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.
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jan 19, 2024 • 27min
Sustainability and the C-Suite
Cognizant's head of ESG, Aya Kiy-Morrocco, and Amelia Pan, managing director in the strategic advisory group of PJT Partners, join co-host Mandi McReynolds to discuss how sustainability leaders can partner with their C-suite and boards to advance ESG strategy and meet stakeholder demands for transparency, accountability, and action. Read the 2023 Workiva's Global Practitioner Survey: https://www.workiva.com/resources/2023-global-esg-practitioner-survey
Jan 12, 2024 • 17min
Strength in Numbers
Mandi McReynolds, Steve Soter, Andie Wood, and Ernest Anunciacion are back to kick off the third season of ESG Talk. The group revisits thought-provoking conversations from season two — including insights on sustainability, regulation, and ESG reporting — and shares a preview of what's to come in the year ahead.
Dec 29, 2023 • 41min
Spotlight on Sustainability's ROI
This ESG Talk mini-series highlights two episodes featuring Tensie Whelan, director of the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business. Part one introduces CSB's innovative Return on Sustainability Investment—or ROSI—model. In part two, Tensie and Mandi McReynolds are joined by Kelly Fisher, head of corporate sustainability at HSBC Bank USA, and share stories of companies driving financial performance with ESG.
Dec 15, 2023 • 44min
Shaking Up the C-Suite
Our second mini-series highlights episodes with Bob Eccles, a leading authority on integrated reporting, and Maher Al-Haffar, the chief financial officer of Cemex. Both guests join co-host Mandi McReynolds to discuss how the roles of the chief sustainability officer and chief financial officer are evolving alongside ESG.
Dec 8, 2023 • 43min
The Next Era in ESG Reporting
Join Chief Sustainability Officer Allyson Anderson Book from Baker Hughes and Global Reporting Leader Nadja Picard from PwC Germany as they discuss the evolving landscape of ESG reporting, the transition from compliance to strategic opportunity, the roles of CEOs and CFOs in driving sustainable strategies, challenges in achieving net-zero goals, and advancements in sustainability practices and governance.
Dec 1, 2023 • 33min
ESG Trends and the Year Ahead
ESG Talk hosts reflect on key sustainability events in 2023, predict trends for 2024 like global regulations and generative AI impact. They discuss navigating complex ESG practices, the role of generative AI, and collaboration for a sustainable future. The episode concludes with a teaser for the next season.
Nov 24, 2023 • 34min
On the Road to COP28
Jingdong Hua, vice-chair of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), and Paul Druckman, chairman of the World Benchmarking Alliance, sit down with Workiva's Mandi McReynolds to share how standards and benchmarks bring credibility to ESG reporting as well as their insights heading into COP28.
Nov 17, 2023 • 21min
Redefining the Role of the CSO
A leading authority on integrated reporting, Robert Eccles joins Mandi McReynolds to explore how the role of the chief sustainability officer is evolving. They discuss the concept of trade-offs and resolving conflicts of interest between stakeholders as well as the deepening connection between finance and ESG.
Nov 10, 2023 • 19min
Navigating Audits & Controls in ESG Reporting
Dina Trainor, managing director at Deloitte & Touche, discusses building governance, essential controls, and the role of auditors in ESG reporting. Highlights include the importance of cross-functional collaboration, the impact of board changes, leveraging technology for data collection, and the benefits of an ESG controller.
Nov 5, 2023 • 16min
Tackling ESRS and Double Materiality
This podcast discusses the new European Sustainability Reporting Standards and their connection to double materiality. It covers the development and purpose of the ESRS standards, the importance of assessing both financial and non-financial impacts, the alignment of financial materiality and ISSB's assessment, and the value of conducting a materiality assessment in sustainability reporting.
