When we talk about the early bets of technology, you think of the likes of Peter Thiel, Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates. Having a knack for investing in tech is a somewhat hidden talent, one which for those three, has been the foundation for a career. 

For Barbara Larson, CFO of Workiva, it was actually a skill realised in retrospect. 

Starting a career in finance with a typical degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Arizona, Barbara took the plunge to move a few years later to the Bay Area in San Francisco.

Known better to some as Silicon Valley, California is a notable tech hub, home to giants such as Meta, Apple and Google. 

When Barbara moved to the area, she reminisces that “this was a time when enterprise technology was really taking off. I wanted to be closer to where that was happening. That move ended up defining my career

Barbara’s career spans just over two decades as she gracefully ascends the leadership ladder. She was part of the senior financial leadership team at Symantec, in addition to TIBCO Software and then VMware. 

Barbara notes that “early in my career, a CFO gave me advice that stuck with me: ‘Put as many tools in your toolbox as possible.’ 

“It sounds simple, but it shaped a career choice I made at Workday that I might not have had the confidence to pursue otherwise. I took a two-year rotation as General Manager for Financial Management, leading product strategy, management and development. It was completely outside my lane as a finance executive, and it made me a much better one.”

Spending almost a decade at Workday, Barbara ultimately ended up as CFO before she left for Workiva. Her advice rings true by her lived experience:

“Follow your curiosity and embrace the detours. The rotations, the stretch assignments, the roles that feel uncomfortable are what ultimately prepare you to lead. You've got your whole career to climb up the ranks. Use the early years to fill your toolbox.” 

Aside from the early technology bet, Barbara also looks up to previous peers for ongoing support - especially as a woman in a male-dominated world.

“Throughout my career, I've been fortunate to have strong leaders who pushed me towards stretch assignments I might not have pursued on my own,” she says. “That kind of active sponsorship, not just mentorship, made a real difference for me, and it’s not equally available to everyone.”

Enormously keen to ensure there is more support to see women in finance, Barbara notes that actually, there is “still work to do”. Representation is more than just mentorship; however, as Barbara notes:

“sponsorship is what actually moves careers. It means someone putting your name in the room when you’re not there. Organisations that are serious about this need to be intentional about how those opportunities show up, because it rarely happens on its own.” 

Ensuring that the well-earned kindness is paid forward, Barbara advocates for a diverse hiring portfolio, with team members from all walks of life. She says this is a direct route to “better decisions and stronger teams, which ultimately leads to bold ideas and real innovation”.

Cashing the technology bet 

Something that has, without question, fundamentally changed finance is the introduction of cloud technology. You thought I was going to say AI? That comes after.

Barbara explains that the shift allows for a more efficient process: “Now finance teams can run their own reports, model scenarios and do much more without waiting on another team. That shift fundamentally changed what finance can do.”

What can finance do? Barbara explains the daily priority shifts as no two days are the same.

“It’s one of the things I love about this role. I spend a lot of time collaborating across the business. On any given day I might be working with our CIO and executive team on where AI can drive the most value, reviewing financial strategy with our head of investor relations, or partnering with our Chief Revenue Officer to keep us on the path to sustainable, durable growth.”

She notes that this year, Workiva has been guided into more than US$1bn in revenue. Things are picking up the pace, with AI of course coming in to assist.

“A big part of my role is making sure our data is working for us. If you're running AI across fragmented systems or unreliable data, that’s not a strategy, it’s a liability.” Barbara explains.

Not even 10 years ago, but perhaps five, finance teams were telling a different story.

“The CFO role carries a dual mandate: drive meaningful AI adoption across the company while transforming the finance organisation itself” Barbara continues, “and those two things are deeply connected. That’s one of the areas where I’m focused.”

It’s safe to say that AI is embedded into workflows and products almost across the corporate board, with CFOs embracing it among successful businesses around the world. Barbara agrees, calling it the “next revolution.”

“AI brings a layer of automation and intelligence that has never existed before: better anomaly detection, smarter forecasting, faster close processes.”

Earlier in the year, Workiva released a global CFO survey that found 91% of executives say AI has improved the timeliness and strategic value of financial decisions.

However, Barbara notes that Workiva’s Mid-Year Benchmark Survey displays a different result. In that report, only 11% of executives believe that their AI is data-ready.

“That gap is the real challenge,” she says. “At Workiva, we're focused on helping customers apply AI using their own data and context so that outputs are traceable and defensible. The companies that are grounding AI in trusted, connected data today will have a significant competitive advantage.”

ESG and the responsibility of the CFO 

Workiva sits at an intersection of three key sectors a CFO needs to know; financial reporting, GRC and sustainability disclosure.

Barbara explains that she leads the company’s cross-functional Sustainability Task Force. “It’s a natural fit given how central reporting transparency is to everything we do.” she notes. 

“We prioritise transparency and accountability, and every year we voluntarily publish a sustainability report detailing our progress.”

Workiva makes sure that these values are reflected not only in the work it does for its clients, but also potential clients. 

Investing into agentic AI, Workiva supports clients with their own sustainability goals, recently releasing a Sustainability Disclosure Agent which uses AI to identify and fill reporting gaps. 

“With more than 6,700 global customers, getting this right has an outsized impact on the quality of sustainability information reaching internal decision makers and investors” notes Barbara. “That scale is what makes this work meaningful.”

As the CFO of a large-scale company designed to uniquely assist other CFOs, Barbara condenses some of her wisdom to three points. 

To get ahead, the best bet for finance executives, according to Barbara, is not just to know the numbers.

Knowing the business is essential. “You have to know how things work across the entire enterprise. Seek out partnerships and opportunities that give you that broader perspective.” she adds. 

The second point is to “stay curious and welcome change”. Along with technology, circumstances and even business priorities will change.

Barbara says: “You have to be willing, and ideally eager, to continuously learn and evolve. That was true before AI. It is even more true now.”

Finally, Barbara places a high focus on the importance of people and network. 

“Build your network intentionally.” she concludes.  “Not just contacts, but people who will genuinely advocate for you and tell you the truth when you need to hear it. A strong network is not about volume. It is about having the right people in your corner at the right moments.”