The Pre-Read

AI isn't perfect and sometimes it makes us worse at our jobs. Jen Stave of the Digital, Data, and Design Institute at Harvard joins The Pre-Read to explore why even top experts can become less effective with AI, what "cognitive offloading" really means, and why the future of AI success depends on human culture, not just code.

Watch to learn:

How the "jagged frontier" changes AI's reliability
Why some workers thrive with AI while others falter
The hidden risks of treating AI like a teammate
What leaders can do to create a culture of safe experimentation

AI is transforming audit, risk, and corporate governance—but most companies are struggling to keep up.

In this episode of The Pre-Read, Radical Compliance's Matt Kelly and Shane Negangard, Senior Director of Internal Audit at Workiva, join hosts Steve Soter and Alyssa Zucker to discuss:
✅ Why "shadow AI" is a real compliance threat
✅ How governance and internal controls must evolve
✅ The risks of AI in employee training and internal audit
✅ How auditors can move from reactive to proactive in an AI world

Timestamps
00:00 – Intro: The real risk of "shadow AI" in audit and compliance
02:10 – Why AI is rewriting governance faster than policies can catch up
05:25 – The blurred line between automation and accountability
09:40 – What internal auditors are seeing on the ground
14:05 – How CFOs and CAOs can partner with marketing and data teams on AI
17:30 – Governance, controls, and the need for real-time oversight
21:15 – Why culture and education matter more than ever
25:10 – The future of AI governance and trust in reporting

If you're in audit, risk, compliance, or finance, this episode is your playbook for governing AI responsibly—without slowing innovation.

Jill Klindt, Workiva CFO, sits down with Ayssa and Steve live at Amplify 2025 in D.C. Hear how she navigated early startup life, tackled the challenges of being the public face of a company, and what advice she has for aspiring professionals. 

00:00 Introduction
02:20 Early Career and Transition to Workiva
03:58 Building Workiva from the Ground Up
05:09 Becoming the CFO: Challenges and Insights
10:06 Reflections and Career Advice
14:43 Conclusion and Farewell

AI is no longer just hype; it's a powerful tool in corporate reporting. But what does it take to truly trust the outputs it produces? On this episode of The Pre-Read, Workiva Chief Information Officer Kim Huffman talks with Deepa Rao, a leader in sustainability and AI governance.

They break down the essential steps for executives to govern and validate AI, including the "AIRS" framework for accountability, integrity, reporting, and stewardship. You'll learn why data quality is paramount, why a hybrid approach of artificial intelligence plus human intelligence is the most successful model, and the critical skills teams need to develop to challenge the machine's outputs and build confidence in their data.

Episode Highlights:
* 0:00 Introduction 
* 01:00 Is AI a copywriter or a core part of corporate reporting?
* 03:50 The biggest gaps in data readiness and why you can't trust what you can't trace.
* 08:30 Best practices for integrating AI: Start small and scale with confidence.
* 10:15 The 'ARES' framework for responsible AI governance.
* 14:30 The power of a human intelligence and artificial intelligence hybrid model.
* 18:00 The critical skills teams need to develop beyond basic AI training.

Sustainability isn't a silo anymore—it's shaping strategy across the balance sheet. In this episode of The Pre-Read, two CEOs share how they're modernizing corporate approaches to climate challenges.

Natalia Dorfman, CEO of Kita, explains how carbon insurance de-risks voluntary markets and drives capital into climate projects. Then, Orianna Bretschger, CEO of Aquacycl, shows how innovations in industrial wastewater treatment can reduce costs, lower emissions, and strengthen resilience. 

00:00 Introduction

01:45 Types of risks in carbon projects

03:20 Why carbon projects are resilient to short-term political shifts

05:00 How profitability and ROI drive climate technology

06:40 The future of the voluntary carbon market

08:30 How executives can reframe sustainability as a financial metric

10:00 Why water is a critical business resource

11:30 Rethinking wastewater as a business opportunity

13:00 The financial and reputational risks of poor water stewardship

15:45 Metrics that prove ROI in wastewater management

17:00 Advice for leaders on making their operations more resilient

#CFO #Sustainability #ESG #CarbonMarkets #ClimateFinance #RiskManagement

Record numbers of CEOs are leaving their posts. But why? This week on The Pre-Read, Tim Paradis of Business Insider weighs in on the forces at play, from burnout to impatient boards and activist investors. We also hear from Workiva Chief People Officer Emily Forrester on why CEO succession must be more than a talent pipeline exercise. One keystone is working closely with the office of the CFO to ensure resilience through leadership transitions that align with long-term value.

88% of finance, accounting, audit, and sustainability professionals in a new survey say they've seen an increase in ROI from using AI in the last year. But there's a disconnect: only about a third of companies surveyed have the necessary governance, high-quality data, and role-specific training to support it.

In this episode of The Pre-Read, we sit down with Workiva Chief Accounting Officer Junko Swain and Chief Information Officer Kim Huffman to discuss the implications of the Workiva 2025 Global Practitioner Survey. We explore why the C-suite is uniquely positioned to set the foundation for a successful and secure AI strategy.

Timestamps: 
01:00 ROI and the lack of AI governance

04:00 Defining high-quality data

06:30 The role of AI in data quality

08:00 The importance of role-specific training

10:45 The difference between generic and specialized AI tools

12:30 How the C-suite can set the foundation for AI strategy

Read more from the survey at workiva.com/PR-BuildingValue

Leaders in charge of projects around artificial intelligence and sustainability don't need to manage those two trends in parallel, says Professor Michael Wade of IMD. In fact, strategies for the two are bound to intersect.

The Pre-Read hosts Steve Soter and Alyssa Zucker dig into AI, sustainability, and how leaders can harness the transformative power of one to unlock the game-changing impacts of the other. 

Keep listening because there is an obstacle to twin transformation that may surprise you.

0:00 Intro

02:33 Meet Professor Michael Wade

03:36 The two mega trends of the decade

04:28 The ties that bind

07:22 The best-positioned sectors to take advantage

08:44 OK, so what are the blockers?

12:21 Transformation is closer than you think

12:23 The playbook

Subscribe to catch all our upcoming episodes, including episodes about the latest conversations in all things #accounting #finance #sustainability #audit and #risk.

The PCAOB is under siege. Critics say it's overreached its mission while supporters argue we've forgotten why it was created: to prevent another Enron or WorldCom. 

On this episode of The Pre-Read, Workiva Industry Principals Chelsea Hall and Grant Ostler join for a roundtable to discuss what's broken and what's worth saving. We examine the push to dismantle the board and roll its responsibilities into the SEC. We also discuss what executives need to keep in mind, the importance of maintaining investor confidence in financial reporting, and how leveraging technology can streamline compliance and reduce the burden of documentation.

0:00 Introduction

01:40 What's going on with the PCAOB?

03:20 Is this political theater or a real threat?

05:00 Why the PCAOB matters to the C-suite

06:30 The value of audits as a foundation for capital markets

08:00 Where the PCAOB may have missed the mark

10:15 The cost of compliance

13:30 Investor concerns on regulation and efficiency

16:15 How companies can prepare for change

17:30 Finding the balance between regulation and efficiency

Enjoy this episode? Find past conversations of us surfing the uncharted waters of accounting, finance, risk, and wherever else the waves take us at workiva.com/pre-read-podcast.

Subscribe to catch all our upcoming episodes, including episodes about the latest conversations in all things finance, sustainability, audit, and risk.

The market is changing, and it's not just about inflation or interest rates. It's rewriting valuations, reworking supply chains, and reshaping your disclosures. This episode of The Pre-Read, brought to you by Workiva, explores what happens when market volatility meets materiality, and why CFOs, GCs, and audit chairs are all paying attention.

We feature insights from Nick Mazing of AlphaSense and Josh Gertsch, Workiva Industry Principal for Capital Markets, on the unpredictable forces at play.

Nick discusses the messy and varied impact of tariffs, noting that the deal-by-deal approach has created an unpredictable environment, even for companies expected to benefit. He also touches on how AI is maturing in corporate disclosures, the return of M&A, and the growing number of companies allocating to Bitcoin.

Josh provides a historical perspective on the IPO market, highlighting the biggest boom in over 20 years, followed by some of the worst years ever, and its current upward trend. He explains that despite a large pipeline of companies ready to go public, market volatility—especially with changes over 20%—is preventing deals from being priced. He advises companies to focus on what they can control, such as refining their equity story and ensuring operational readiness, while they wait for stability.

Timestamps:
03:00 The messy and explicit nature of tariff disclosures
06:25 The copper example: Who are tariffs really helping?
09:15 Other topics showing up in earnings releases: AI, inflation, and M&A
11:00 Interest rates, inflation, and the new normal
13:50 The return of big M&A deals
15:45 The risk of assessing the impact in SEC filings
18:50 Josh Gertsch's background and expertise in capital markets
21:30 What happened to the pent-up demand for IPOs
25:30 What needs to happen for the IPO window to open again
30:40 The importance of the equity story and operational readiness 
#IPOs #CapitalMarkets #Tariffs #M&A #Finance #Workiva #MarketVolatility

Subscribe to catch all our upcoming episodes and never miss out on the latest discussions in all things accounting and finance.