injunctions and legal cases, including one taken by Lindberg himself. He described the proposal as a 'hard-fought solution to the Clanwilliam dilemma, which seizes a rare opportunity to put significant recoveries into the hands of key victim constituencies, especially considering that victims have struggled to collect from [Lindberg], including individual policyholder victims'. Sources said they were hopeful that the sale may be completed within weeks. The proposed sale has already been cleared by Ireland's Competition and Consumer Protection. The legal files lodged in recent days by Grier with a court in North Carolina say that $20m – or just over 5pc – is to be set aside from the proceeds of the sale for Irish tax liabilities linked to the sale. Clanwilliam was set up as Helix Health by Irish entrepreneur Howard Beggs and was bought by Lindberg in 2014 for a reported €45m using an Irish company, Triton Financial. This led to the creation of a trust that held the assets of Clanwilliam Group and Lindberg used this structure to buy a large number of companies outside of the US. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more Lindberg, who was a high-profile political donor in the US, was charged in 2023 with up to $2bn in fraud against insurance companies in both Bermuda and North Carolina and their policyholders. In a plea agreement, Lindberg had agreed to pay full restitution to all the victims of his fraud. Lindberg had 'amassed ownership in a complicated web of hundreds of companies across various industries financed through an even more complicated web of lending arrangements with Defendant's insurance company affiliates that the Special Master is only beginning to understand', wrote Greer in his latest motion to the court. Grier said in the document that closing the Clanwilliam transaction would provide some more immediate relief to victims 'given the impediments to closing and fearing the loss of an opportunity to provide meaningful value' to Lindberg's victims in the near future. A spokeswoman for Clanwilliam insisted in a statement that a definitive agreement has been signed whereby the sale would go ahead, 'As is customary for multinational transactions of this scale, the transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and the transaction details will remain confidential until the regulatory process is complete.'
Techday NZ
26-05-2025
- Business
- Techday NZ
Exclusive: DigiCert eyes growth in ANZ as cyber threats escalate
Cyber attacks are on the rise, quantum computing is edging closer, and businesses across Australia and New Zealand are under "increasing pressure to modernise their digital infrastructure." According to Daniel Sutherland, Regional Vice President for ANZ at DigiCert, building digital trust is now central to enterprise resilience. "We're seeing a growing volume in the number of cyber attacks and data breaches," he explained during a recent interview. "The Australian Signals Directorate reported over 87,000 cyber attacks last financial year alone." Sutherland explained that with organisations expanding their digital footprints and threats becoming more sophisticated, businesses need to rethink how they secure data, manage risk, and modernise legacy systems. "Digital trust enables organisations and consumers to navigate the digital world with confidence," he said. DigiCert, best known for its TLS certificates, has grown significantly in the past decade. What began as a company helping people verify the legitimacy of websites has become a major player in digital trust and identity management. "It's rare to work for an organisation that covers such a wide range – from enterprise PKI to IoT device integrity and software verification," he said. Innovation remains a key pillar. "We had 81 patents issued last financial year alone – ten of those were in post-quantum cryptography and nine in AI and machine learning technologies," Sutherland said. He added that DigiCert's presence in the ANZ region has become increasingly significant. The company now employs over 100 people in Australia and was named a Great Place to Work in both 2023 and 2024. "We're really proud of that recognition," he said. "It shows that our people enjoy working here and that we invest in our culture." One major milestone this year has been the local deployment of DigiCert ONE, its core digital trust platform, which is now hosted in Australia. "It's one of only five instances globally," Sutherland noted. "This allows local customers to meet data sovereignty and residency requirements, while managing digital trust within region." Among the most engaged sectors are those classified under critical infrastructure – from healthcare and finance to energy and government. "The Security of Critical Infrastructure Act is driving these organisations to reassess how they manage cyber risk," he explained. Sutherland highlighted a partnership with New Zealand health tech provider Clanwilliam as an example of digital trust in action. "They enable secure sharing of sensitive patient records and have connected 15,000 medical clinics, securing over 100 million clinical messages each year." IoT security is another priority. Sutherland pointed out the proliferation of low-cost, insecure devices as a risk. "There are expected to be 75 billion connected devices globally this year – ten times the human population," he said. "If these devices are used in mission-critical sectors like healthcare or energy, the security risk becomes enormous." One local project focuses on distributed energy resources (DER), such as solar panels feeding electricity back into the grid. "We're working with Australian energy providers to ensure these systems are secured with PKI technology," he said. Quantum computing is no longer a future concept – it's a pressing issue. "Microsoft, Amazon, Google – they've all announced quantum-ready chips," he said. "It's becoming a bit of an arms race." The timeline for businesses to prepare is short. "Gartner says organisations must migrate from legacy asymmetric cryptography by 2029," he said. "That's just four years away." Sutherland said DigiCert's post-quantum strategy includes helping companies inventory their cryptographic assets, assess vulnerabilities, and test new algorithms. "It's about identifying your crown jewels and building cryptographic agility," he said. Interest in this area is growing, especially in the financial services sector. DigiCert recently released a free e-book, ' Post-Quantum Cryptography for Dummies' , to help organisations take those first steps. The company is also looking at trust in digital content amid the rise of deepfakes and misinformation. "Did that CEO really say that on an earnings call? Is that real person trolling me on social media?" Sutherland asked. "These are real questions today." One solution is C2PA – an emerging standard backed by over 300 global organisations – which uses digital signatures to track image authenticity. "You take a picture, it's signed at the source. If it's altered later, you can trace that," he said. Gen AI is another game-changer. "AI agents are no longer just assisting – they're acting," he said. DigiCert sees PKI as the key to managing AI identity. "Think of it like a cryptographic passport. Every action the AI takes is signed and traceable. And if something goes wrong, you can revoke its certificate immediately." Looking ahead, Sutherland is excited about several initiatives, including the DigiCert Trust Summit in Sydney on 3 June. "It's a great opportunity to give ANZ a voice within our global strategy," he said. And with quantum computing on the horizon, the need for robust, agile security systems has "never been more urgent", according to Sutherland. "The next five years will be more important than ever to data security."
Irish Independent
23-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Sligo software firm celebrating 20 years working with healthcare practices
The anniversary brought together Socrates' Sligo-based team members to reflect on their 20-year history of innovation and pioneering new ways of advancing digital healthcare. Part of healthcare technology group Clanwilliam, Socrates was founded in Sligo in 2004 with the aim of streamlining the daily operations of healthcare practices. Socrates has grown into a trusted name in practice management, with the team providing exceptional customer service and support to healthcare professionals across Ireland. Since its early days, the team behind Socrates has been dedicated to developing intuitive, reliable systems which assist General Practitioners and other healthcare professionals in managing their daily operations. Over the past 20 years, the Socrates team has built lasting relationships with customers, taking the time to listen, understand and provide solutions to customer problems. In 2024, the Socrates team handled over 31,500 calls and over 12,000 emails from customers in Ireland, reflecting a very successful year in meeting the evolving needs of healthcare professionals across the country. Speaking about Socrates and the Sligo team's contribution to practice management over the past 20 years, David Spellman, Socrates Customer Support Manager, said: 'The focus of our team in Sligo continues to be on the delivery of innovative, easy-to-use systems which improve efficiencies in healthcare practices and enhance patient care. "Our support team in Sligo is instrumental in helping practices make the most of our software and the team ensures that every practice is equipped to optimise the Socrates system, boost productivity and increase patient satisfaction.' With all software development experts and customer service agents operating from Sligo, Socrates is committed to and proud of its local roots. Socrates has developed strong links to local educational institutes, including ATU Sligo, and has built a team of over 30 skilled employees, with the team collectively reaching over 100 years of service. Acknowledging Socrates' milestone, Eileen Byrne, Managing Director of Clanwilliam Ireland said: 'From appointments and patient records to billing and regulatory compliance, Socrates has enabled solutions which ultimately lead to improved care of patients. Above all, the Socrates team based in Sligo has provided exceptional service to customers and helped transform how healthcare practitioners handle everyday tasks. Our team in Sligo has laid strong foundations for future innovation in the practice management space.'
