Latest news with #RubenVardanyan
Forbes
31-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Remote Hiring 2.0: Scaling Your Talent Pipeline With AI And Keeping It Authentic
Ruben Vardanyan is founder & CEO of Joomag, helping companies craft immersive, measurable digital content experiences. Remote roles still command roughly one-quarter of U.S. professional job postings, six times the pre-pandemic share. To keep pace, 73% of talent-acquisition leaders say artificial intelligence will reshape hiring within the next two years. That same technology, however, now powers sophisticated fraud. In a March 2025 survey, 76% of hiring managers said AI makes it harder to confirm that applicants are authentic. Financial regulators echo the warning: A 2024 FinCEN alert details deepfake identity documents designed to slip past customer-verification checks. I experienced the collision firsthand when a supposedly L.A.-based marketing candidate froze during a quick webcam flip. The image was an AI avatar; the real person was thousands of miles away. That moment cemented a new reality: Leaders must harness AI to speed hiring while simultaneously verifying authenticity across all functions, from marketing to finance to customer success. The Double-Edged Sword Of AI In Hiring AI accelerates sourcing, CV screening and scheduling. LinkedIn's new 'hiring assistant' can draft job posts, find candidates and personalize outreach, yet those same generative tools let applicants auto-tailor CVs and consult ChatGPT in real time. Without safeguards, companies risk onboarding sales reps who can't pitch, analysts who can't reconcile a spreadsheet and designers who have never opened Figma. The fix is not to retreat from AI, but to engineer trust into the process. A Three-Layer Framework For Fraud-Resistant, High-Velocity Hiring Begin with automated digital-footprint scoring. Software can scan a candidate's LinkedIn history for multi-month activity, consistent job timelines and meaningful engagement. At my company, where a single posting can draw 5,000 applicants, this filter alone removes roughly 40% of submissions in under 30 minutes. If a marketing lead shows no public content or a finance applicant's entire network appeared only last week, route that person to heightened ID checks. Next, seek cross-platform corroboration by matching CV claims against GitHub commits, conference presentations or published slide decks. Authentic public behavior is still hard to fake at scale, so these signals eliminate most synthetic profiles before any human conversation begins. The second layer relies on AI to test both competence and authenticity in real time. An adaptive chatbot generates tailored questions, increases complexity when answers are strong and inserts surprise 'prove-you-are-live' tasks such as screen-sharing, writing a short SQL query or sketching a customer-journey map. Behind the scenes, the system tracks response latency and keystroke cadence; consistent pauses after every prompt often reveal someone consulting ChatGPT on a second monitor. Since deploying this stage, our talent team reduced average time-to-shortlist from nine days to 48 hours and cut spend by 31%. Role-specific exercises keep the assessment relevant: A sales candidate records a 90-second cold pitch, a designer edits a Figma file live and a finance analyst reconciles a mini P&L on screen. The AI flags only those who clear both skill and integrity bars for the next round. With identity and baseline competence verified, the last step is a panel conversation focused on judgment, culture fit and long-term potential. Interviewers can now dig deep: 'Describe a time you missed a deadline and how you reset stakeholder expectations,' or 'Our road map just shrank by 20%; which projects would you drop first, and why?' Because few original applicants reach this point, hiring managers can reserve their energy for the nuanced, high-value conversations that determine true fit. Each finalist also arrives with an AI-generated dossier, concise notes that distill their responses, aptitude metrics and integrity signals, so managers start informed and move faster. The net result: We now fill roles in under 30 days, compared with the months-long cycles we endured before the framework went live. Implementation Best Practices • Track everything. Track false-positive and false-negative fraud flags, time-to-offer, 90-day retention and recruiter hours saved. • Be transparent. Tell applicants that AI integrity tools are in play. Honest candidates appreciate the clarity, while fraudsters often self-select out. • Red-team your funnel. Every quarter, ask internal staff to 'cheat' with the latest AI tools and patch gaps the exercise reveals. • Audit for bias. Review rejection patterns by gender, age and geography; retrain models that over-penalize non-native accents or slower typists. • Demand vendor openness. Require documentation of bias testing and the right to inspect raw logs during investigations. The Leadership Takeaway Remote work unlocked global talent, and generative AI unlocked global imitation. Firms that verify first, automate smartly and humanize last gain durable advantages. Deepfake or AI-scripted fraud gets caught before it reaches payroll, protecting data, culture and brand. In an era where a convincing CV can be faked in 30 seconds and a realistic avatar in minutes, engineering trust as a measurable datapoint is the fastest route to hiring smarter across every function of the organization. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
Fox News
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
My dad has been in prison for more than 550 days simply for being Christian
Imagine entire communities forced to abandon homes, churches, and graves of ancestors in just 24 hours. Elderly neighbors collapsing on mountain roads while fleeing, children crying from hunger, and families separated forever. This nightmare became a reality for 120,000 Armenian Christians when Azerbaijan ethnically cleansed Nagorno-Karabakh, otherwise known as Artsakh. Among those paying the price is Ruben Vardanyan, who now sits in a prison cell for trying to help. The last time this happened to Armenians, America responded heroically. When Ottoman Turks slaughtered 1.5 million Armenian Christians in the first genocide of the 20th century, ordinary Americans launched the Near East Relief Foundation, raising over $117 million (equivalent to $2.7 billion today) to save Armenian orphans and refugees, America's first major international humanitarian effort. President Wilson championed their cause, calling it "the starving Armenians" in a phrase that entered national vocabulary. Those rescued Armenians became part of America's fabric. Every time Americans enjoy Cher's music, watch Kim Kardashian's shows, or remember Andre Agassi's tennis victories, they're witnessing the legacy of Armenian Genocide survivors who found safety in America. Today, however, my father, Ruben Vardanyan, has no voice to tell his story. For more than 550 days, he has been a political prisoner for simply advocating for the rights of Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh to live in their ancestral homelands. He is not alone. Today, there are at least 23 other Armenian Christian prisoners illegally detained in Baku. Even more concerning, civil society organizations estimate that Azerbaijan also now holds more than 300 political prisoners, a group that has swollen in recent months to include more Armenian and Azeri human rights defenders, journalists, and activists. My father's imprisonment stems not from a life of political activism, but from his unwavering support for those facing adversity around the world, including in Nagorno-Karabakh. Before he became a political prisoner, he was known as a businessman and humanitarian. Over the last 10 years, his life's purpose has been focused on philanthropy, especially in his native Armenia. As part of this work, he also co-founded the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, a global humanitarian movement which honors humanitarians who risk their lives to help others in places such as Rwanda, Iran, and Afghanistan. As was the case 110 years ago, we remain hopeful that the United States will once again come to the aid of Armenians prosecuted for their nationality and faith today. Personally, I am alive because my great-grandfather was saved by an American orphanage organized by Christian missionaries in Etchmiadzin, Armenia. Today, we see signs that Armenians are again not alone. Most importantly, President Trump has vowed to protect persecuted Armenian Christians in Azerbaijan and beyond. His National Security Advisor, Michael Waltz, has also called for the release of the Armenian political prisoners. It is this kind of support and pressure that will ultimately prevail. My family and I look to the leadership of President Donald Trump to fulfill his commitment as a President of Peace. He can do this by making the regime in Baku understand that it must adhere to international rules and show its commitment to peace in the Caucuses by releasing my father and the other Armenian prisoners.
Saudi Gazette
08-04-2025
- Business
- Saudi Gazette
Billionaire on trial in Azerbaijan who risks being left behind by peace deal
BAKU — Ruben Vardanyan is one of Armenia's richest men, but his millions are of little use now that he is facing a possible life term in jail in neighboring Azerbaijan. The two neighboring Caucasus countries have agreed the text of a historic peace deal to end decades-long conflict over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, but Vardanyan and 15 other former ethnic Armenian leaders are not part of the agreement. They are on trial in a military court in Baku, accused of war crimes dating back decades. Vardanyan, a 56-year-old Russian-Armenian entrepreneur, is facing 42 charges including planning and waging war, mercenary activities and terrorism. A picture of him in court appeared to show bruises on his forehead and there have been allegations of torture, denied by Azerbaijan which insists his rights have been respected in custody. It marks a dramatic downfall for a man who made his fortune in Russia and once rubbed shoulders with celebrities such as George and Amal Clooney. He set up Russia's first investment bank back in the early 1990s, and as founder of the country's prestigious business management school "Skolkovo" he enjoyed the reputation of a progressive visionary, a Western-friendly voice in Russia's business community in the 2000's. But a 2019 investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project said that employees of his investment bank built a financial system laundering billions of dollars in the mid-2000s. Vardanyan denied being aware of any criminal activities, and was never legally charged. He spent hundreds of millions of dollars on philanthropic projects in Armenia, and transformed a quiet town in the snow-capped mountains in the north of the country, setting up a school with the aim of attracting students from all over the world. "This school was imagined as an institution that would bring Armenia to the world and the world to Armenia," says Adam Armanski, the principal of the United World Colleges (UWC) of Dilijan. Everything changed for Ruben Vardanyan in September 2022 when he decided to move to Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous region that was historically populated by ethnic Armenians but part of Soviet Azerbaijan. Armenia and Azerbaijan had already fought two full-scale wars over the region, which was internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. The first Karabakh war in the 1990s resulted in the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Azeris. Then, in 2020, Azerbaijan — backed by Turkey — regained control of big swathes of the lost territory, while the Karabakh enclave remained in the hands of ethnic Armenian separatists. Within months of Vardanyan's arrival Azerbaijani authorities blocked the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with the Republic of Armenia, subjecting the region's population to severe food shortages. Vardanyan renounced his Russian citizenship and became the de facto prime-minister of Nagorno-Karabakh, which Armenians call Artsakh. He used his name, contacts and the ability to speak fluent English to raise the awareness of the plight of Karabakh Armenians. "My father did more interviews with international media in three months than all the other Nagorno-Karabakh presidents in 30 years. The amount of attention this was receiving from the Western media clearly irritated Azerbaijan," his son David Vardanyan told the BBC. There had been speculation that Vardanyan had moved there to avoid international sanctions imposed on Russia's billionaires with links to the Kremlin. The government in Baku considered his decision to take up the position as illegal. His son insists he was driven by the desire to help local Armenians. "We had an argument on our last family holiday, I was completely against his decision, which was putting the entire family at risk. He said he would not be able to live with himself knowing he did nothing for the Armenians of Karabakh." His father's long-term friend Arman Jilavian said even the remotest of chances of helping ethnic Armenians remain in their ancestral land was enough for him. "Some would say this was irrational, some say this was super calculated political move. I think none is true," he says. In September 2023 Azerbaijan launched a military operation and took control of the entire territory in 24 hours. Nagorno-Karabakh's leaders capitulated and more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians were forced to leave their homes. Vardanyan was arrested by Azerbaijani authorities as he joined a mass exodus to Armenia. Much of his time since has been spent in solitary confinement, his family says. He has already been on hunger strike twice, protesting at what he has called a lack of proper judicial process, amid allegations of torture. Fifteen other former Karabakh leaders are also being tried in Baku's military court for alleged war crimes committed since the late 1980s. Vardanyan has been dealt with separately, but many in Armenia see all the cases as show trials. Only the main Azerbaijani state TV channel has been allowed to film the trials. Azerbaijan insists it is complying with international legal standards, and that it has a responsibility to hold to account those suspected of having committed war crimes. But last month, the government in Baku ordered the closure of the local offices of the International Red Cross, the only international organisation with access to Armenian prisoners. The European Parliament has adopted a resolution on the "unlawful detention and sham trials of Armenian hostages", calling for their immediate release. Vardanyan returns to court on Tuesday, but supporters fear his case will be overshadowed by a historic peace deal taking shape between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The details are yet to be made public but officials say the draft text does not include the issue of the prisoners on trial or the right of ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh to return to their homes. The failure to mention the prisoners has prompted criticism of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's government at home and abroad. But Arsen Torosyan, the MP from the Armenian governing party Civil Contract believes this issue needs to be solved separately. "It is a peace treaty between the conflicting countries with a long history of hatred between each other. I personally think that only completing or signing of this peace treaty can make ground to solve the issue of political prisoners. I don't see any other way to do it." Vardanyan has warned this is a mistake. "This is not the trial of just me and 15 others – this is the trial of all Armenians," he said in a voice message to supporters. "If you don't understand this – it is a big tragedy because this is not the end of the story, not the end of the conflict, it's only the next stage of the conflict, for all sides." — BBC
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Billionaire on trial in Azerbaijan who risks being left behind by peace deal
Ruben Vardanyan is one of Armenia's richest men, but his millions are of little use now that he is facing a possible life term in jail in neighbouring Azerbaijan. The two neighbouring Caucasus countries have agreed the text of a historic peace deal to end decades long conflict over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, but Vardanyan and 15 other former ethnic Armenian leaders are not part of the agreement. They are on trial in a military court in Baku, accused of war crimes dating back decades. Vardanyan, a 56-year-old Russian-Armenian entrepreneur, is facing 42 charges including planning and waging war, mercenary activities and terrorism. A picture of him in court appeared to show bruises on his forehead and there have been allegations of torture, denied by Azerbaijan which insists his rights have been respected in custody. It marks a dramatic downfall for a man who made his fortune in Russia and once rubbed shoulders with celebrities such as George and Amal Clooney. He set up Russia's first investment bank back in the early 1990s, and as founder of the country's prestigious business management school "Skolkovo" he enjoyed the reputation of a progressive visionary, a Western-friendly voice in Russia's business community in the 2000's. But a 2019 investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project said that employees of his investment bank built a financial system laundering billions of dollars in the mid-2000s. Vardanyan denied being aware of any criminal activities, and was never legally charged. He spent hundreds of millions of dollars on philanthropic projects in Armenia, and transformed a quiet town in the snow-capped mountains in the north of the country, setting up a school with the aim of attracting students from all over the world. "This school was imagined as an institution that would bring Armenia to the world and the world to Armenia," says Adam Armanski, the principal of the United World Colleges (UWC) of Dilijan. Everything changed for Ruben Vardanyan in September 2022 when he decided to move to Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous region that was historically populated by ethnic Armenians but part of Soviet Azerbaijan. Armenia and Azerbaijan had already fought two full scale wars over the region, which was internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. The first Karabakh war in the 1990s resulted in the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Azeris. Then, in 2020, Azerbaijan - backed by Turkey - regained control of big swathes of the lost territory, while the Karabakh enclave remained in the hands of ethnic Armenian separatists. Within months of Vardanyan's arrival Azerbaijani authorities blocked the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with the Republic of Armenia, subjecting the region's population to severe food shortages. Vardanyan renounced his Russian citizenship and became the de facto prime-minister of Nagorno-Karabakh, which Armenians call Artsakh. He used his name, contacts and the ability to speak fluent English to raise the awareness of the plight of Karabakh Armenians. "My father did more interviews with international media in three months than all the other Nagorno-Karabakh presidents in 30 years. The amount of attention this was receiving from the Western media clearly irritated Azerbaijan," his son David Vardanyan told the BBC. There had been speculation that Vardanyan had moved there to avoid international sanctions imposed on Russia's billionaires with links to the Kremlin. The government in Baku considered his decision to take up the position as illegal. His son insists he was driven by the desire to help local Armenians. "We had an argument on our last family holiday, I was completely against his decision, which was putting the entire family at risk. He said he would not be able to live with himself knowing he did nothing for the Armenians of Karabakh." His father's long-term friend Arman Jilavian said even the remotest of chances of helping ethnic Armenians remain in their ancestral land was enough for him. "Some would say this was irrational, some say this was super calculated political move. I think none is true," he says. In September 2023 Azerbaijan launched a military operation and took control of the entire territory in 24 hours. Nagorno-Karabakh's leaders capitulated and more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians were forced to leave their homes. Vardanyan was arrested by Azerbaijani authorities as he joined a mass exodus to Armenia. Azerbaijan arrests former Nagorno-Karabakh leader Armenians fear another war despite talk of peace Much of his time since has been spent in solitary confinement, his family says. He has already been on hunger strike twice, protesting at what he has called a lack of proper judicial process, amid allegations of torture. Fifteen other former Karabakh leaders are also being tried in Baku's military court for alleged war crimes committed since the late 1980s. Vardanyan has been dealt with separately, but many in Armenia see all the cases as show trials. Only the main Azerbaijani state TV channel has been allowed to film the trials. Azerbaijan insists it is complying with international legal standards, and that it has a responsibility to hold to account those suspected of having committed war crimes. But last month, the government in Baku ordered the closure of the local offices of the International Red Cross, the only international organisation with access to Armenian prisoners. The European Parliament has adopted a resolution on the "unlawful detention and sham trials of Armenian hostages", calling for their immediate release. Vardanyan returns to court on Tuesday, but supporters fear his case will be overshadowed by a historic peace deal taking shape between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The details are yet to be made public but officials say the draft text does not include the issue of the prisoners on trial or the right of ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh to return to their homes. The failure to mention the prisoners has prompted criticism of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's government at home and abroad. But Arsen Torosyan, the MP from the Armenian governing party Civil Contract believes this issue needs to be solved separately. "It is a peace treaty between the conflicting countries with a long history of hatred between each other. I personally think that only completing or signing of this peace treaty can make ground to solve the issue of political prisoners. I don't see any other way to do it." Vardanyan has warned this is a mistake. "This is not the trial of just me and 15 others – this is the trial of all Armenians," he said in a voice message to supporters. "If you don't understand this – it is a big tragedy because this is not the end of the story, not the end of the conflict, it's only the next stage of the conflict, for all sides."
BBC News
08-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Billionaire on trial in Azerbaijan who risks being left behind peace deal
Ruben Vardanyan is one of Armenia's richest men, but his millions are of little use now that he is facing a possible life term in jail in neighbouring two neighbouring Caucasus countries have agreed the text of a historic peace deal to end decades long conflict over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, but Vardanyan and 15 other former ethnic Armenian leaders are not part of the are on trial in a military court in Baku, accused of war crimes dating back a 56-year-old Russian-Armenian entrepreneur, is facing 42 charges including planning and waging war, mercenary activities and terrorism. A picture of him in court appeared to show bruises on his forehead and there have been allegations of torture, denied by Azerbaijan which insists his rights have been respected in marks a dramatic downfall for a man who made his fortune in Russia and once rubbed shoulders with celebrities such as George and Amal set up Russia's first investment bank back in the early 1990s, and as founder of the country's prestigious business management school "Skolkovo" he enjoyed the reputation of a progressive visionary, a Western-friendly voice in Russia's business community in the 2000' a 2019 investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project said that employees of his investment bank built a financial system laundering billions of dollars in the denied being aware of any criminal activities, and was never legally spent hundreds of millions of dollars on philanthropic projects in Armenia, and transformed a quiet town in the snow-capped mountains in the north of the country, setting up a school with the aim of attracting students from all over the world."This school was imagined as an institution that would bring Armenia to the world and the world to Armenia," says Adam Armanski, the principal of the United World Colleges (UWC) of Dilijan. Everything changed for Ruben Vardanyan in September 2022 when he decided to move to Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous region that was historically populated by ethnic Armenians but part of Soviet and Azerbaijan had already fought two full scale wars over the region, which was internationally recognised as part of first Karabakh war in the 1990s resulted in the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of ethnic in 2020, Azerbaijan - backed by Turkey - regained control of big swathes of the lost territory, while the Karabakh enclave remained in the hands of ethnic Armenian months of Vardanyan's arrival Azerbaijani authorities blocked the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with the Republic of Armenia, subjecting the region's population to severe food renounced his Russian citizenship and became the de facto prime-minister of Nagorno-Karabakh, which Armenians call Artsakh. He used his name, contacts and the ability to speak fluent English to raise the awareness of the plight of Karabakh Armenians."My father did more interviews with international media in three months than all the other Nagorno-Karabakh presidents in 30 years. The amount of attention this was receiving from the Western media clearly irritated Azerbaijan," his son David Vardanyan told the had been speculation that Vardanyan had moved there to avoid international sanctions imposed on Russia's billionaires with links to the government in Baku considered his decision to take up the position as son insists he was driven by the desire to help local Armenians."We had an argument on our last family holiday, I was completely against his decision, which was putting the entire family at risk. He said he would not be able to live with himself knowing he did nothing for the Armenians of Karabakh." His father's long-term friend Arman Jilavian said even the remotest of chances of helping ethnic Armenians remain in their ancestral land was enough for him."Some would say this was irrational, some say this was super calculated political move. I think none is true," he September 2023 Azerbaijan launched a military operation and took control of the entire territory in 24 leaders capitulated and more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians were forced to leave their was arrested by Azerbaijani authorities as he joined a mass exodus to Armenia. Much of his time since has been spent in solitary confinement, his family has already been on hunger strike twice, protesting at what he has called a lack of proper judicial process, amid allegations of other former Karabakh leaders are also being tried in Baku's military court for alleged war crimes committed since the late has been dealt with separately, but many in Armenia see all the cases as show the main Azerbaijani state TV channel has been allowed to film the insists it is complying with international legal standards, and that it has a responsibility to hold to account those suspected of having committed war last month, the government in Baku ordered the closure of the local offices of the International Red Cross, the only international organisation with access to Armenian European Parliament has adopted a resolution on the "unlawful detention and sham trials of Armenian hostages", calling for their immediate returns to court on Tuesday, but supporters fear his case will be overshadowed by a historic peace deal taking shape between Armenia and details are yet to be made public but officials say the draft text does not include the issue of the prisoners on trial or the right of ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh to return to their failure to mention the prisoners has prompted criticism of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's government at home and Arsen Torosyan, the MP from the Armenian governing party Civil Contract believes this issue needs to be solved separately."It is a peace treaty between the conflicting countries with a long history of hatred between each other. I personally think that only completing or signing of this peace treaty can make ground to solve the issue of political prisoners. I don't see any other way to do it."Vardanyan has warned this is a mistake."This is not the trial of just me and 15 others – this is the trial of all Armenians," he said in a voice message to supporters. "If you don't understand this – it is a big tragedy because this is not the end of the story, not the end of the conflict, it's only the next stage of the conflict, for all sides."
