The Pre-Read

Workiva

Just like the slides you get before a big meeting, The Pre-Read prepares CFOs and senior leaders for the decisions ahead. This is the global podcast for the modern office of the CFO, focused on how finance leaders drive performance, resilience, and long-term value in a constantly shifting environment. Designed for executives operating at scale, the show features candid conversations with CFOs, board advisors, regulators, and business leaders shaping how companies compete, comply, and grow. Hosts Alyssa Zucker and Steve Soter connect financial performance, data integrity, regulation, and technology to the real questions CFOs are being asked by boards, investors, and stakeholders. From AI adoption and enterprise data trust to evolving disclosure expectations and global regulatory pressure, The Pre-Read focuses on what matters now and what's coming next. Each episode cuts through noise to surface practical insight, strategic perspective, and the signals CFOs need to lead with clarity. If you're responsible for stewarding capital, managing risk, and creating value over time, you're in the right place.

  1. Nostalgia on Trial: What the Blockbuster Trademark Case Can Teach the C-Suite

    APR 13

    Nostalgia on Trial: What the Blockbuster Trademark Case Can Teach the C-Suite

    A visit to Blockbuster Video used to be the ultimate Friday night trip, but today, that blue and yellow ticket is a legal battleground for intangible assets. In this episode of The Pre-Read, we unearth the true drivers of company valuation, from nostalgic trademarks to proprietary AI.  "The question isn't whether Blockbuster was famous. It's whether it's famous enough now for trademark law to care in the same way." —Ivan Moreno  Guest spotlight: Ivan Moreno, senior reporter at Law360®, breaks down the Blockbuster trademark case against a Mississippi animal feed company. He discusses why heritage brands must fight to stay legally relevant even when they no longer lead the market.  Then Alana Chartier, Sustainability Analyst at Workiva, explains the $81 trillion blind spot in global company valuation. She argues that a 21st-century economy cannot run on 20th-century reporting systems that classify human capital and AI as costs instead of assets.  Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction  03:30 The Blockbuster trademark case vs. Southern Seed and Feed  05:40 Dilution by blurring: Can you protect a legacy name?  08:30 Accounting for brand value: Acquisition vs. internal builds  11:00 Reputation as a corporate credit score  18:40 The orchard analogy: Why we only count the fruit  21:30 Integrated reporting: Connecting financial and non-financial data  Subscribe to catch all upcoming episodes of The Pre-Read.

    26 min
  2. Sustainability in the C-Suite: Strategy over Compliance

    MAR 30

    Sustainability in the C-Suite: Strategy over Compliance

    Don't let the political noise fool you: Green hushing is real, but green quitting is a myth. In this episode, we sit down with Grant Harrison, VP at Trellis Group, to bridge the narrative reality gap. We explore how the office of the CFO is taking the lead, shifting sustainability from a values-driven initiative to a finance-led sustainability strategy anchored in financial materiality. Learn how to build a data backbone that delivers assurance-ready sustainability data for global mandates like CSRD and ISSB. Key moments: 00:00 Introduction 02:15 Identifying the narrative reality gap in today's market  05:40 Green hushing vs. green quitting: What the data says  09:10 Why the controller's office is the new home for sustainability 12:50 Moving beyond a check-the-box compliance mindset  17:45 Using assurance-ready sustainability data to optimize the cost of capital  "Companies getting it right treat the disclosure as a byproduct of good decision-making, not an output of something that was ... machine built to produce PDF outcome." —Grant Harrison, VP of Sustainable Finance and ESG at Trellis Group  Find past conversations at workiva.com/podcast/the-pre-read #Sustainability #CFO #ESG #FinanceStrategy #Workiva

    22 min
  3. The Semi-Annual Trap: Why Less Reporting Might Mean More Work

    MAR 16

    The Semi-Annual Trap: Why Less Reporting Might Mean More Work

    Is your reporting strategy ready for a six-month silence? #podcast The traditional quarterly cycle is under the microscope. We explore the potential shift to semi-annual reporting and why "less" disclosure often results in more work for finance, legal, and IR. What we cover: » The Capital Gap: Will investors penalize companies that choose to say less? » The 8-K Surge: Why voluntary filings might become the new 10-Q. » The Governance Risk: Navigating longer "dark periods" and insider trading exposure. » Decision-Grade Data: Why you can't afford to lose the discipline of a quarterly close. The Insight: "Never has an investor asked for less information." — Mike Rost,SVP & Chief Strategy Officer, Workiva Timestamps: 
00:00 Intro 02:21 Highlights and Key Risks 04:23 IR Transparency Tradeoffs 07:39 Eight-K Takes Center Stage 10:43 Finance Governance and Data 13:54 Reg FD and Guidance Pressure 14:50 Insider Trading and Litigation 22:15 Final Takeaways and Readiness 26:06 Europe and UK Real-World Model #SEC #CFO #InvestorRelations #Governance #ThePreRead #Workiva

    33 min

  4. MAR 6

    Davos Discussions: The Human Coworker

    Workforce reimagination is here. In 2026, the office of the CFO is moving from AI as a tool to a coworker. Recorded in Davos, this episode digs into the human side of transformation. We sit down with global leaders to unpack why the human in the loop is being rewritten and why change management has become a core executive capability. Mandi McReynolds talks with Costi Perricos, Global GenAI Business Leader at Deloitte, Dennis Woodside, CEO of Freshworks, and Dr. Márcia Balisciano, Board Member Foundation for the UN Global Compact and CSO of RELX, about what they're seeing on the ground as roles evolve from task execution to AI orchestration. In this episode: 04:00 Costi Pericos on agentic collaboration and why HR and AI are converging 13:10 Dennis Woodside on the execution gap and changing daily work habits 15:30 Marcia Balisciano on CFO leadership and becoming "chief environmental champions" 19:00 Conclusion: Why CFOs must architect the agentic future "I often say you'll learn without AI first so that one day you can be the human in the loop, coordinating and governing AI." — Costi Pericos, Deloitte Enjoy this episode? Find more at workiva.com/podcast/the-pre-read

    21 min

  5. MAR 4

    Davos Discussions: What is the ROI Heresy?

    Traditional finance models are hitting a wall. This episode highlights a panel at Davos that gets straight to the engine room of the enterprise.  Jatin Dalal, Chief Financial Officer, Cognizant; Mike Rost, Chief Strategy Officer, Workiva; Jonathan Zanger, Chief Technology Officer, Check Point; and Jennifer Steinmann, Global Sustainability Business Leader, Deloitte gathered to talk about:  The ROI heresy: Why waiting for a fixed ROI is like using an obsolete map for a moving target  The 3x productivity jump: Why a 300% increase is the new starting point for AI  Security risks: Understanding white font attacks and AI doppelgangers in HR systems  Strategic insights: How predictive analytics and earth observation are changing risk valuation  Timestamps: 00:00—Multiplying traditional productivity by three  02:15—The Davos panel: AI promise and peril  04:10—Why ROI is an irrelevant measure for AI  05:40—Security alerts: The white font attack  07:15—The $3.8 trillion insight at stake  08:20—The Monday morning mandate  "Whatever you thought about traditional productivity multiplied by three at minimum, and that should be a starting point, not the end point." —Jatin Dalal, CFO of Cognizant  Find past conversations at workiva.com/podcast/the-pre-read

    12 min

  6. MAR 2

    Davos Discussions: Leaders vs. The Certainty Gap

    Misinformation, amplified by AI, has climbed to the top of the global risk landscape. What does that mean for the office of the CFO? We kick off a Davos miniseries with Workiva CSO Mandi McReynolds, bringing perspectives straight from the World Economic Forum in Davos. Mandi sits down with Ami Badani, CMO of Arm, Rob Fisher, Global Head of Advisory at KPMG, and Robin Hodess, CEO of Global Reporting Initiative, to break down brand risk, workforce pressure, and why transparent, trusted data is now a leadership mandate. In this episode: 04:00 Defending information certainty and proactive brand protection 09:30 The "dollar for dollar" rule: Investing equally in tech and people 18:00 Why reporting is becoming a frontline risk tool 21:00 Preview: The rise of cybersecurity doppelgangers "For every dollar on the tech, you should be spending a dollar on the workforce transformation." —Rob Fisher, Global Head of Advisory, KPMG Enjoy this episode? Find more at workiva.com/podcast/the-pre-read #Davos2026 #GlobalRisk #CFO #AIStrategy #WorkforceTransformation

    24 min
  7. The Translator: Bridging the Gap Between Finance and Sustainability

    FEB 19

    The Translator: Bridging the Gap Between Finance and Sustainability

    Is your organization ready for the SOX journey of sustainability data? In this episode of The Pre-Read, we sit down with Lori Defnet, ESG Controller at The Hershey Company, to define the core remit of this emerging role. While traditional controllers guard the known, ESG controllers manage ambiguity. Lori shares how she navigates moving targets in the regulatory landscape and why curiosity and adaptability are the most critical skills for the next generation of finance leaders. Key moments: 02:45—Defining the core remit of an ESG controller  05:30—The data challenge: ERP systems vs. supplier surveys  08:15—A "crawl, walk, run" approach to limited and reasonable assurance  11:40—Stakeholder management: Education and empathy  13:50—Will the ESG controller role eventually merge with finance? 17:15—Curiosity and adaptability in succession planning  "I think the role of that ESG controller is that translator to help teach the business and teach the finance organization how to get there." —Lori Defnet  Find past conversations at workiva.com/podcast/the-pre-read #ESG #Accounting #Sustainability #FinanceTransformation #Workiva

    22 min
  8. Decision-Grade Data: Turning Sustainability Silos into Strategic Assets

    FEB 9

    Decision-Grade Data: Turning Sustainability Silos into Strategic Assets

    How do leaders turn messy data into something they can trust? Global C-suite executive Amina Razvi joins us to explain why decision-grade data is the foundation of modern CFO risk management. She breaks down how integrating financial and non-financial data changes how companies manage volatility, price risk, and build long-term resilience. In this conversation, we cover: Why waiting for perfect data is a risk in itself How sustainability data quality drives innovation, not just compliance What CFOs gain by connecting financial, operational, and supply chain data Why working pre-competitively can reduce risk across entire industries Enjoying the show? Find past conversations at workiva.com/podcast/the-pre-read Subscribe for more insights on leadership, data, and risk.

    26 min
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About

Just like the slides you get before a big meeting, The Pre-Read prepares CFOs and senior leaders for the decisions ahead. This is the global podcast for the modern office of the CFO, focused on how finance leaders drive performance, resilience, and long-term value in a constantly shifting environment. Designed for executives operating at scale, the show features candid conversations with CFOs, board advisors, regulators, and business leaders shaping how companies compete, comply, and grow. Hosts Alyssa Zucker and Steve Soter connect financial performance, data integrity, regulation, and technology to the real questions CFOs are being asked by boards, investors, and stakeholders. From AI adoption and enterprise data trust to evolving disclosure expectations and global regulatory pressure, The Pre-Read focuses on what matters now and what's coming next. Each episode cuts through noise to surface practical insight, strategic perspective, and the signals CFOs need to lead with clarity. If you're responsible for stewarding capital, managing risk, and creating value over time, you're in the right place.

Information

  • Creator
    Workiva
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    171
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2023
  • Show Website
    The Pre-Read

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