What we’re learning as a Workiva design partner heading into 2026

As we enter our third year as a Workiva Enhanced Design Partner, and following the annual Workiva Fuze event in San Diego, where Emperor was one of the very few global creative agencies in attendance, it felt like the right moment to pause and reflect on what we’ve learned and how 2026 is shaping up.

Each year, Fuze brings together more than 1,000 Workiva champions and a select group of expert partners to discuss the market, share experiences, and explore what lies ahead. Summarising three days of insightful discussions is no small task, but several themes clearly stood out. Chief among them was the shared commitment to innovation and purposeful collaboration across the reporting and compliance landscape. This is where the expanding role of creative agencies like Emperor becomes essential, not simply as production partners, but as strategic allies who relieve pressure, enhance clarity, and help create work that truly makes a difference. It has also become clear that agencies must be involved as early as possible to build long-term trust and shape solutions alongside clients, rather than reacting to them.

When it comes to stakeholder engagement, working closely with teams producing annual reports, investor decks, and complex disclosures on Workiva gives us a front‑row seat to how reporting is evolving. Several themes are emerging as Workiva sharpens its 2026 vision:

1. The bar for consistency and execution is rising fast.

   Customers expect smoother workflows, tighter collaboration, and fewer manual steps. Workiva’s focus on disciplined, end‑to‑end execution mirrors what we see daily: the organisations that succeed treat reporting as a connected process, not a series of tasks.

2. C‑suite expectations have changed.

   CFOs and senior leaders want reporting that is not just compliant but strategic. Navigating economic uncertainty, new regulations, and rapid AI adoption, they expect their reporting tools, and partners like us, to help them move faster and with greater confidence.

3. “One team” delivery matters more than ever.

   Workiva’s emphasis on a unified customer experience reflects what we have learned in practice. When design, reporting, data, and governance teams operate as one, outputs are clearer, more accurate, and far more impactful. In 2026, collaboration with Implementation partners will be essential to delivering a fully integrated approach.

4. AI is shifting from novelty to necessity.

   Features such as customer‑specific intelligence, peer benchmarking, and agent‑driven validations are transforming how teams work. The biggest gains come when organisations combine these tools with strong design and storytelling, turning automation into insight, not just speed.

5. Dynamic, reusable content is becoming the new standard.

   Dynamic Tables and multi‑entity reporting reinforce a long‑standing trend: “build once, reuse everywhere” is not only efficient but critical for accuracy and scale. The more reusable the structure, the more time teams can spend on narrative and clarity.

Looking ahead, 2026 is set to be a year defined by disciplined execution and elevated performance. Workiva’s ambition to “change the game” resonates strongly with Emperor, highlighting the opportunity for partners like us to act as catalysts for that change. Together, Workiva and Emperor are helping organisations strengthen their influence with stakeholders by pairing intelligent technology with thoughtful design and strategic storytelling.

So, whether you are already on Workiva or thinking about transitioning, remember:

• Reporting must be treated as a connected, end‑to‑end process, not a set of isolated tasks to meet rising expectations for consistency and execution.

• CFOs and senior leaders now expect reporting tools and partners to provide strategic clarity, not just compliance, especially amid economic and regulatory change.

• AI and reusable content models are becoming foundational, enabling faster insight generation, stronger narratives, and scalable, multi‑entity reporting.

• It’s about working as a team with all the relevant partners to deliver better, quicker results.

For more information about how Emperor can support you with your Workiva projects, contact [email protected]