The Pre-Read10 Nov 2025

The CSO Role Is Evolving: A Strategic Partner to the CFO

The chief sustainability officer (CSO) is moving from a siloed function to a strategic, finance-aligned partner.

In this episode of The Pre-Read, Workiva Chief Sustainability Officer Mandi McReynolds sits down with Serena Oppenheim, co-founder of Fin-Erth, to discuss the need for a tighter integration between the CFO and the CSO, framing sustainability as enterprise risk management.

Serena Oppenheim explains why genuine community, not transactional networking, is the key to tackling big business problems. Learn about the power of the small ask—focusing on manageable tasks that impact business and society. Mandi and Serena also share:
Why the CFO, CSO, and CIO worlds are starting to work together
The growing frustration when the sustainability function sits in a silo
How to build your own "table" with people who will challenge your thinking
The importance of asking different questions in a new executive role

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction
01:50 Climate Week takeaways: The partnership of the CFO and CSO
03:30 Framing sustainability as enterprise risk management
04:20 Serena Oppenheim on building trust and community
05:15 The power of the small ask
07:10 Why traditional networking is awful for introverts
09:40 The accidental birth of Thin Earth as a community
12:50 Being intentional with C-suite relationships
17:00 How to build your own table with dissenters
20:45 Leaning into a different perspective at the executive table
25:00 Finding your business superpower to build your table 2
8:00 Driving strategy by looking at financial and sustainability data together

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