FEI Weekly Podcast

Over the past year the accounting profession has been waiting for the Securities and Exchange Commission to reveal new disclosure rules around sustainability reporting. The rules will have a major impact on how public companies construct and communicate their finance reports. But a funny thing happened on the way to the new SEC rules: California - the largest US state economy and one of the largest world economies – passed their own sustainability disclosure legislation that throws an even greater amount of complexity around the ESG reporting debate. In this episode of the podcast we speak Kristina Wyatt Deputy General Counsel and Chief Sustainability Officer for carbon and climate reporting platform Persefoni, about the new rules and how they could enhance or conflict with future SEC proposals.Special Guest: Kristina Wyatt.

Translating new technology into the sometimes slow to change world of accounting and finance takes a fair amount of passion to overcome established practices and generation skepticism. Jesse Rubenfeld and Tom Zehentner of FinOptimal are an example of a new crop of entrepreneurs trying to move the industry in the right direction. In this episode of the podcast Tom and Jesse discuss their passion for automation, their love hate relationship with Quickbooks and how to have a startup mindset in accounting. As you will hear, we began the conversation after a few technology missteps of our own.Special Guests: Jesse Rubenfeld and Tom Zehentner.

Special Guest: Judy Wright.

One of the technical backbones of small and middle market business throughout the US is Oracle’s NetSuite, offering finance and accounting teams a variety of tools that oversees everything from payroll to inventory. Last week NetSuite announced a new initiative to incorporate artificial intelligence into its products, promising a similar paradigm shift for users that it delivered over a decade ago when the software made the jump to the cloud. In this episode of the podcast my colleague Boyana Maras interviews NetSuites Tom Kelly and Paul Farrell about the new AI initiative and how small and middle market finance teams are adapting to this rapid technological change. Just a note, this conversation took place at NetSuite’s user conference and the first interview you will hear will be from Paul Farrell followed by Tom Kelly. Special Guests: Paul Farrell and Tom Kelly.

For financial executives, that means getting into the weeds of how money is going out and if procurement operations is getting the most value and efficiency out of their work. In this sponsored episode of the FEI Weekly podcast we speak with Matthew Smith, CFO and cofounder of Fine Tune, an expense management firm focused on getting the most value out of a company’s procurement operations and indirect services.Special Guest: Matthew Smith.Sponsored By:Fine Tune

Tamara Sword is a Certified Public Accountant and ordained minister who works to bridge the worlds of finance and faith. With a passion for making a meaningful impact, she serves as both an employee and consultant, guiding churches, non-profits, and businesses towards success. Become an FEI Engage subscriber today.Special Guest: Tamara Sword.

In this episode of the podcast we speak with Andrew Struthers-Kennedy, Protivit’si managing director and global leader of its Internal Audit and Financial Advisory practice, regarding the firms 14th annual Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Compliance Survey and the changes he’s seeing at the intersection of technologies and internal controls. Learn more about FEI.Special Guest: Andrew Struthers-Kennedy.

Over the past several months tens of thousands of workers– from Hollywood writers and actors, hotel workers, drivers and now auto workers – have organized job actions in an effort to demand higher pay and improved benefits and working conditions. According to reports, more than 300,000 workers walked off their jobs, earning the movement the name “hot strike summer.” Dr. Rouen is an associate professor of business administration at Harvard Business School. We discuss how the summer of strikes may help further define the current debate around human capital disclosure. Join FEISpecial Guest: Ethan Rouen.

FEI Engage – Financial Executives Internatinonal’s platform for the community of students and early career people in accounting finance – held three discussions during the summer for subscribers that were focused on the skills needed for newly minted professionals. Today’s podcast is a recording of the first seminar held by FEI Engage’s Olivia Berkman with Jeffrey Hales – Executive Director of the Global Sustainability Leadership Institute at University of Texas at Austin – regarding how finance and accounting skills need to adapt to a world that demands new financial reporting skills.Special Guest: Jeffrey Hales, PhD.

The post pandemic economy has reset the playbook for many financial executives and industries, but one company that seemed to have thrived in the crisis is Nashville-based Tractor Supply Company. With stores throughout the US and a focus on rural America, Tractor Supply has grown by double digits in terms of sales and new customers. As part of Financial Executive Weekly’s continuing series on finance in middle America, we speak with Kris Bybee, Vice President of Finance at Tractor Supply Company, how they have managed their explosive growth, the challenges of recruiting finance talent outside of coastal cities and what you can learn from America's love of chickens.Special Guest: Kris Bybee.