The Pre-Read

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

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
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Is your team ready for foreign private issuer (FPI) Section 16 reporting? Congress recently passed the Holding Foreign Insiders Accountable Act, which fundamentally changes how international insiders must disclose their trades.
Alan Wilson and Chelsea Hall join the conversation to break down these new FPI director and officer reporting obligations and why the SEC has a tight deadline of March 18 to implement the rules. We discuss the sudden loss of exemptions, the need for individual EDGAR® codes, and the risks of missing the two-day filing window.
 
Chapters:
00:00–Introduction: A Regulatory Ground Shift The hosts introduce the end of long-standing exemptions for FPIs and the era of regulatory accommodation.
05:15–Breaking Down FPI Section 16 Reporting Alan Wilson explains the nuances of Form 3, 4, and 5 requirements, noting that while reporting is mandatory, short-swing liability (Section 16b) currently does not apply.
06:45–The Surprise of Congressional Speed Analysis of why Congress moved faster than the SEC and what this bipartisan unity signals for future securities rulemaking.
09:30–Future Outlook: Beyond Section 16 Insights into potential further changes, including updates to the FPI definition and the convergence of IFRS and US GAAP.
13:15–Infrastructure for Resilience Why investing in stability and agility is the only way to meet rapidly approaching deadlines like the March 18 cutoff.
17:30–Closing Thoughts: The Complexity of Compliance Final debate on whether this is a "big lift" for FPIs and how the market might react to potential moves toward quarterly reporting.
Enjoy this episode? Find past conversations at workiva.com/podcast/the-pre-read
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https://www.workiva.com/What does leadership look like when volatility becomes the norm?
Workiva CEO Julie Iskow joins Steve Soder and Alyssa Zucker to unpack what 2025 taught executives and how to prepare for 2026. This conversation goes beyond headlines to explore how leaders can stay grounded while moving faster, make data a strategic asset, and meet rising board expectations with confidence.
In this episode:
Redefining resilience: Why stability and agility must coexist
Data integrity as strategy: Turning trusted data into a competitive advantage
AI readiness: Why governed, audit-ready data is the foundation for safe AI adoption
The evolving boardroom: How expectations are shifting toward deeper, more frequent engagement
Chapters
0:00 Defining resilience for 2026
3:15 Stability vs. agility in volatile markets
7:40 Data integrity: From compliance to strategy
11:20 When bad data becomes AI risk
15:00 The new expectations of the boardroom
18:30 Julie's word for 2026: Clarity
Enjoy this episode? Explore more conversations at the intersection of finance, risk, and sustainability at workiva.com/pre-read-podcast.

Steve and Alyssa are taking a well-earned break, but the challenges facing the office of the CFO are not slowing down. In this short episode, producer Mike Gravagno looks back on a year where AI moved from pilot programs to expectation and sustainability became more than a side conversation. Looking ahead to 2026, The Pre-Read will return with sharper conversations on data trust, AI governance, reporting rigor, and how leading teams turn systems into true productivity multipliers. Subscribe now and be ready for what's next.