She was a customer before she was the CFO. Now she’s steering Workiva to $1 billion in revenue
Good morning. When Barbara Larson assumed the role of Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Workiva in January, she stepped into a position that did not require an extensive adjustment period. She previously utilized the company’s financial reporting platform at Workday and VMware and had actively promoted its capabilities. Consequently, when the chance to join Workiva arose, her decision was clear-cut.
“I love this stage of the company,” Larson remarked. It represents a pivotal moment in the quest for scalability. “We’ve set our sights on reaching $1 billion in revenue this year.”
Workiva (NYSE: WK), which provides an AI-enhanced platform for governance, risk management, compliance, and sustainability, reported a total revenue of $885 million for fiscal 2025, reflecting a 20% increase compared to the previous year, with subscription and support revenue growing by 22%. For the entirety of 2026, the company anticipates total revenue to be between $1.036 billion and $1.040 billion. Among its more than 6,600 clients are notable organizations such as Hershey, Slack, and KeyBank, as listed on its website.
Larson brings over twenty years of financial leadership experience to her role. Prior to her appointment at Workiva, she served as CFO at SentinelOne and spent nearly a decade at Workday, where she ultimately held the CFO position. Her career also includes senior roles at VMware, TIBCO Software, and Symantec.
Many organizations continue to struggle with vast amounts of data scattered across various systems, a significant challenge that Workiva aims to resolve, Larson indicated. “I’ve spent my entire career in finance,” she explained. According to Larson, data can either serve as an asset or pose a risk—there is no neutral position. If AI is applied within fragmented systems or based on unreliable data, it only compounds the risk of producing incorrect insights.
Larson highlighted that regulatory pressures are increasing, as fluctuating requirements and a dynamic geopolitical landscape render compliance a challenging endeavor. Workiva’s strategy is to anchor AI in the customer’s specific data, standards, and context, ensuring that the output is not just “plausible” but also actionable and justifiable.
This approach benefits internal users who manage SEC reporting, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, enterprise risk management, and sustainability disclosures, as well as external auditors utilizing the same platform. Larson cited SEC risk factor drafting as an example; when new standards or risks emerge, such as those posed by AI, teams can create disclosures and evaluate them against peers within a controlled environment.
Larson's position also exemplifies a wider transformation in the role of the CFO in 2026. She asserts that the responsibilities of a CFO today differ significantly from those five years ago.
This transformation includes a dual responsibility regarding AI: CFOs are tasked with fostering its adoption across the organization while simultaneously modernizing their own finance departments. At Workiva, Larson collaborates with the CIO and executive team to determine opportunities for AI to expedite outcomes and enhance shareholder value. In fiscal 2025, Workiva achieved over 600 basis points of non-GAAP operating leverage in tandem with a 20% revenue increase, a momentum she intends to sustain.
As a mentor, Larson's guidance is informed by her own experiences. Having frequently relocated during her upbringing, she learned the importance of embracing change, being adaptable, and maintaining curiosity—values that resonate in the AI era.
“If you wish to excel as a finance leader, you must comprehend the broader business landscape,” she stated.
Quick note: CFO Daily marked five years on March 28! Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with hundreds of finance chiefs across industries. It has been fascinating to report on the evolution of the CFO role and the future of the finance organization. A special thanks to Fortune’s executive editor Lee Clifford, who has worked with me from the beginning. And thank you for your readership.
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