FEI Podcast

Tensions with China have been at the top of the political discourse over the past several months whether it's rouge balloons or Taiwan trips. And just like the geopolitical landscape, the capital markets are coming to terms with a reset of the relationship between the US and PRC. In this episode of the Financial Executive Podcast we speak with Weiheng Chen, partner with the law firm of Wilson Sons...

COVID-19 induced workplace shifts had an affect on almost every indusry. But for the finance and accounting profession at large, these shifts have contributed to a mass exodus of accountants. It was reported by the Wall Street Journal that more than 300,000 U.S. accountants and auditors have left their jobs in the past two years and colleges across the United States have seen a 17% decline in the...

Whatever the future holds for the finance function – recession, supply chain disruptions, or management pivots – having the correct and latest financial information will be the key to success. A large part of the battle to optimize financial information falls within an organization's digital transformation efforts. In this sponsored episode of the financial executive podcast we speak with Gina Fer...

Mentorship in finance and accounting is more important than ever as the economy and job market changes. That’s one of the reasons Financial Executives International is launching a new mentorship platform as part of FEI Engage. In this episode of the podcast we listen to some of the most relevant discussions that FEI’s Olivia Berman had last year as part of FEI Engage’s How I Got Here series. In or...

The War in Ukraine created a new global energy crisis, while at the same time the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act is making a historic investment in solar and renewable energy. The question remains whether the transition away from fossil fuels can keep pace with renewable sector’s capacity as a reliable source of energy for the US economy. Special Guest: William (Tres) Petmecky.

In this sponsored episode of the Financial Executive podcast we speak with Rehman Rashid, Finance Leader at Workday and Rex Blodgett Director, People Analytics at Workday, regarding their approach to closely tying together finance and human resources for more effective planning, Special Guests: Rehman Rashid and Rex Blodgett.

Whether it’s uncertainty in the Gulf, war in Ukraine or the move to renewable sources, the energy industry is facing a generational paradigm shift with long-term implications for its future. Not since the crisis of the 1970s have energy providers been confronted with so many risks and opportunities. Fossil fuels remain at the center of the global energy ecosystem, and Houston-based Halliburton pro...

Environmental, Social and Governance standards have recently moved beyond the realm of necessities. These standards, used to attract socially conscious investors, have become necessities for companies and organizations alike. The real struggle for many investors is tangibility and practicality. Greenwashing too, has become a real industry challenge. Chris McClure is the leader of the Crowe's newly...

October 11 is National Coming Out Day and we thought it would be a good time to share a conversation that took place earlier this year during Financial Executives International Belonging In Finance. Dillon Papenfuss, FEI’s Director of Research and Kevin Lavin, a partner with EY had a very thoughtful discussion about some of the hurdles they faced when coming out in the industry and what changes th...

Financial professionals are currenlty dealing with a lot of unknowns in this economic environment, whether that is revenue, budgeting or even staffing. This can lead to a lot of static in your numbers and a lot of confusion for anyone trying to rely on those numbers. In this sponsored episode of the Financial Executive Podcast we speak with Christopher Geers, Director at Huron Consulting Group, ab...

In this episode of the podcast we speak with Mark Cowan, a professor of accountantcy at Boise State University. A CPA and a lawyer, Prof Cowan has spent his career in both public and industry accounting and has written about the role of mental health in the profession and the need for some things to change. Depression and the CPA How CPAs and employers can support mental health Special Guest: Mark...

Consecutive market shocks of a global pandemic, rising inflation, and a threatened recession continue to chip away at market confidence. Despite these traumas, the US financial services industry has never been more stable. Special Guests: Giannine Cohoon and Tonya Hummers.

Rapid changes in the US economy are forcing consumer credit providers to shore up their balance sheets and operations for some rough waters. Amex’s David Fabricant sits down with FEI to detail how one of the largest credit provider is bracing for any change. Special Guest: David Fabricant.

There is a great deal of uncertainty rolling through the business community and markets, and strategies, customers and products that seemed a sure thing six months ago are being called into question. Financial executives with critical financial planning and analysis, or FP&A skills, will be needed more than ever to help management prepare for all economic possibilities. Special Guest: James Hs...

Payments are the lifeline of any business, as the main artery for cashflow and financial sustainability. Kristy Carstensen lead’s the finance efforts of Minneapolis-based US Bank’s payment services and will offer her perspective on how payments practices will evolve over the next decade. Special Guest: Kristy Carstensen.

Consecutive market shocks of a global pandemic, rising inflation, and a threatened recession continue to chip away at market confidence. Despite these traumas, the US financial services industry has never been more stable. The Financial Education & Research Foundation (FERF), in cooperation with Robert Half | Protiviti, will hold live, in-depth Q&A discussions with three leaders that will...

A key responsibility for anyone in the finance function is closing the company books on a monthly, quarterly and yearly basis. And although to a layperson that may seem like a straightforward process, anyone with an accounting or finance background knows it’s anything but. Filled with multiple stakeholders and dependencies, the financial close can be a complicated process for even a small organiza...

Civil rights audits, also known as racial equity audits, have become a new way for organizations to review their internal and external operations for systemic racism and discrinination. Although they do not necessarily involve the finance function, they do have a significant impact on company disclosures and strategy. In this episode of the podcast we speak with Valecia McDowell and Elena Mitchell...

Shareholders have filed more ESG resolutions in 2022 than in all previous years, according to Morngingstar.. In this podcast we speak with Andrew Behar, CEO of the non-profit As You Sow, a shareholder advocacy non-profit that focuses on corporate social responsibility. We discuss the current proxy season and how accounting, auditing and financial disclosure practices fit into their approach to eng...

Crypto and blockchain are finding quick adoption in the corporate world, and that means financial executives are looking for ways to overlay some of the time tested assurance practices. Given the emphasis on the technology underpinning crypto it should be no surprise that service organization control reports, often referred to as SOC reports, are being embraced by companies looking to develop an o...

This podcast is the first in a series of discussions we are conducting for our FEI Engage subscribers, with the goal of offering access to senior auditing and accounting professionals and academics to get their thoughts on the biggest issues facing students and early career professionals entering the industry. In this inaugural Engage 101 podcast, we look at China. Over the past 20 years the rise...

The past two years of pandemic-induced uncertainty have opened the door for risks that financial executives have not had to manage at scale in decades: rapidly rising inflation and the knock-on effect of currency volatility. Join the Financial Education and Research Foundation (FERF) for the first ForwardThinking session of the New Year to learn about how these new risks should be reported, measur...

For finance leaders in the media, news and entertainment industries, digital transformation has altered traditional business models. Disruptions in politics, public policy, and consumer habits along with ever-changing digital platforms, have forced many to pivot. Media financial executives are tasked with trying to survive in an industry beset with risks, and also making their organizations financ...

Over the past several months there has been no shortage of discussion regarding global trade and the knock on-effects of the pandemic. But while debates over supply chain and cargo disruptions are at the top of everyone’s minds when it comes to physical trade, there is an even more important discussion building about the future of the global trade in services. In this episode of the Financial Exec...

The new year may start with a bang for lenders, but not in a good way. On the heels of the federal eviction moratorium expiration for most states that takes place in January, lenders may see a rise in commercial foreclosures—both on properties that had been in default before COVID-19 took hold and properties that were vacated over 2021. In this episode the podcast we speak with Brendan Arnott, Sen...