Workiva Taps SaaS Veteran Barbara Larson as CFO for AI-Driven Growth

NEW YORK, NY – December 10, 2025 – In a strategic move signaling a sharpened focus on profitable expansion and operational rigor, Workiva Inc. (NYSE:WK) has appointed seasoned software industry executive Barbara Larson as its new Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective January 20, 2026. The appointment brings a financial leader with a deep playbook for scaling high-growth public software companies to the helm of Workiva’s finances, just as the company doubles down on its AI-powered platform for enterprise transparency and trust.

Larson’s arrival is a clear signal to investors and the market that Workiva is arming itself with the leadership required to capitalize on what it terms a “massive global market opportunity.” With a background that includes CFO roles at SentinelOne and a decade in financial leadership at Workday, her experience is directly aligned with Workiva's ambitions. This move comes as organizations worldwide face mounting pressure for accurate, integrated financial and non-financial reporting, creating significant demand for the kind of secure, audit-ready solutions that Workiva provides.

An Architect for Profitable Scaling

Workiva's choice of Barbara Larson is far from a routine executive replacement; it is a calculated decision to onboard a leader whose career has been defined by navigating the complexities of high-growth SaaS environments. Her most recent role as CFO of cybersecurity firm SentinelOne, and more notably, her nearly ten-year tenure at Workday where she rose to the CFO position, have equipped her with a specific and highly relevant skill set. At Workday, she was instrumental in managing the company’s financial strategy during a period of significant expansion, which included overseeing its first $3 billion investment-grade debt offering.

This experience is particularly pertinent given Workiva's current trajectory. The company has demonstrated robust financial health throughout 2025. In its third quarter ending September 30, 2025, Workiva reported a 21% year-over-year increase in total revenue to $224 million and raised its full-year guidance, projecting a non-GAAP operating margin between 9.2% and 9.4%. This performance builds on a strong year, with second-quarter subscription revenue growing 23% and the company's customer base expanding to over 6,400 organizations, including more than 85% of the Fortune 1,000.

In the official announcement, Workiva CEO Julie Iskow emphasized this strategic alignment. “Barbara is a seasoned financial leader with a proven track record, and we are thrilled to welcome her to the Workiva team. Her experience is especially relevant as we continue to focus on profitable growth,” Iskow stated. Larson will partner closely with Iskow and newly named Chief Revenue Officer Michael Pinto to drive operational rigor across the organization, a key step in unlocking new efficiencies and sustaining the company's growth momentum.

The Modern CFO: From Platform User to Strategic Leader

A compelling aspect of Larson’s appointment is her prior experience as a customer. Her familiarity with the Workiva platform from a user's perspective provides her with a unique and powerful lens through which to view the company’s strategy and product development. This dual perspective as both a financial leader and an end-user is increasingly valuable in an era where the CFO role has evolved from a back-office function to a strategic partner deeply involved in technology and operational decisions.

“I am incredibly excited to join Workiva at this significant moment in its growth trajectory,” Larson commented in the release. “The CFO community recognizes that the need for connected data to power transparency and trust has never been greater, and as a Workiva user, I believe their platform is uniquely positioned to address this massive global market opportunity.”

This user-to-executive journey is reflective of the modern CFO, who must possess not only financial acumen but also technological foresight. Larson’s experience as General Manager of Workday Financial Management, where she oversaw product strategy, further underscores her deep understanding of the intersection between finance and technology. This background will be critical as Workiva continues to embed AI across its platform. Workiva AI is designed to transform complex tasks like content generation, data analysis, and insight extraction, shifting finance professionals from producers to editors and analysts. Larson's ability to bridge the gap between financial necessity and technological capability will be invaluable in guiding these innovations to meet real-world customer needs.

Capitalizing on the Transparency Imperative

Larson’s appointment is strategically timed to help Workiva capitalize on a powerful secular trend: the escalating demand for corporate transparency. Stakeholders, from investors to regulators and customers, are demanding more comprehensive and reliable data that extends beyond traditional financial statements to include Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) metrics and other non-financial key performance indicators. This creates immense complexity for large organizations, which must gather, connect, and report data from disparate sources in a controlled and auditable manner.

Workiva’s unified platform is designed specifically to solve this problem, integrating financial reporting, ESG, and Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) into a single secure environment. The value proposition is significant, with a Forrester Consulting study indicating that the platform can deliver a 208% return on investment with a payback period of less than six months. For industries facing intense public and regulatory scrutiny, such as energy and mining, the ability to produce assured, integrated reports is no longer a luxury but a necessity for maintaining a license to operate and investor confidence.

With Larson’s expertise in financial strategy, Iskow’s vision for the platform, and Pinto’s focus on revenue growth, Workiva is assembling a leadership team purpose-built to address this expanding market. Larson's role on the board of Equifax, a company at the heart of data and trust, further burnishes her credentials in this domain, reinforcing the message that Workiva is serious about being the bedrock platform for corporate accountability.

Ensuring a Smooth and Strategic Transition

For investors, leadership transitions can be a source of uncertainty. However, Workiva has orchestrated a clear and deliberate succession plan that should mitigate any concerns. The company previously announced that current CFO Jill Klindt would step down at the end of 2025, concluding a multi-year tenure that saw her guide the company's finances successfully. Following Klindt's departure on December 26, 2025, CEO Julie Iskow will serve as Interim CFO.

This brief interim period ensures stable leadership until Larson officially begins on January 20, 2026. By announcing the appointment well in advance and laying out a clear timeline, Workiva provides a transparent and orderly handover of a critical executive function. This structured approach ensures leadership continuity as Workiva prepares to leverage its strengthened executive team to pursue its ambitious goals for global expansion and AI-powered financial transformation.