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In Uncertain Economic Times, Effective HR Cost Optimization Requires Strategic Planning, Says Global HR Advisory Firm McLean & Company

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While organizations adapt to fluctuating economic conditions, HR must carefully manage HR team costs to ensure that spending remains fully aligned with organizational strategy and expected business value as part of its role as a strategic organizational partner, according to newly published insights from global HR research and advisory firm McLean & Company. 

TORONTO, June 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ – In the face of global economic uncertainty, many organizations are bracing for slow growth over the coming years. While organizations adapt to tumultuous economic conditions, HR finds itself under pressure to not only retain top talent but also demonstrate tangible value, align strategically with organizational goals, and carefully manage HR costs. According to a new blueprint from global HR research and advisory firm McLean & Company, Optimize HR Costs, as organizations seek to manage costs, committing to proactive cost optimization as a strategic HR practice will support resource and cost management and showcase HR’s contribution to the organization.

“Especially in times of economic pressure, cost optimization can quickly lead to cost-cutting, which ultimately perpetuates the unhelpful ‘do more with less’ cycle,” says Lexi Hambides, director of HR Research & Advisory Services at McLean & Company. “While resourcefulness and cost optimization are important skills for HR leaders, it is a disservice to both the HR team and the organization at large to accept this ‘more with less’ challenge without advocating for optimal team workloads and investment for the future.”

The firm’s resource explains that, although cost optimization is often used interchangeably with cutting costs, cost optimization is a much more comprehensive and strategic decision-making process that includes reducing unwarranted HR spending, optimizing cost-to-value, and sustaining cost optimization results. While cost optimization is proactive in nature, changes in the financial landscape can lead to unanticipated budget cuts and cost-cutting mandates. McLean & Company advises that a comprehensive cost optimization plan for HR includes a balance of both proactive and reactive initiatives, allowing for strategic, data-informed decisions in advance of future cost-cutting mandates.

Using evidence-based insights, the recently published blueprint from McLean & Company includes the firm’s three-step process to optimize HR costs. HR leaders can follow the steps below to support the strategic alignment of HR spending with organizational strategy while managing finances proactively before reactive and aggressive measures are required:

Prepare and evaluate. Evaluate factors that impact the organization’s financial outcomes, establish HR cost optimization goals, and select metrics to monitor progress.Uncover and prioritize cost optimization initiatives. Determine negotiable and non-negotiable constraints, brainstorm and shortlist cost optimization initiatives, and identify the criteria that will impact the implementation of said initiatives. Next, create a cost optimization roadmap.Communicate and iterate. Plan strategic and tactical communications, build an executive presentation, and align communication to promote strategic change management. Finally, plan to monitor progress and outcomes of the cost optimization initiatives.

A comprehensive breakdown of each step is available in the complete blueprint.

McLean & Company reminds HR leaders that metrics may signal that cost optimization objectives have been achieved, but cost optimization is a never-ending business discipline. As such, embedding cost optimization practices into HR’s culture showcases HR as a strategic steward of resources and reinforces its position as a strategic leader across the organization, whether in uncertain or stable economic environments.

To access the full blueprint, please visit Optimize HR Costs.

McLean & Company is also pleased to provide a related resource to help HR leaders make informed cost reduction decisions that promote HR’s role as a strategic partner. To access the full resource, please visit Reduce HR Costs in Times of Financial Pressure.

To attend upcoming free webinars on a variety of topics or explore the publicly available archive of recorded sessions, please visit McLean & Company’s webinars page

McLean Signature 2024

To register for Signature, the premier industry conference for future-focused HR leaders hosted by McLean & Company from October 27 to 29 at the Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada, please visit the official Signature event page.

Media interested in connecting with McLean & Company analysts for exclusive, research-backed insights and commentary on psychological safety in the workplace, DEI, generative AI in HR, HR trends in 2024, the future of work, and more can contact Senior Communications Manager Kelsey King at kking@mcleanco.com

About McLean & Company

McLean & Company pairs evidence-based research and immediately applicable tools with deep HR expertise to position organizations to meet today’s needs and prepare for the future. The global HR research and advisory firm’s member organizations enjoy comprehensive resources, full-service diagnostics, workshops, action plans, and advisory services for all levels of HR professionals, from executive leadership to HR leaders to HR team members, that help shape workplaces where everyone thrives.

McLean & Company is a division of Info-Tech Research Group.

Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software and hundreds of industry analysts through the firm’s Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact kking@mcleanco.com.

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SOURCE McLean & Company

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The 2nd China (Guangxi)–ASEAN College Students Invitational Competition On Digital Economy and AI Application Innovation was grandly inaugurated in Kuala Lumpur.

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—China and Malaysia Jointly Designated Data Annotation and Corpus Training Base, Setting a New Benchmark for Industry-Education Integration

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, April 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On April 23, 2026, with the support of the Malaysian government agency and leveraging the favorable opportunity presented by the Secretariat of the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit to deepen regional economic, trade, and digital industry collaboration, the opening ceremony of the 2nd China (Guangxi)—ASEAN College Students Invitational Competition On Digital Economy and AI Application Innovation was successfully held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Under the theme of “Digital Intelligence Empowerment • Creating a Connected Future,” this competition closely aligns with the trends of China-ASEAN digital economy cooperation under the RCEP framework and actively responds to the Belt and Road Initiative. It recruits participating teams from universities across China and ASEAN countries, aiming to establish an international benchmark platform for industry-education integration and youth exchange in the China-ASEAN digital economy. The event is hosted by the China-Malaysia Institute of Modern Craftsmanship of Digital Economy and jointly organized by institutions such as Guangxi Vocational College of Finance and Guangxi Tus innovation Cross-border E-Commerce Co., Ltd receiving extensive support and active participation from government, enterprises, and academic sectors in both China and Malaysia.

At the opening ceremony, representatives from Chinese and Malaysian government, enterprises, and educational institutions—including LI Gaoyan, Secretary of the Party Committee of Guangxi Financial Vocational College and Prof. Dato’ Indera Ir. Dr. Lee Sze Wei, president of Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology; and Zhuge Ronghe, Deputy General Manager of Guangxi Tus innovation Cross-border E-Commerce Co., Ltd. and Executive Director of the AI Cross-border Digital Economy Committee of the Guangxi International Chamber of Commerce—delivered speeches. All parties highly recognized the cross-border industry-education integration platform established by the event and expressed their expectation to leverage it as a bridge to deepen and solidify practical cooperation in the China-ASEAN digital economy.

In addition, a plaque presentation ceremony was held simultaneously at the opening ceremony, officially awarding the “China-Malaysia Institute of Modern Craftsmanship of Digital Economy Data Annotation and Corpus Training Base” to WEHIVE GLOBAL MARTECH SDN BHD, a leading local digital marketing technology company in Malaysia. This marks a substantive step forward by both China and Malaysia in the field of foundational artificial intelligence data services. The establishment of this base not only provides industry-level corpus resources and authentic training scenarios for cultivating digital economy talents in the region but also offers robust support for the technical implementation and commercialization of projects participating in this competition. It establishes a comprehensive, deeply integrated chain of “competition + training + industry,” fostering synergistic alignment between the education system, talent pipeline, industrial chain, and innovation ecosystem.

Compared to previous editions, this year’s competition has undergone a comprehensive upgrade, precisely focusing on the core objectives of cultivating digital economy talent and facilitating the commercialization of research outcomes, with three key highlights: First, an innovative scoring system. The competition incorporates practical AI tool proficiency into its core evaluation criteria, requiring participating teams to create project promotional posters using mainstream AI tools, addressing the common issue of “emphasizing concepts over practical application” in similar events and truly achieving learning and application through competition. Second, a multicultural team formation model. The competition encourages students from China and ASEAN countries to form cross-border teams, fostering cross-cultural exchange, technical complementarity, and conceptual synergy. Third, an enhanced technology commercialization mechanism. The competition offers winning teams dual support— “cash prizes plus full-cycle incubation at the Nanning Comprehensive Pilot Zone Overseas Talent Offshore Innovation and Entrepreneurship Base” —bridging the “last mile” from competition to market implementation, establishing a complete transformation cycle of “competition—cultivation—incubation—implementation” to significantly improve the industrial viability and market competitiveness of participating projects.

This competition draws on the innovative education model of the China-Malaysia Institute of Modern Craftsmanship of Digital Economy, with a core focus on empowering youth innovation and entrepreneurship through AI technology. It aims to identify and cultivate young digital economy talents possessing international vision, practical skills, and innovative thinking, while promoting the application of AI technologies in emerging sectors such as cross-border e-commerce and digital finance. Moving forward, the competition will continue to serve as a bridge, injecting youthful momentum into the high-quality, coordinated development of the China-ASEAN digital economy, and supporting the sustained deepening and steady advancement of industry-education integration between China and Malaysia under the Belt and Road framework.

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SOURCE TusCBEC

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ALLSPRING GLOBAL INVESTMENTS LAUNCHES GLOBAL EQUITY FUND, EXPANDING ITS SYSTEMATIC CORE EQUITY SUITE

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LONDON, April 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Allspring Global Investments™, a global asset management company with US$624 billion* in assets under advisement, today announced the launch of the Allspring (Lux) Worldwide Fund – Global Equity Fund, a UCITS sub-fund offering a systematic core global equity investment strategy designed to deliver consistent, repeatable alpha whilst maintaining disciplined risk management across market cycles.

“With the growing success of our Global Equity Enhanced Income Fund and our Climate Transition Global Equity Fund in our UCITS range, we are proud to now launch the Allspring Global Equity Fund in response to client demand for a core global equity solution. This new fund reflects our continued investment in systematic capabilities that combine rigorous quantitative research with fundamental insight”, said Andy Sowerby, head of Allspring’s International Client Group. “As clients look for dependable sources of potential outperformance in an increasingly complex global market, this strategy extends our global equity franchise with a risk-controlled core solution designed for compelling performance across market cycles”.

The Global Equity Fund broadens Allspring’s systematic global equity offering, complementing its existing Global Equity Enhanced Income and Climate Transition Global Equity Funds. These two funds were launched in July 2020 and July 2021, respectively, and both have delivered top-quartile performance within their peer groups since.

The new fund seeks long-term capital appreciation by using proprietary quantitative models integrated with fundamental validation to identify attractively valued, high-quality companies with supportive momentum characteristics. The fund aims to achieve positive excess returns relative to the MSCI All Country World Index. The portfolio is broadly diversified and constructed through a disciplined process that combines active stock selection with holistic risk management.

“Our Global Equity Fund is designed to serve as a true core allocation for global equity portfolios”, said John Campbell, CFA, senior portfolio manager of the Global Equity Fund and head of Allspring’s Systematic Core Equity team. “By targeting bottom-up alpha whilst actively managing macro and fundamental risks, the strategy aims to deliver a smoother excess return profile across different market environments”.

The strategy is managed by Allspring’s Systematic Core Equity team, which oversees approximately US$10.8 billion in assets and has decades of experience managing enhanced index, high-conviction equity solutions.

The fund is available to investors in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom in our UCITS vehicle. It will also be available to investors in Switzerland and select Asian countries in the coming months.

ABOUT ALLSPRING
Allspring Global Investments™ is an independent asset management company with more than US$624 billion in assets under advisement*, 18 offices globally and investment teams supported by 365+ investment professionals. Allspring is committed to thoughtful investing, purposeful planning and inspiring a new era of investing that pursues both financial returns and positive outcomes. For more information, please visit www.allspringglobal.com.

*As of 31 March 2026. Figures include discretionary and non-discretionary assets.

This material is provided for informational purposes only and is intended for professional/institutional investor and qualified client use only. Not for retail public use. This content and the information within do not constitute an offer or solicitation in any jurisdiction where or to any person to whom it would be unauthorized or unlawful to do so. It should not be considered investment advice, an investment recommendation, or investment research in any jurisdiction.

INVESTMENT RISKS: All investments contain risk. Your capital may be at risk. The value, price, or income of investments or financial instruments can fall as well as rise and is not guaranteed. You may not get back the amount originally invested. Past performance is not a guarantee or reliable indicator of future results. Returns may increase or decrease as a result of currency fluctuations.

Allspring Global Investments™ (Allspring) is the trade name for the asset management firms of Allspring Global Investments Holdings, LLC, a holding company indirectly owned by certain private funds of GTCR LLC and Reverence Capital Partners, L.P. These firms include but are not limited to Allspring Global Investments Luxembourg, S.A.; Allspring Funds Management, LLC; Allspring Global Investments, LLC; Allspring Global Investments (UK) Ltd.; Allspring Global Investments (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.; Allspring Global Investments (Hong Kong) Ltd.; Allspring Global Investments (Japan) Ltd.; and Galliard Capital Management, LLC. Unless otherwise stated, Allspring is the source of all data (which is current or as of the date stated). Content is provided for informational purposes only. Views, opinions, assumptions, or estimates are not necessarily those of Allspring or its affiliates, and there is no representation regarding their adequacy, accuracy, or completeness. They should not be relied upon and may be subject to change without notice.

© 2026 Allspring Global Investments Holdings, LLC. All rights reserved. ALL-04142026-qxuja9fc

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Elbit Systems to Report First Quarter 2026 Financial Results on May 26, 2026

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The Company will host a Conference Call to discuss its financial results on May 26, 2026 at 9:00am ET

HAIFA, Israel, April 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ: ESLT) (TASE: ESLT) (“Elbit Systems” or the “Company”) announced today that it will publish its first quarter 2026 financial results on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.

Results Conference Call

The Company will host a conference call on May 26, 2026, at 9:00am Eastern Time. On the call, management will review and discuss the results and will be available to answer questions. To participate, please call one of the dial-in numbers below: 

US Dial-in Number: 1-866-744-5399
Canada Dial-in Number: 1-866-485-2399
Israel Dial-in Number: +972-3-918-0644
International Dial-in Number:  +972-3-918-0644

at 9:00am Eastern Time; 6:00am Pacific Time; 4:00pm Israel Time

This call will also be broadcast live on Elbit Systems’ website at http://www.elbitsystems.com. An online replay will be available from 24 hours after the call ends.

Alternatively, for two days following the call, investors will be able to dial a replay number to listen to the call. The dial-in numbers are: 1-888-782-4291 (U.S. and Canada) or +972-3-925-5900 (Israel and International).

About Elbit Systems

Elbit Systems is a leading global defense technology company, delivering advanced solutions for a secure and safer world. Elbit Systems develops, manufactures, integrates and sustains a range of next-generation solutions across multiple domains.

Driven by its agile, collaborative culture, and leveraging Israel’s technology ecosystem, Elbit Systems enables customers to address rapidly evolving battlefield challenges and overcome threats.

Elbit Systems employs over 20,000 people in dozens of countries across five continents. The Company reported $7,938.6 million in revenues for the year ended December 31, 2025 and an order backlog of $28.1 billion as of such date.

For additional information, visit: www.elbitsystems.com, follow us on X or visit our official Facebook, Youtube and LinkedIn Channels.

Company Contact:
Dr. Yaacov (Kobi) Kagan, Executive VP – CFO
Tel:  +972-77-2946663
kobi.kagan@elbitsystems.com 

Daniella Finn, VP, Investor Relations
Tel: +972-77-2948984
daniella.finn@elbitsystems.com 

Dalia Bodinger, VP, Communications & Brand
Tel: +972-77-2947602
dalia.bodinger@elbitsystems.com

This press release may contain forward–looking statements (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Israeli Securities Law, 1968) regarding Elbit Systems Ltd. and/or its subsidiaries (collectively the Company), to the extent such statements do not relate to historical or current facts. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions about future events. Forward–looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions about the Company, which are difficult to predict, including projections of the Company’s future financial results, its anticipated growth strategies and anticipated trends in its business. Therefore, actual future results, performance and trends may differ materially from these forward–looking statements due to a variety of factors, including, without limitation: scope and length of customer contracts; governmental regulations and approvals; changes in governmental budgeting priorities; general market, political and economic conditions in the countries in which the Company operates or sells, including Israel and the United States among others, including the duration and scope of the war in Israel, and the potential impact on our operations; changes in global health and macro-economic conditions; differences in anticipated and actual program performance, including the ability to perform under long-term fixed-price contracts; changes in the competitive environment; and the outcome of legal and/or regulatory proceedings. The factors listed above are not all-inclusive, and further information is contained in Elbit Systems Ltd.’s latest annual report on Form 20-F, which is on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward–looking statements speak only as of the date of this release. Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements contained herein are reasonable, it cannot guarantee future results, level of activity, performance or achievements. Moreover, neither the Company nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any of these forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update its forward-looking statements.

Elbit Systems Ltd., its logo, brand, product, service and process names appearing in this release are the trademarks or service marks of Elbit Systems Ltd. or its affiliated companies. All other brand, product, service and process names appearing are the trademarks of their respective holders. Reference to or use of a product, service or process other than those of Elbit Systems Ltd. does not imply recommendation, approval, affiliation or sponsorship of that product, service or process by Elbit Systems Ltd. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as conferring by implication, estoppel or otherwise any license or right under any patent, copyright, trademark or other intellectual property right of Elbit Systems Ltd. or any third party, except as expressly granted herein.

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SOURCE Elbit Systems Ltd.

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