Good morning. When Barbara Larson stepped into the position of EVP and CFO at Workiva in January, she wasn’t coming into unfamiliar territory. She had used the corporate’s monetary reporting platform at Workday and VMware and had advocated for it. So, when the chance got here to hitch Workiva, she says the choice was uncomplicated.
“I really like this stage of the corporate,” Larson informed me. It’s the high-stakes push to scale. “We’ve guided to $1 billion in income this yr.”
Workiva (NYSE: WK), which affords an AI-powered platform for governance, danger, compliance, and sustainability, reported $885 million in whole income for fiscal 2025, a 20% year-over-year enhance, with subscription and assist income rising 22%. For the complete yr 2026, whole income is predicted to be within the vary of $1.036 billion to $1.040 billion. Among the many firm’s greater than 6,600 clients are Hershey, Slack, and KeyBank, based on its web site.
Courtesy of Workiva
Larson brings greater than 20 years of economic management expertise. She most just lately served as CFO at SentinelOne and beforehand spent almost a decade at Workday, finally turning into CFO. She additionally held senior roles at VMware, TIBCO Software program, and Symantec.
Many corporations are nonetheless drowning in information throughout disparate programs, a ache level Workiva is designed to handle, Larson mentioned. “I’ve spent my total profession in finance,” Larson mentioned. You’ve received your information working both for you or in opposition to you—there isn’t a center floor, she mentioned. Should you’re working AI throughout fragmented programs or unreliable information, you aren’t accelerating perception; you’re simply accelerating the incorrect solutions, she added.
Regulatory pressures are intensifying, Larson famous, with shifting necessities and a altering geopolitical backdrop making compliance a transferring goal. Workiva’s strategy is to floor AI inside the buyer’s personal information, requirements, and context, so output isn’t merely “believable” however actionable and defensible, she mentioned.
That applies to inner customers managing SEC reporting, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, enterprise danger administration, and sustainability disclosures, in addition to exterior auditors utilizing the identical platform. Larson factors to SEC danger issue drafting: when new requirements or dangers emerge, AI itself being a chief instance, groups can draft disclosures and benchmark them in opposition to friends inside a managed surroundings.
Larson’s position additionally displays a broader shift in what it means to be a CFO in 2026. The job, she says, seems nothing prefer it did 5 years in the past.
That features a twin mandate on AI: CFOs should drive adoption throughout the enterprise whereas reworking their very own finance organizations. At Workiva, Larson is partnering with the CIO and government crew to determine the place AI can drive sooner outcomes and create leverage for shareholders, she mentioned. In fiscal 2025, Workiva delivered greater than 600 foundation factors of non-GAAP working leverage alongside 20% income progress, a trajectory she goals to proceed.
As a mentor, Larson’s recommendation is grounded in her personal biography. Rising up transferring steadily, she discovered to embrace change, be adaptable, and keep curious—ideas that apply to the age of AI.
“If you will be a extremely robust finance chief, you need to perceive the broader enterprise,” she mentioned.
Sheryl Estrada
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Fast word: CFO Day by day marked 5 years on March 28! Through the years, I’ve had the chance to talk with lots of of finance chiefs throughout industries. It has been fascinating to report on the evolution of the CFO position and the way forward for the finance group. A particular due to Fortune’s government editor Lee Clifford, who has labored with me from the start. And thanks to your readership.
Leaderboard
Michael Dixon was appointed CFO of Zaxby’s, a fast-casual chain that focuses on hen, starting March 30. Dixon brings over 30 years of economic management expertise throughout restaurant, retail and leisure corporations. Most just lately, he served as CFO of GoTo Meals. Earlier than that, Dixon spent a number of years serving as a monetary chief at organizations throughout the restaurant and QSR industries. His expertise contains Ignite Restaurant Group, Pinkberry, and Cheesecake Manufacturing facility, the place he served almost a decade. Dixon will information Zaxby’s by way of the corporate’s nationwide growth after eclipsing 1,000 shops in 2025.
Hagit Ynon was appointed CFO of Pentera, a cybersecurity firm. Ynon brings over 25 years of economic management to Pentera. Most just lately, she served as CFO of WalkMe, the place she was instrumental in main the corporate’s IPO on the Nasdaq and its subsequent acquisition by SAP. Earlier than WalkMe, Ynon spent almost 20 years at NICE, rising to VP of finance. In her new position, she shall be liable for Pentera’s finance, IT, authorized, and income operations.
Large Deal
Financial institution of America funds information reveals that almost 3% of Financial institution of America households presently pay for AI companies, however momentum is constructing. The variety of households making AI funds is up 38% versus the 2024 common, and the share paying $21–$40 month-to-month has risen 50% over the identical interval.
Increased earners and youthful generations account for the most important share of AI spending, although median spending progress was strongest amongst $75K–$125K households in February — an indication the market is increasing past early, prosperous adopters. As AI embeds itself throughout productiveness, search, leisure, and private assistant use instances, BofA International Analysis tasks the U.S. market might scale to $75 billion yearly.
Going deeper
“Nvidia’s Jensen Huang says, ‘We’ve achieved AGI.’ However nobody can agree on what which means. Why a very powerful time period in tech stays hotly debated” is a Fortune article by Jeremy Kahn.
Synthetic basic intelligence, or AGI, has lengthy been the last word purpose of many AI researchers, based on Kahn. “That’s been the case regardless that there isn’t a universally accepted definition of the time period,” he writes. “It usually means AI that’s as clever as people, however there’s a fierce debate over precisely the way to outline and measure ‘intelligence.'” Learn extra right here.
Overheard
“As Girls’s Historical past Month involves a detailed, it’s a significant second to replicate not solely on how far we’ve come, however the management duty we share transferring ahead.”
—Ann Dennison, EVP and CFO of The Cigna Group, wrote in a LinkedIn publish on Monday.
