FEI Podcast

Technologies and techniques such as robotics, machine learning, natural language processing, and blockchain present a defining opportunity for the finance function. However, companies that have not adequately invested in data will find their digital transformation efforts frustrated. The Financial Education & Research Foundation is working on a report with EY to help senior-level financial executives better understand data strategy and quality needed for their digital transformation. As part of that effort we speak with Professor Dave Waterman, an adjunct lecturer at Georgetown University and a data scientist at U.Group.Special Guest: Professor Dave Waterman.

In this episode of the Financial Executive Podcast, Dillon Papenfuss, Research Analyst for the Financial Education & Research Foundation (FERF), spoke with Brigham Young University (BYU) School of Accountancy Associate Teaching Professor Troy Lewis about the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) winners and losers and how executives can prepare for future uncertainties and surprises. Professor Lewis is the past chair of the tax executive committee of the American Institute of CPAs in Washington DC. In this role, he has testified six times before the United States Senate Finance Committee and the House Committee on Small Business.Special Guest: Troy Lewis.

FEI’s Committee on Corporate Reporting (CCR) recently release two ICFR: Insights, Issues, and Practices documents that address internal control considerations for preparers’ adoption of both the new leases standard and the new current expected credit loss (CECL) standard. FEI’s Managing Editor of FEI Daily Olivia Berkman spoke with Laura Phillips, Google - Director, Finance Compliance; CCR ICFR Working Group Leader, Matt Janzaruk, Procter & Gamble - Director, Finance & Accounting; CCR ICFR Leases Pilot Team Leader, and Craig Schmidt, Wells Fargo - Governance and Oversight Leader; CCR ICFR CECL Pilot Team Leader about what preparers can learn from these documents and their biggest takeaways from the experience.Special Guests: Craig Schmidt, Laura Phillips, and Matt Janzaruk.

Rapid advances in technology are quickly disrupting the auditing, accounting and financial reporting industry at a pace not seen in decades. As soon as one leap forward is adopted, such as cloud technology, another waits in the wings, such as blockchain. The Financial Executives Research and Education Foundation is working on a report looking to help senior-level financial executives better understand how to consider and prioritize changes in financial technology. As part of that effort we speak with Dr. Ryan Teeter, clinical assistant professor of accounting information systems at the University of Pittsburgh regarding his work on the area of technology changes in the financial reporting industry.Special Guest: Ryan Teeter, Ph.D..

FEI Daily Managing Editor Olivia Berkman speaks with Samuel Dergel, a search consultant assisting companies with their C-suite and executive talent needs across the United States and Canada Dergel will discuss trends he sees as companies search for CFOs, controllers, and CAOs in addition to how members looking to transition into board seats can best position their resumes.Special Guest: Samuel Dergel .

This summer the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission adopted a new rule that requires the use of “Inline XBRL” in the financial reporting process. Inline XBRL allows the user to embed data directly into a filing so that it is both human-readable and machine-readable. In this episode of the Financial Executive Podcast we will speak with SEC and XBRL industry professionals regarding the impact of the new requirement, the benefits and challenges of implementation and how preparers can get ready for the transition.Special Guests: Emily Huang, Mike Starr, and Mike Willis.

Increasing tariffs and the threat of a global trade war is something that all senior-level financial executives need to consider when planning for their organization’s financial future. But how can you do that when policies seem to change daily. We speak with Philip Sutter -- Director of U.S. Regulatory Affairs of global trade broker Livingston International – regarding his advice to clients when it comes to the global disruption in tariffs and trade.Special Guest: Philip Sutter.

How and where to leverage those technologies – and the knock on effect it has on finance staff and productivity – is the subject of a white paper that the Financial Executives Research Foundation is currently working towards publishing. In this episode of the Financial Executive Podcast, FEI Daily Managing Editor Olivia Berkman speaks with Dave Sackett, Senior Director of Finance & Administration at ULVAC Technologies and member of Financial Executive International’s Committee on Finance and Information Technology about his use if RPA and where he thinks it’s taking his company and the industry.Special Guest: Dave Sackett .

FEI Daily Managing Editor Oliva Berkman and Rober Half's Paul McDonald discuss how the latest survey of 1,700 financial executives reveals how digital transformation emergedas a critical business focus. Sponsored by Special Guest: Paul McDonald.

The war for talent isn't cooling down anytime soon, especially when it comes to the financial suite. Companies are finding unique ways of attracting job seekers and seeking candidates with a particular set of technical and soft skills who will also fit in with the company culture. Carrie Wentling, FEI's Director of Member Services, helps FEI members in staffing permanent employees and in their transitions between roles. We spoke with Carrie about what we can expect in the battle for financial talent in the new year.Special Guest: Carrie Wentling.

Special Guest: Stefanie Johnson.

Financial Executives International Managing Editor Olivia Berkman discusses cyber resilience with Paul Nicholas, Senior Director, Global Security Strategy and Diplomacy at Microsoft.Special Guest: Paul Nicholas.

Companies are struggling to attract experienced hires from public accounting firms. This is particularly concerning as companies adjust to all of the accounting-rule changes in the U.S. In this podcast, we speak with Ajit Kambil, Global Research Director of the Deloitte CFO Program, and Charles Holley, Retired CFO of Walmart and CFO-in-Residence of the Deloitte CFO Program on hiring strategies, the effects of automation, and developing accounting talent.Special Guests: Ajit Kambil and Charles Holley.

Hurricane Harvey, which struck Texas and parts of Louisiana last week, has dumped nearly 19 trillion gallons of water and damaged or destroyed over 100,000 homes. The storm has impacted people from all walks of life, including several members of Financial Executives International’s Houston Chapter. We spoke with Josh Tabin, a member of FEI Houston and Chair of its Young Leaders program to discuss the personal toll the storm has taken and how he will use his skills as a financial executive to rebuild for the future.Special Guest: Josh Tabin.

The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (JOBS Act) was signed into law five years ago this week with hope that removing burdensome disclosure requirements and encouraging the use of crowdfunding tools would spur new business startups to eventually grow into large public companies. The Financial Executive Research Foundation, in partnership with Donnelly Financial Solutions, is preparing to publish a white paper this month on the JOBS Act, whether is has changed the IPO market and how the law could change in the next five years. In this second podcast on the subject, we speak with Professor Reena Aggarwal, Director of Georgetown University’s Center for Financial Markets and Policy. Dr. Aggarwal, specializes in capital raising, initial public offering and corporate governance, discusses what lessons financial executives should learn regarding the first five years of the JOBS Act. Special Guest: Dr. Reena Aggarwal.

Uncertainty is not the friend of the financial executive, especially when it comes to long-term capital planning. What taxes will you pay, what businesses will be in demand and what regulations you will face are all subject to similar uncertainty as policies and programs are hammered out in Washington? In this episode of the Financial Executives Podcast we talk with Robert Fry, Chief Economist of Robert Fry Economics LLC. Mr Fry, who recently retired as Senior Economist at DuPont and currently teaches economics at the University of Delaware, will discuss what financial executives how financial executives can deal with the uncertainty dominant the current economic climate.Special Guest: Robert Fry.

The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, or JOBS Act, will be celebrating its fifth anniversary in April. When it was passed in 2012, the hopes were that streamlining the financial disclosure process and opening crowd funding platforms for capital raising would encourage more companies to go public. The Financial Executives Research Foundation, in partnership with Donnelly Financial Solutions, is working on a research project focusing on the Jobs Act and the impact on Emerging Growth Companies born out of the legislation. In this issue of the podcast, we speak with Joseph Hall, a partner at the law firm of Davis Polk. Mr. Hall is head of the firm’s corporate governance practice and is a former Managing Executive for Policy at the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission. Today, he often advises companies on the disclosure relief embedded in the Jobs Act.Special Guest: Joseph Hall.

A discussion with Joe Howell, Executive Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Workiva about how CFOs and other financial executives can take control of audit fees.

FASB's James L. Kroeker speaks with FEI's Erik Bradbury regarding financial reporting simplification initiatives going on with the accounting standard setter.

A discussion with Mark MacLeod of SuperPath Advisors on his career as a startup financial executive.

Want to know the first call a CFO makes in a data breach? It's not who you think.

How should CFOs and other financial executives think and plan for private healthcare exchanges? ADP's Will Giaconia explains.