Mandi McReynolds is the chief sustainability officer at reporting software firm Workiva and serves as the vice president of their global ESG arm. Jill Klindt is Workiva’s chief financial officer and is responsible for the firm’s global financial management, corporate accounting, tax strategy, procurement and enterprise risk management.
2025 has kicked off with a collision of pivotal events: the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump in the U.S., the first wave of reporting due under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive in the European Union, and the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting kicking off in Davos with the theme of “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age.”
It is a pivotal year for chief sustainability officers and chief financial officers. We spoke with hundreds of corporate executives across our roster of 6,000+ global customers at events like Climate Week NYC and COP29 and one objective was made clear. This dynamic CSO-CFO duo must stand united in the face of risk and uncertainty to thrive in the new low-carbon economy.
As global sustainability pressures ramp up and artificial intelligence takes center stage, CSOs and CFOs are juggling a dual mandate: driving sustainable growth while navigating the chaos of over 70 global elections and digital transformation needs. Despite the political noise, Workiva’s recent post-election survey found 8 in 10 executives are still committed to sustainability.
Meanwhile, our inboxes are flooded with articles, takes on the backlash against ESG and endless talk of uncertainty. The truth? The only way to combat these tensions is to stay focused on business integration, new market growth and keeping innovation at the forefront.
Three opportunities for uniting sustainability and finance
1. Sustainable business integration
If you're still treating sustainability like a checkbox, you're already falling behind and missing out on opportunities for your business and learning from each other. CFOs need to see sustainability as a value driver, not a side project, while CSOs should move from compliance to proactive leadership. After all, our recent surveys indicate that 97% of executives find that integrating financial and ESG data helps spot growth opportunities, and 88% of investors prefer companies that do it.
Here are a few best practices we’ve learned for integrating sustainability: establishing joint governance and board reporting; investing in team development; inviting outside experts to contribute on topics such as return on investment, double materiality and CSRD; and building a solid data approach for risk management and supply chain.
But our favorite might surprise you: travel and learn together. Three years ago, Workiva became the first SaaS company to join the CFO Coalition for the SDGs, a United Nations-backed initiative which focuses on aligning corporate finance strategies with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. It sparked a journey of us attending opportunities together. At global events, we were often the only CSO/CFO team in the room or we got invited to separate CSO/CFO gatherings. It was the casual hotel chats and shared rides that helped us connect sustainability and finance, creating a foundation for a strategy that drives both business and societal outcomes.
2. Mergers, acquisition and new market entry
In today’s climate, mergers and acquisitions would not be successful without CSOs and CFOs at the center of the decision-making. In a 2024 KPMG study of global M&A dealmakers, 71% of respondents reported that ESG considerations have increased in importance in transactions over the past 12 to 18 months and 82% said that ESG considerations are on their M&A agenda.
CSOs drive strategic alignment, ensuring acquisitions support long-term sustainability goals and evaluate opportunities for sustainable innovation for new market growth. CFOs lead financial due diligence, valuation and post-merger integration, ensuring the financial success of acquisitions.
When Workiva acquired Sustain.Life last year, both our CSO and CFO were key members of the project team. We collaborated to ensure we understood how Sustain.Life would fit into our sustainability goals as well as our financial goals. Both targets were equally important for us. Together, CSOs and CFOs unlock growth potential, strengthen competitive positioning and navigate the complexities of M&A transactions, maximizing value and aligning business objectives for long-term success. Their collaboration is crucial to making M&A a catalyst for innovation and sustainable growth.
3. Digital investments with data, insights and AI
After Climate Week NYC and COP29, the World Economic Forum’s 2025 meeting will focus on "Collaboration for the Intelligent Age," exploring how public and private sectors can tackle global challenges with technology. A 2024 Workiva survey found 83% of executives believe generative AI will help with regulation compliance, and over half of investors use it to evaluate financial and ESG performance. To lead effectively, CSOs and CFOs must pause and ask their teams three key questions.
- How can we integrate AI-driven insights to strengthen our sustainability reporting and attract investor confidence in a politically complex environment, while maintaining a secure operational platform?
- In what ways can we navigate the intersection of U.S. nationalism and global collaboration, ensuring our investments in digital technology and green innovation remain competitive internationally?
- How can we design AI systems that boost efficiency while also promoting environmental sustainability? How can we leverage generative AI and digital transformation to address staffing shortages, enhance talent acquisition and build cross-border partnerships with digital translation capabilities, ensuring we have the right capabilities to execute on sustainability and growth objectives despite global talent constraints?
The year ahead is a decisive moment
The stakes are higher than ever in 2025. In the year ahead, CSOs and CFOs must adopt a bold, dual approach: maintaining growth during regulatory and digital shifts, while embedding sustainability at the heart of their strategies. Those who combine financial discipline with digital sustainability leadership will thrive in a new low-carbon economy. In an increasingly complex world, the time to lead together is now.
