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Want a peak behind the curtain into one of the best places to work in cybersecurity and the minds of the innovators behind the industry’s leading security operations platform? Tune in to The Howler podcast!
Hosted by Chelsea Lowman, People Experience Specialist, and Mary Newville, People Experience Senior Manager, the culture duo connects with pack leaders on leadership insights, mental health and overall wellbeing, and how they lead their teams to advance our mission of ending cyber risk.
Susan Corcoran-Audio
Tue, Dec 09, 2025 4:47PM � 1:02:05
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Howler Podcast, holiday season, Arctic Wolf, Susan Corcoran, chief accounting officer, leadership, work-life balance, strategic projects, AI integration, financial integrity, team collaboration, career advice, well-being, holiday events, employee assistance program.
SPEAKERS
Mary Newville, Susan Corcoran, Chelsea Lowman
Chelsea Lowman 00:03
Hi, welcome back to the Howler Podcast. I'm Chelsea and I'm Mary, and it is December, the last month of the year. Holy cow. We made
Mary Newville 00:12
it. We made it almost,
Chelsea Lowman 00:15
almost. Cannot believe it
Mary Newville 00:19
feels like just yesterday we were recording our January episode and talking about New Year's resolutions.
Chelsea Lowman 00:25
And seriously, here we are December. I know I can't believe it. Before we talk a little bit more about December, I do want to talk about the elephant in the room.
Mary Newville 00:37
Yeah, okay. Well, if you're watching this on YouTube, if you're listening, this is great, but if you're watching and you're having deja vu, this is truly a new episode. It's not the November one, but I do happen to be wearing the exact same sweater I was wearing when we recorded November. Apparently, I really like this sweater. Yeah, I forgot. It was a podcast recording day. You know? It's Thanksgiving. We got a lot going on. I was up last night till one in the morning wrapping presents because I am trying to, I wanted to bring them home so they're there, so I don't have to ship them, because I won't be home for Christmas, you know. So there's a lot going on. And I just, you know, whipped out a classic. And then I saw the podcast on the calendar, and was like, shoot, I'm pretty sure I wore this last time. Anyways, outfit repeater here on the podcast today, but that's okay if you're listening,
Chelsea Lowman 01:25
yeah, and you're teaching us, you're teaching us sustainability. Yes, you're teaching us to really like prize, the things that prize to love the things that we like, own and use them. And, yeah, I'm all for it, but it was so funny. Mary's like, can you look really quick and see if I was wearing this last episode? I was like, Yes, you are wearing the exact same but usually we both, I feel like the first year or two, we were both really good at making sure that we weren't wearing the same thing,
Mary Newville 01:59
yeah, and I used to be really good about trying to wear a different Arctic wolf t shirt every podcast, like represent a different pack unity Alliance or something. But alas, here we are, though I did almost change, because I have a pile of polos here next to my desk from our vendor, just samples for the new hire swag. And I was like, should I put one of these on? But Chelsea convinced me just to roll with it.
Chelsea Lowman 02:26
Just rock your sweater, your fave sweater. We're kind of matching because I'm also in like a cream, cream sweater. Okay, well, up until 1am wrapping presents that is a dedicated aunt, if I've ever seen one,
Mary Newville 02:40
it was, honestly, so fun. We were gonna watch a Christmas movie while I did that, but we just watched Ted lasso. But, yeah, I'm so excited. And I had everything ready, so I was like, might as well just bring it up when I go, I'll check a bag and then come back with it empty.
Chelsea Lowman 02:56
Hey, nice. Yes, speaking of the holiday season, yeah, we call it the holidays here at Arctic Wolf, and we have so many, like, fun, different activities that we do. And I'm just curious, in your five years here, like, what are some of your favorite holidays memories? Oh, that's
Mary Newville 03:14
a great question. Chelsea, okay, my favorite Arctic wolf holiday memories? Okay, there was one year where, I think this was post covid, like, one of the first years the office was open. And so the ugly sweater contest consisted of like 12 of us. And so I was like, Hey, let's take a group picture. And this was when we were really small, so most people were in the same office. And so the 12 of us that were dressed up in Minnesota or so we decided to take, like a boy band cover photo, Holiday Edition. That's so funny. We all posed on this big, like, banquet table, or, you know that island in the cafe, the tall one? Yeah, people are kind of like posed in front of it, on it all sorts of like, cool group band photos, and I feel like that's my favorite Arctic wolf holiday photo.
Chelsea Lowman 04:07
Wait, amazing. Do you still have said photo? I feel like we need to share it in the Howler Slack channel.
Mary Newville 04:12
Oh, we should. I'm sure I could find it. But you know, as I'm telling the story, I'm having a flashback to you and I going to Canada for the holidays a couple years ago, that actually maybe is my favorite one ever. It was like a the super chaotic Minute to Win It that we like pulled off with some kW members at the last second, we had a ton of people show up, followed by convincing a bunch of people to come play pickleball with us at like Community Center for that was like, we were like, Oh, it'll be, like, a PX sponsored, like, bonding event. And it really was like, I swear, like, $2.50 a person, but they wouldn't let us pay as a group. Everyone had to pay individually funny, because it was like, Oh, well, if you want to expense that. But, I mean. It's $2.50
Chelsea Lowman 05:02
that was such a fun trip. Well, because that was my first time to the KW office, I think you that was your second, or you had been before. Yeah, we Yes. The whole trip was chaotic, too, because I don't know if you remember, but we pulled off the Minnesota holiday party the like, day before, and then we, like, flew the next day to go to kW. Okay, landed, drove. Do you remember I got, like, a weird rental car?
Mary Newville 05:29
What happened? Rip off.
Chelsea Lowman 05:31
I got a rental car off my, like, credit card travel portal, and it said it was at the Toronto Airport, but it was not to, like, get in this van, and they drove you to this, like, strip mall, and then the place was just, let's say it was interesting,
Mary Newville 05:48
have us, like, in separate rooms. Remember, I remember I was sitting away from you, like, then, oh, gosh, yeah. And it took
Chelsea Lowman 05:56
forever, yeah. And then, so then we rushed to because then it's like an hour and a half drive to the office. We get there, we do the Minute to Win It. Yeah, we play pickleball. Then we did the next day. We did the kW, like, holiday party. It was, yeah, it was a fun time, for sure, but very, very chaotic holidays that year. Yeah, that
Mary Newville 06:17
was a good memory, though. Lot of good memories on that trip. I'm like blanking on them at the moment, but
Chelsea Lowman 06:24
yeah, well, I wonder what our guests favorite, if they have, like holiday traditions, or if they participate in the holidays here at Arctic wolf like what they enjoy?
Mary Newville 06:35
Okay, we're so excited today to sit down with Susan Corcoran. She is our chief accounting officer at Arctic Wolf, with nearly two decades of experience, spanning Deloitte and United Health Group, Susan has led everything from SEC reporting to global accounting strategy. Now she's steering Arctic Wolf's financial integrity and compliance at the highest level. Let's see. I guarantee this is going to be a fun conversation, even though accounting might not sound funny first pass. Yeah, let's meet Susan.
Chelsea Lowman 07:08
All right. Welcome to the podcast, Susan. We're so excited to have you here. Thanks for having me. Really appreciate it. Yes, it was so funny when I reached out to Susan to ask her to be on the podcast, he was like, I mean, I'm honored I'd love to, but like, Are you sure accounting isn't really the most exciting, but I feel like everyone always says that to us, and then we always have such a great conversation. So I have no doubts it'll be the exact same today. Good. So we always like to just ease into the conversation with a little topic based off something we know about you. And one of the things that Mary brought up immediately was that you own a farm, or you live on a farm. Grew up on a farm. I knew something farm, and it was fun. I knew it was farm. And then as I started talking, I was like, I actually don't know the detail of I just know farm. I don't know farm.
Mary Newville 08:09
I remember from your onboarding, you talking about growing up on a farm and learning, and you correct me if I'm wrong. But this is what I told Chelsea. I remembered I'm like, growing up on a farm and how it taught you, like a lot of values and work ethic, but also now not being on a farm, you have a lot more freedom. And I just remember you talking about loving to travel with your family, but you tell us, if that's accurate, that's what I recalled from orientation, probably like a lot of years ago.
Susan Corcoran 08:36
Yes, I know, I'm very impressed, and it's funny because I actually listened to the podcast, and I'm like, I wonder what they're gonna dig up on me, and if Mary would remember me talking about growing up on a farm. So I did grow up on a dairy farm about an hour north of the Twin Cities, and like I said, or told you, Mary, like two years ago, it like the work ethic that my parents showed me has, like, instilled in me just a level that can be a little crazy at times, but just I love it, and I love that I had that example, but we were tied to the farm every single day, and so we never got the opportunity, opportunity to travel. And that's something that my family and I love to do, and try and do a couple trips a year and just be able to show my boys way more than I got to see kind of growing up. So okay, so where are some recent
Chelsea Lowman 09:29
like, investigations that you
Mary Newville 09:31
family been? Yeah,
Susan Corcoran 09:33
well, my husband and I lived in London for a couple years, so we traveled extensively throughout Europe. I think when we lived there, we visited 26 countries over the three years.
Mary Newville 09:44
We weren't there. Did you guys have kids at the time?
Susan Corcoran 09:48
My oldest was actually born in London, and then we moved back when he was about eight weeks old. So he Yeah, that's his little claim to fame. He thinks he's a bit British, but I. We yeah, we went back to London with the boys. Did a couple years ago for spring break. We did a what was it? 11 day, 10 country road trip throughout kind of Central Europe. So hit a ton of the highlights and got to show them a lot of our favorite things. We went to Hawaii last year for spring break, done some traveling in the Caribbean. We just got back mea, here is a big thing in Minnesota. So the boys had a few days off, and we went to Washington State and explored the national parks there. So we kind of get all over the place. Just love to love to experience things that I've never seen or never had the opportunity growing up and get to experience all the places and cultures.
Mary Newville 10:46
Wow, do your parents still own the dairy farm or run the dairy farm?
Susan Corcoran 10:52
No, my mom, my dad, passed away, like 20 years ago, and so at that time, the farming ceased to happen, but my mom had actually just sold the farm to my brother, so it's still in the family. It's been in the family for over 100 years, which is fun to now have another generation owning it. It's not a working farm anymore, but it's still fun to have it in the family. So yeah, cool. Okay, well, I feel like I've mentioned it quite a few times on the podcast, so you maybe already know, but cows are my favorite animal.
Chelsea Lowman 11:30
So here you grow up on a dairy farm, like, just tell me what it was like to be around cows all the time. I mean, obviously a dairy farm, like, that's a whole process, and it's different than, like, just going up and like hugging a cow and cuddling cow. But what are your thoughts on cows? That's my hard hitting question.
Susan Corcoran 11:51
I'd say, growing up, I had zero appreciation for it, and probably was a little annoyed I was. I was probably the worst dairy farmer's daughter ever growing up because I refuse to do chores outside. I do stuff in the house and around the yard, but not actually in the barn or whatnot. But now I love cows, and I keep joking with my husband, I would love like a highland cattle, like, just want one. They're so stinking cute, and would just just want. And I tell my brother, who knows the farm? I'm like, can you just buy one and just raise it? Because it's they're so cute.
Chelsea Lowman 12:25
But honestly, he should, because he could make a lot of money off of that. Seriously, if he had a highland coup, and then he could do like, little visitation sessions, like, come visit the farm, visit the Highland cow, I would pay money for it.
Susan Corcoran 12:39
There you go, I'll bring it up to him again.
Chelsea Lowman 12:43
Business idea. Well, I'm sure when you lived in London, did you go up to Scotland quite a bit.
Susan Corcoran 12:49
We did make up to Scotland twice. Yeah, okay, okay,
Chelsea Lowman 12:54
race, okay. Well, I'm glad that you also love cows. I just think they're so adorable, and they're the dog of a farm. Like, they love to play. They form, like, real relationships with each other. They're just so cute.
Susan Corcoran 13:07
Yeah, if there was a calf born on someone's birthday, we always named it like, usually after the person like you kind of my, at least my parents, they have their favorites, and you knew which
Chelsea Lowman 13:19
ones they like. Okay, well, now that the fun is out of the way. No, I'm just joking. The whole thing is gonna be fun. Like hearing that you grew up on a dairy farm, let's stay back in the past a little bit when you were growing up on the farm. What did you used to dream about being when you were a grown up? Like, what did you want
Mary Newville 13:40
to be chief accounting officer?
Chelsea Lowman 13:42
Yeah, exactly. I don't know if you're dreaming, Chief accounting officer, but kind of take us on that journey of like, this is what I used to want to be, and then how did we end up chief accounting officer at our
Susan Corcoran 13:53
it's a funny question, because I feel like I didn't even know what an accountant was, probably until college. Like I growing up, I think everyone wants to be a doctor or a vet or a lawyer or, like what you see on TV, but not having I mean, my parents were farmers. I wasn't going to be a farmer. Really didn't know what all was out there. So it wasn't until I ended up in college and bounced around to a few different majors that I took an accounting course as part of, like the general ed for the business department, and it was super easy. And I was like, you know, I think I could do this. I could make a career out of this. And just kind of went, went from there. So I ended up an accounting major, and, you know, kind of fell in, fell into my lap a little bit. Wow. Okay, so did you always like math and numbers? And I did. I always liked math. That was always a strong suit for me. Math and Science were probably my two favorite subjects, kind of growing up and throughout college.
Mary Newville 14:53
So you took the accounting class, and you were like, I could see this for myself. And then you just kind of stayed the path and got it. An accounting job out of college and yeah.
Susan Corcoran 15:03
So I spent 10 years at Deloitte, which is a public accounting firm. That's how I ended up in London. They have different programs where you can kind of be seconded to offices overseas. So I ended up applying for that and ended up in the London office, that's where I met, actually, Aaron Boynton, so our SVP of FPA, so him and I were both in the same group in the London office, overlapping for two years. So got to got to know him there, came back to Minneapolis, and after a couple more years at Deloitte, I ended up at United Health Group and spent various roles there, in the corporate and segment accounting leadership roles, and then Aaron reached up to me to have lunch, to see if I was interested in coming to art Wolf. So kind of how full circle, how I ended up here. Would have never, kind of maybe known about Arctic wolf at my time at Deloitte or Uhg, but because of a chance meeting in London and being in the same place at the same time for a couple years, I ended up here.
Mary Newville 16:16
Yeah, okay. I love that story. And just like how you never know where, like, little connections or things may lead. But what has it been like coming from huge organizations to being in very much so like a startup organization where we're still building out so many processing tools and expanding globally?
Susan Corcoran 16:36
Yeah, I'd say that's one of the things that really drew me here was, uh, she is such a big beast that there wasn't a lot of room for change, or maybe appetite for improvement in areas, because it's, you know, turning a giant ship, whereas, you know, learning about Arctic Wolf and just the, you know, where, where we're at as a business, and the rapid growth that's been here, knowing that there is a lot of, A lot of processes that could be looked at for improvement. And, you know, just making sure that the accounting department is where we want to be for where our future aspirations are as a as a company. So that was, you know, it's definitely a culture shock coming from big company to a small one, but it's been a great kind of transition from
Mary Newville 17:22
my favorite parts about being here too is there's so much opportunity to create and influence.
Chelsea Lowman 17:29
Yeah, does your accounting, day to day feel different based off of like the industry you're working in? So like working in accounting and healthcare, does it feel different than a cybersecurity company, or do you not really the tasks are so similar that it doesn't really feel different?
Susan Corcoran 17:47
I'd say overall, it's pretty similar. There may be some nuanced questions that could come up, because obviously it's a different industry, different type of contracts that you're dealing with, but yeah, overall, it to me, is kind of transferable between what I was doing at uhg and the types of teams I was leading, or what we were working on to, you know, coming here
Chelsea Lowman 18:11
to Arctic Wolf, that makes sense. Well, can you take us into, like, a day in the life of a chief accounting officer? Obviously, we know No day is the same. But just like, what are some of the things that you and the team are working on? And kind of, how do you balance those tactical responsibilities with, like, long term strategic priorities?
Susan Corcoran 18:31
Yeah, yeah, I know you made a great comment there. Like, No day is the same. Like, I kind of joke sometimes, like, I'd love to come into work and, like, actually work on what's on my calendar, or not have additional meetings or fire drills pop up, but there's always something that's kind of happening, but from, like, a long term strategic priorities, like, it's really something that I've, you know, tried to focus on since joining, and part of it is, you know, just because of the rapid growth that we've had, you know, the team, You know, has done a great job is just making sure that our day to day is getting done, but hasn't had the opportunity to kind of think long term. So as we've looked at processes or tools that we are using as part of all of our day to day processes, it's like, what's going to work best for us in five years from now, versus just the immediate or, you know, a few months down the road, and trying to, trying to plan for the future and really scale things out so that we're be able, we're able to be proactive versus reactive. The team's done, like I said, a really good job at kind of embracing that since I've started, and really kind of taking a look at everything that that we're using or processes and scaling them up for the continuing growth that we hope to have.
Mary Newville 19:46
Yeah, so you're our first finance person on the podcast. You know? I'll just plug this because maybe it'll help convince him, but we can't get Dustin to come on the best stories like. I want him on this podcast so bad. So Dustin, if you're listening,
Susan Corcoran 20:06
maybe just tell him. He just needs to tell stories like or shorten it down.
Mary Newville 20:13
Could you you know, for our listeners that you know aren't maybe as familiar with the finance or world, can you tell us just a little bit about, like, the the org in general. And like, you know, you have payroll and accounting and what you all focus on versus what others do, and how that, how those things help us end cyber risk,
Susan Corcoran 20:33
yeah, yeah. I mean, I feel like I have a lot of different, you know, areas underneath me that folks may not, like, know about like you said, payroll. We have, you know, our general accounting team, our revenue team, accounts payable, which includes, like, expense reimbursements, tax, you know, the equity team, reporting and internal controls. So there's a whole wide variety of fall under my role, and then on the other side, with Aaron leading fpna, that's more of the the forecast. And where do we or where do we think our results are going to be in the future? I'd say is more on the actual side, like what actually happened, and how do you account for it in our books and make sure we're in compliance with everything. So it's kind of how I just make a distinguishment between the two sides
Mary Newville 21:27
that's super interesting. So are you saying that your org is more focused on the operations day to day? Let's pay people, reimburse people, pay our vendors, etc. And you mentioned a lot of other things, which sound like, I'm like, Wow, that's so much, and everything is so complicated. Then his and Aaron side is more the forecasting of sales and
Susan Corcoran 21:49
expenses and yep. Okay, yeah, we're Yep. What? What do we look like? What are our results going to or what do we want our results to be a year from now, etc?
Mary Newville 21:58
Yeah, that's so interesting. And even just when you listed all the departments under or all the functions underneath you. I mean, even just payroll alone is so important, detailed has to be, right? And that was just one of many things that is at that same level of like importance. I don't even know what my question is. It's just a lot of through like there's just a lot of complexity and details and in your role. Do you feel like there must be a lot of delegation and trust and people have to own their How do you put your head on your pillow at night knowing at the end of all these little things roll up to you.
Chelsea Lowman 22:47
I kind of want a similar ish question. Of, like, when you started your first job as an accountant, did you have a very Did you roll into one of these very specific departments, like payroll, or again, the other like, 10 Things that you listed and like, Have you worked within all of these or did you have a very specific track? And then, to Mary's Point, you're obviously hiring people that are subject matter experts that you trust and can delegate to in these various sub departments.
Susan Corcoran 23:17
Yeah, maybe I'll answer Chelsea's first, because I think it helps answer Mary's question then, but no, I mean, when so Deloitte is a public accounting firm. They, like, I worked in the audit group, so we were the auditors who came to clients like, like, Deloitte is our auditor, our auditor at Arctic Wolf, and did the audit of their financial statement. So I when I left Deloitte, I went into a director level role. So I've not done, I'll say, a lot of the doing that my team has done. I've never had to process payroll. I've never had to process AP and I mean, frankly, I've never actually put a journal entry into a general ledger. I've approved them, but I've never actually had to make them. It's just not, you know, kind of the path I took. I haven't had to do the that day to day, but my experience has allowed me to kind of see and look at processes and ask questions to see, like, are we doing this to the best of our abilities? And to answer Mary's question, I have to have trust in my team, because I'm not an expert in all those areas, and have to make sure that we have the the right people in the right roles that are going to be able to lead these teams and lead the individuals kind of below them, so that we're, you know, making sure that we're paying process, paying payroll correctly, that we're processing AP and expense reimbursements timely, that we're, you know, getting our external audit done, and that our books and records are accurate. So to me, like that's knowing that I have the trust in my teammates and my team members. Like is is the biggest thing, and I want to make sure that they feel like I trust them. Yeah, and that I'm going to go to bat for them when there's issues that come up, and know we'll work through it together and not point fingers or things like that. If you know something happens to go wrong, because inevitably something will go wrong at one point. So that's what makes me able to sleep at night. But you know when, when you own areas that touch every single person in the company, there is a lot of pressure there to make sure that it's done correctly and that that we're really, you know, supporting the rest of the organization so they can continue what they need to do to further Arctic
Mary Newville 25:35
Wolf, yeah, absolutely. I mean, like Tosi and I kept referencing payroll, or keep referencing payroll, probably because it's like the closest purview we have just being an HR. But even that alone, I know it's every single country that we're in has different processes, different required forms, different pace schedules, different taxes, different benefits, different systems. So even just that alone seems so complex to me, and then to think about all the other aspects. But as you were sharing about your role at Deloitte, being an auditor, I'm kind of wondering, since that was your role of coming into organizations and auditing, I'm imagining that gave you a really good picture of what the accounting world looks like and how it should go when it's going well, versus not, which I imagine is really helpful in your role leading the team, because you know what it what are going to be look like, what the standards you're held to, what we're all working towards together. So I always love hearing people's career paths and how they get to where they are today. On that note, I would love to learn about going from, you know, being an auditor or at an individual contributor level to then leading the people that do the things. And what has that looked like for you in your career, and what are some lessons you've learned along the way?
Susan Corcoran 26:51
Yeah, it would say, I mean, then maybe the interesting part of Deloitte is the way that it progresses is that by the time you have been there three years. You're now leading the first and second year. So it's called the senior so even though, you know, you're an audit, audit role, you're still leading kind of the folks that are coming up behind you. So I feel like I've had a lot of years of experience of leading people now, whether it's, you know, just first or second years, or, you know, ending up as a manager or senior manager at Deloitte, and then, you know, into director and VP level roles kind of after that. But, you know, I think for me, like the biggest thing with leadership is being authentic. Like, you know, I want, I want folks and and the people who work for me to know that I like truly care about them, not only professionally, but personally. And I think without that real relationship, you don't build the trust that kind of goes back to that trust aspect. And hopefully all of my direct reports would would feel that here today, that you know, I do care about them, not you know, not only what they do for Arctic Wolf, but you know, are they having a full and enriched you know, personal life as well, and you know, taking care of themselves. You know that way.
Chelsea Lowman 28:10
So for sure, I feel like I have so many questions. I knew this was going to be interesting. Susan, okay, one question, because I feel like I know nothing about accounting, but then we all have this idea of like, what accountants are and what they do, so we are officially giving you the stage right now. Susan, what is one of the biggest misconceptions that people get wrong about accounting that you want to like? Clear up today. I well, and I think it's something Burb said on his podcast, because he was an accounting major, and I think he made the comment that he like, didn't like accounting because he was doing the same thing every day,
Susan Corcoran 28:50
so far from the truth, like, at least for me, like every every day, there's something different going on that, you know, the team is working through, or the company's working through. And, you know, because we'll have a impact of it, like we want to be at the table and make sure that we know what's going on so we can properly account for it. You know, I think accountants get the reputation of a little boring, and we're maybe all a little introverted. But, you know, there's a lot of there's a lot of stuff going on at Arc De Wolf. So there's a lot of things going on that impact our, our department. I mean, even think about the, you know, the international, global growth over the last couple years, you know, that's touching my team, from payroll and tax and accounting, making sure that we're, you know, capturing all that. So, you know, it's, it's maybe a little more exciting than folks give us credit for.
Chelsea Lowman 29:43
Okay, you heard it here first, folks, accounting is fun
Mary Newville 29:47
and exciting. I mean, I will say, Susan, I'm in grad school right now, and I am going to be honest, I am dreading my accounting classes like dreading them with my whole. Little heart.
Susan Corcoran 30:01
Well, you can just, you can just slack me, and I can
Chelsea Lowman 30:07
help with the accounting
Mary Newville 30:08
homework, but maybe I just need to change my mindset. Be like, this is going to be fun and exciting. We're going to clip
Chelsea Lowman 30:15
this part and send it to burbs so that he knows that he can't be slandering accounting anymore. One thing you said earlier, and I'm not really sure what my question is, so we're just going to talk and see what comes out. But one thing that you mentioned earlier was, you know, no day is the same, and you wish that you could show up and do the things that you had planned for the day, but there's always probably something else. And so I'm just curious, like, how do you set yourself up to succeed so that you don't let all those strategic projects that you maybe had planned on working on that day? Because we can just keep pushing it off and pushing it off and pushing it off. Like, do you have any organizational tools or like, things that work for you, so that you can make sure that you're obviously, like, taking care of the fires, but still,
Susan Corcoran 31:07
you know, staying on task and focused on these other priorities that you set for yourself. Yeah, I mean, that's a it's a great question. I think, without giving away too much of my secret, I block the first hour of my day. I don't want people to end up putting stuff on my calendar for that hour. But, you know, it allows me to set myself up for the day well, and sometimes I'll, I'll do things the night before Well, you know, watching TV or something, just to clear out, you know, emails that may come in or, you know, make sure I'm prepped for what I need to do. You know, a lot of days I'm back to back in meetings all days, and so that kind of tactical stuff does get pushed to the evenings, or kind of random times when I'm able to get to it. I've always been pretty diligent on goals and making sure that there's kind of set deadlines. It it helps, you know, for me to have that little block, so I'm like, Okay, I know I gotta get this done and, you know, it's due by x or, you know, create my own deadline, even if there's not a hard deadline. So, you know, probably not the best use of all of my time to work at night and kind of catch up. But you know, for me, it works, and it's what keeps me sane and able to kind of deal with the ambiguity that could come in any given day.
Mary Newville 32:26
So, I mean, I love the blocking the hour every day, even if you'll hear it like it's an opportunity for them to respect your boundaries. Yeah.
Chelsea Lowman 32:34
So you sharing a little bit, you know, like, sometimes we do have to, you know, check in in the evening to clear some emails to like, set you up for success the next day. So jumping ahead a little bit, I know we usually save wellness towards the end, but just curious then, how do you balance all of that with your well being, trying to find that work life balance and kind of like, what does well being look like to you? And maybe it is like, sometimes I do have to work a little bit this night so that tomorrow is a better day. Yeah, yeah. I mean, I think for me, there's a couple things. Like, I am a peloton junkie. I love everything peloton
Susan Corcoran 33:15
and I have, what was it? Who's your, what's your go to workout? And favorite instructor. My favorite instructor is probably Bradley rose. I I seem to lean towards the British one, but
Chelsea Lowman 33:35
I'm a team. I'm Team Emma. Lovewell. I love Emma,
Susan Corcoran 33:38
yeah, yeah, yeah. So I love, like, I love the accountability, because I'm a checkbox girl. So every day, you know, I get my checkbox on my peloton app. We, we do. We're just finishing our basement right now and building out a gym. So I we do have the bike treadmill and the rower that we got on Facebook, marketplace, grapevine. But so I'm super excited for that to get done and be able to put a gym back together. So every day I'm doing something on, like the peloton app, or having to move, and could be a quick walk, you know, you can catch me sending emails from the treadmill, like I'll put on, you know, put the put a little peloton tray on and put my laptop up and just clear out emails while I'm, you know, taking a walk or whatnot. And it, you know, it works for me to kind of, kind of do that, and then, like, kind of talked about at the beginning, like vacations, like, are super important. I may not completely unplug on vacations and be checking in and make sure that, you know, there's any payments that need to get made, or things like that can happen, but taking that time away is important for me, for sure.
Mary Newville 34:51
Okay, I thought of my question, and then what you just said made me think of another question, so I've two, but the first one is, can you give us a peek at some like, what? Is some of the strategic projects that you can share that, like, what does it look like in finance? Obviously, you have to, like, process payroll and pay people and all our bills and all that. But what are some of the strategic projects that you're focused on this year?
Susan Corcoran 35:15
Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, it's no secret that we want to be a public company someday, and I think for me, it's ready, readying our team to be public company ready. So, you know, you have quarterly reporting obligations, and you need to be socks, which is internal control compliance, and so for me, like that's always in the back of my mind for everything the team is working on to make sure that, you know, are we, Are we closing the books in a timely manner and accurately so that we can meet those deadlines and the needs that you know Dustin may have as a, you know, the CFO of a public company someday? And then I think, you know, you know, AI is the biggest thing, you know, everyone's talking about right now. And you know, for us, it's no different. And how can we use AI to do our jobs better? There are, you know, tasks that are manual or repetitive in, you know, various departments within accounting. And how can we use either the tools that we have, where AI is rolling out, or looking at new tools that are coming out to really make sure that we're, you know, utilizing team members time with the availability of AI out there. To the best of you know, their abilities, we're rolling out a new tool here next month that has some AI features that should eliminate a bunch of our manual tasks around like cash application and kind of the Treasury focus. So, you know, just, it's been fun to kind of learn a little bit more about it and, and there's so much, I'm sure you guys feel it in the HR space, like some like, new tools all the time, and new emails all the time from vendors like, Hey, we're doing this, and, you know, we can help you out, but kind of weeding through that and figuring out what would be the most impactful to the team, and then, you know, I'd say one of the big ones we're looking at, too, is like concur, and is that the best tool for us from an expense reimbursement perspective, as we continue to grow and whatnot? So those are kind of a few things that we're looking at from the strategic perspective.
Mary Newville 37:24
Yeah, super interesting to learn about. Thank you for sharing on a totally different note. My other question was, when you mentioned Facebook marketplace, it made me think, oh, yeah, I want to pull back the curtain on a finance person. Is it would you say? Are you like, a frugal, really good with finances, person outside of work, and is that true of all finance people? Obviously, no one is. No one is leaking up with anyone in a box. But would you say, like, accountants are like, I don't know,
Susan Corcoran 37:57
like, I like a good deal, but I'm not afraid to spend money, if that makes sense.
Chelsea Lowman 38:06
Okay, yes. I mean, we did hear you have the full peloton suite, but health is wealth, so you know what, whatever you need to do. Okay, fun. Um, I was wondering back to, I know you were sharing that you when you were sharing a little bit about what your team does versus Aaron, and I'm just wondering how, obviously you both report up into Dustin and just wondering, like, how often are you guys collaborating and, like working strategically together and kind of like, what does that collaboration look like? Yeah. I mean, I probably talk with Aaron probably nearly every day.
Susan Corcoran 38:51
We do weekly one on ones. I think you need to have an alignment between your accounting and your FP and a teams. I've been in situations where you didn't have that alignment, and it's really tough. And you know, part of that is, you know, fpna works more directly with the business than the accounting teams and and they know what's, you know, kind of coming ahead and and without with, if accounting is not kind of at the table to understand, like, the result may be different than people expected, because either you contracted something different or the accounting may be very nuanced in that area that you're working on. And we want to make sure there's no surprises, so we ensure that there's that strong connection and collaboration so that nobody's surprised, either from the fpna side, and then obviously leadership, if they're expecting results to be a certain way. And then, you know, accounting is not caught, you know, flat footed on the back end, and having to kind of pivot and make it, you know, make a decision that maybe was unexpected. So we are talking all. The time.
Chelsea Lowman 40:02
Love, love, okay, well, pivoting a little bit away from accounting specifically, but I'm just curious, related to Arctic Wolf and our culture here, like, what are some of your favorite aspects of working at Arctic Wolf? You know, whether it's one of our culture programs or our values, or an event that you've loved to attend. Would just love to hear more.
Susan Corcoran 40:26
Yeah, I think, like, you kind of hit them all, like it's been fun, you know, just the culture tenants are amazing. I think that it's something that is super important to me. And, you know, leaving uhg and to a place where, you know, I only knew one person here, you know, knowing that there's that strong underlying kind of respect for the culture and making sure that everyone understands it was was really big for me. I'd say, like, just all the events are so much fun, you know, come like, it's, it's, it's just, it's fun to see like, the organization come together and do whether it's like the Halloween or the Christmas or or whatnot, and to take the time to kind of have those little celebrations, especially, can you be coming from insurance that's a little more stuffy and, you know, doesn't have the appetite for maybe as many celebrations, I think that's been really, you know, fun for me to see and be a part of. So my kids came last summer when they had the like, the full day, bring your your kid, your wolf up, you know, to work day. And so it was fun to be able to kind of bring them and let them see and explore a little bit about Arctic Wolf. And you know what I do so and they are excited because they got to skip school.
Mary Newville 41:48
So, school, okay? And I mean, you talked about, like the culture here, what excites you about being part of our mission of ending cyber risk.
Susan Corcoran 42:04
I mean, I think, like, the biggest thing is it's needed. I mean, like the bad guys are only getting more and more creative. And I mean every, nearly every day, I get an email from some fake Nick Schneider asking us to pay an invoice. And it's like, we just got one last week that was very, very creative. And a lot of, you know, fake back and forth in the email body and whatnot. And you know, it's just, I'm sure there's folks that fall for that and that, you know, companies are being defrauded and people are being defrauded. And so knowing that, you know, there's, there's companies out there, like ours, that are looking out for that and trying to put an end to that is, you know, what kind of gets me most excited. It's, you know, it's, it's needed that, like, the bad guys are still working every which way they can. But you know, how can we help continue to put a put a stop to that.
Chelsea Lowman 43:02
Yeah, I didn't even think I bet you guys are, like, one of the most highly targeted groups of people. Like, we need you to pay this invoice quick, yeah? Or, like, payroll is not going to process because XYZ, like, yeah,
Susan Corcoran 43:17
yeah, yeah. Whether it's, you know, you get them personally too, or it's like, Oh, hey, this invoice or this payment was declined, click the link or whatnot. Like, we kind of emails all the time.
Mary Newville 43:29
Yeah, they would. That'd be a hard one, because I'm sure every single vendor invoice looks different. And what it's like, do you reply, or do you click? We so vigilant. I didn't think about that either. That is wild. Yeah. Okay, we talked a little about leadership earlier and being a manager, and I loved you sharing how important it is to you that your people feel cared about as humans in and out of work. Would love to hear maybe the best leadership advice you've been given, or maybe just like a leadership principle that you principles that you swear by, yeah,
Susan Corcoran 44:06
not any advice, but a quote that I've always loved is that, you know, people would rather follow a leader that's real than one that's always right. And kind of goes back to the authenticity, like I want to make sure that I'm being authentic in my action, beliefs and values, and that translates to my role as chief accounting officer and making sure that we are, you know, in compliance with all rules and regulations, etc. But like I said, just making sure that that's authentic in my relationships with the team and even, you know, outside of my team at Arctic wolf as well.
Mary Newville 44:42
I love that. I'm a big Brene Brown fan, and she always talks about getting it right versus being right, which I feel like is aligned with what you're saying, like not being right, but you said a person that's real, not always. Right, yes, yeah, yes.
Chelsea Lowman 45:02
I love that. Is that like a quote you saw? Like, did you read it in a book? Do you remember where you first saw that?
Susan Corcoran 45:08
It's from the Craig Michelle leadership podcast. So it's one he kind of okay.
Chelsea Lowman 45:14
Hey, love it. And I know you shared a little bit about how you personally like, focus on your well, being with your peloton and and all of that. But just wondering, how do you like, almost a forecast, I think, because I'm thinking about, because I was thinking about, like, financial terms, I was like, how do you forecast that to your team. That's not what I've tried. But how do you live that out so that in practice, so that your team can see that and feels like they can also do the same? I mean,
Susan Corcoran 45:51
I think, like, one of my tricks that I do is, even if I'm working at night, I'll schedule emails to go out the next morning. You know, Nothing's worse than getting a bunch of emails from your boss, you know, at night, like, I'll set the outlook thing to send it out, you know, the next morning or whatnot. When people are back in works, it's like, I don't just because I might be working, I don't expect them to do that. And, you know, really like making sure that they're spending the time, either taking time off or, you know, if they have kids getting to their kids activities, and really kind of balancing, you know, work and personal things as well. So I try and be a good role model for that. But also just making sure, like, hey, like, you know, Are you, are you doing? Okay? What can we do to take things off your plate? Like, you know, do you need a day off or whatnot. You know, there are times where we, you know, month end, close or quarter end, close. It gets busier. You may work later because we have tight deadlines and so, you know, it's making sure that folks can unplug after we kind of finish those activities up.
Chelsea Lowman 46:55
Okay, well, before we get to the rapid fire, I have one last hard hitting question. But Mary, do you have anything else?
Mary Newville 47:02
Yes, I do. You do your hard hitting question. But I was like, Okay, we squeeze in a couple more before rapid fire. And I do, but you go first. I'm still
Chelsea Lowman 47:11
my hard hitting question is, please explain why accountants and people in finance would prefer a Windows PC over a Mac. Like, what is the reasoning? Why do you want to have a Windows does excel work better? Like, explain, explain it to me.
Susan Corcoran 47:30
I've actually never used a Mac, so I won. I don't know how I feel like, that's the main one, but I have been told Excel works and our our software that we use works much better on Windows.
Chelsea Lowman 47:46
Hey, okay, I always know someone in finance is starting when I'm when I walk into the pack prep room and I see Adele, and I'm like, Okay, someone from finance is joining the pack. So okay, that was it. I was I've always just been curious. I'm like, How can excel work that differently? I don't really Mac needs to get it together.
Susan Corcoran 48:09
I guess. I've never actually used one, so I can't tell you if it does or doesn't work to me.
Mary Newville 48:15
Okay, okay, my question that I was thinking about, and I have two, they're totally different. Use your own adventure. I'll let you pick. One is about career advice. One is about finance in general.
Chelsea Lowman 48:28
This is like the like blind date with a book where you don't really read I love it. Let's do career advice. Excuse me.
Mary Newville 48:37
Okay, let's say there's some young gal out there today working on her parents dairy farm, and she does know that she aspires to be a chief accounting officer someday. What would you what would you advise someone that is like, likes, numbers has to lead. What would your be, your their what would be your advice for like, what to focus on, skills to work on, etc, yeah.
Susan Corcoran 49:01
I mean, I think, I mean, one thing would be, just be leadership. I think there's so many leadership opportunities within the accounting world, like in finding ways to lead, whether it's, you know, at your school, through sports teams or other activities, and then it's just just getting different experience, you know, whether you end up in the chief county Officer role or one of the other paths of the team members that you know report up to me, like there's so many different pieces and aspects of a county you could end up in an AP or payroll or the revenue team. So just getting all that opportunity to see what, what piece of it, do you like? And what's interesting is, you know, I think is needed, and, you know, allows you to then either focus or say, Oh, I like the more management side of accounting. And I want to keep, you know, moving up and into these management roles that are overseeing the different areas that's.
Mary Newville 50:00
I mean, even in our Oh, go ahead. Charles, no no, go ahead. Well, I was just gonna say, even in our conversation today, it was fun to learn about just all the different functions within the accounting org. It's like you think you know. But even I learned something today.
Chelsea Lowman 50:14
Are you saying AP as an accounts payable, or what are you? Yeah, sorry, account AP is accounts payable? Okay, that's what I thought. But then I was like, is she saying AP or EP? I just couldn't tell if I wanted
Mary Newville 50:30
to Okay. My other question that I just thought of while we were just chatting, is, in, well, in I just need to know. I mean, we're here, and maybe other people want to know too. But so in finance, do you feel like you're often in a position of, like, having to share difficult news or saying no, and how do you navigate, like, being a blocker for good, if you will.
Susan Corcoran 50:52
We're not always a blocker for good. But yeah, there's a lot of times where the answer could be No. Like, for me, like, I, that's why I try and get the team involved as far in front as we can, so that we can help get to a yes, like, accounting is not usually seen as that typical, like, business partner, like, maybe fpna is like, maybe as strategic. But like, we can help figure out how to position things. Like I said, whether it's a contract or, you know, how we're structuring something to get to the answer you want. So, like, that'd be my, maybe my little plug, like, keep accounting involved as early as possible, which probably increases the likelihood to Yes.
Chelsea Lowman 51:38
Practical tip, yeah. That's a Yeah, that's a practical tip for everyone. Regardless of where you work, you've got an accounting team. You know, befriend the accounting team is leave you with, Okay, well, let's get to our final questions, our rapid fire questions. You'll probably know them since you said you listen to the podcast, but this is just first thing that comes to your head, best concert of your life.
Susan Corcoran 52:03
So admittedly, I'm not a huge concert person. I've probably been to less than 10 in my whole lifetime, but I would have to say Lauren Daigle. She was in town a couple years ago, and my son and I, wow.
Chelsea Lowman 52:16
Okay, wait, I feel like I know who that is. She had like, a really big song blow up a few years ago, yes, yeah.
Susan Corcoran 52:22
So she's more like a Christian artist, but she had, she had one go mainstream, yeah? Right during covid. I think, okay, yeah. She has an amazing voice. I bet that was a great concert, yeah?
Chelsea Lowman 52:35
Okay, favorite word, discombobulated. That's a good one. Okay, I'm curious about this one. A place on your bucket
Susan Corcoran 52:43
list, so many, I mean, literally, so many. But probably top would be Israel. Hey, what's something that people often get wrong about you? It's funny. I actually asked my husband about this one. I was like, why would you answer?
Chelsea Lowman 52:57
Okay, what did he say?
Susan Corcoran 52:59
Well, you can come off as intimidating. So I think I can come off as intimidating, but to know me, I'm really not intimidating.
Chelsea Lowman 53:10
Yeah, that's interesting too, because I feel like even outside of knowing you personally, just like your role within the company could seem really intimidating, but then obviously he just knows you as you not chief accounting officer. But yeah, I feel like you're so warm and friendly, and this has been such a great Convo. So, um, Okay, last one, give us a snapshot of an ordinary moment in your life that has brought you joy. Yeah, I think anytime
Susan Corcoran 53:39
watching my kids, I have two sons play sports. It's like, my favorite thing I just I love watching them get to do something that they love. Okay, what sports are we in? List them off. We're in basketball right now.
Chelsea Lowman 53:51
We had football in the fall, and then we'll have track in the spring. So, wow. Okay, so we're not a hockey family. We're not a hockey family now. Okay, okay, you know, you have to ask in Minnesota.
Susan Corcoran 54:03
No, I kind of wanted to stay away from that. I wasn't running for the time commitment.
Chelsea Lowman 54:06
So is it seeming like they're leaning towards like is each one leaning towards a certain sport right now that they will probably dedicate more time to?
Susan Corcoran 54:19
Well, my older one, he's in ninth grade now. So he he's doing ninth grade basketball, did football and will do track. Football is his favorite by far. Eventually it will he'll just end up at with football on track at some point. And then my younger one does football and basketball, and he actually is trying wrestling right now too, for the first time. So he he's not as much as a sports nut as my older one, so, but he'll likely play football, and maybe we'll get him into track at some point. So I just want him to be active.
Chelsea Lowman 54:55
So for you in into sports,
Susan Corcoran 54:59
I was, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I played tennis, basketball and and ran track.
Chelsea Lowman 55:05
Okay, the peloton suite is all making sense. She needs it. Okay, all right. Well, this was so fun. Susan, I can't wait for the pack to listen to this. I feel like we covered so many different things, like we had some fun, personal talk, but then Mary and I got to ask you so many random questions about accounting. Yes, I'm sure so many other people have the same questions. So it was great. Yes, okay, well, thanks again, and burbs were coming for you. Stop slandering the accounting name.
Mary Newville 55:44
Are fun and exciting. It's fun and exciting. It's fun
Chelsea Lowman 55:52
and exciting. Befriend your local accounting team, and we're sending Mary all of the best wishes as she embarks on her accounting.
Mary Newville 56:00
Yes, I'm looking forward to it now. Mindset shift.
Chelsea Lowman 56:05
Okay, thanks so much, Susan. Wow. Okay, what a fun conversation with Susan. Mary and I were just debriefing really quickly before we recorded this outro. And we seriously had so many more questions, and like I had so many that were so dumb. I couldn't I couldn't ask them live. I had a couple
Mary Newville 56:23
of those too. I was like, I'll just keep those to myself. Seriously, like accounting, unless you're in that department or interfacing with them often, it's kind of like a shadow, not shadow department, but it's just one you don't know a lot about if you're not in it. So interesting to learn more about all the things,
Chelsea Lowman 56:44
seriously, and I know we keep using the payroll example, but to your point, like we all just get paid every two weeks and think, think that that money just hits our account, and don't understand, like, all the things that have to happen every time, every time to process payroll, like, all these things have to happen.
Mary Newville 57:03
And Chelsea, I think about the anxiety that I feel when I have to send an all company email, which is like a kind of regular part of my job. And so I, like, reread it, ask others to reread it, check. And I just can't imagine if it wasn't just like the low the stakes my stakes are so low, right? Yeah, people getting paid accurately on time, right?
Chelsea Lowman 57:26
And again, you're just sending that email. You just get to type one email out and hit send, which I'm with you. Like, anytime I send something company wide, it's, yeah, we've, we've read it 20 times, yeah. Like, right? But, like, payroll, it's like, like you had talked about when we were chatting with Susan, like, we use different systems. Different countries have different rules, and there's different dates, and people are making different amounts of money. Like, it's just wild forms.
Mary Newville 57:55
And, yeah, anyway, was a super interesting conversation,
Chelsea Lowman 58:00
super interesting joins that. Okay, well, it is December, and that means, like we shared at the beginning, is the holidays here at Arctic, wolf howl holidays, and we have our lovely holiday tradition. So if you are in our office, one of our offices, I heard that cipher might be visiting from the North Pole, a different office every day, and if you find him, you might win a gift card. So I would keep your eyes peeled on your office Slack channel for the days that cipher might be visiting your office, we will continue our annual ultimate holiday movie bracket in the hall or slack channel, so just be on the lookout and vote on your favorite holiday movies, and we will find what is the number one movie according to Arctic Wolf. I can't remember what the winner was last year, correct?
Mary Newville 59:01
It wasn't elf or the Santa Claus so
Chelsea Lowman 59:05
clearly, or everyone's favorite new Christmas classic, The Christmas swap,
Mary Newville 59:13
that's an inside joke, folks, we don't have time to tell that story today.
Chelsea Lowman 59:16
We don't have time to tell that inside joke. Um, leave the people wanting more. So make sure to vote in the Slack channel. And then if you are in again one of our offices, we are having our annual holiday events in those offices. So be on the lookout for more information from your office admin. And then last, certainly
Mary Newville 59:38
on events. I want to add, if you're not in an office, and if you are, you're also welcome. But for the first time ever, yes, we're debuting a new event. Shout out to Amanda Nunn. This is her baby and brainchild, Santa.
Chelsea Lowman 59:50
Pause, drop my virtual dog
Mary Newville 59:55
holiday event, and it's going to be so great. So. If you have if you're an animal lover, make sure to join that event. It's already on the corporate calendar.
Chelsea Lowman 1:00:04
Yes, yes, Santa. Pause. Can't wait. I don't even have a dog, but I'm showing up so that I can see all of the dogs. So yes, find that on the corporate calendar. And then last, but certainly not least, we will also have our annual global holiday sweater contest that will be on Thursday, December 11. So wear your favorite holiday sweater. We've got a couple different categories. Post your picture, vote for winners, and again, our winners will win a little prize. So lots of different ways to have fun this holiday season. I know a lot of our offices are also doing some holiday drives to give back to their community. So should be a great December.
Mary Newville 1:00:48
Yes, I'm really, I feel like I really missed an opportunity today to wear a Christmas sweater to be seriously. I'm bummed about that, but I guess there's always next year. I think I'll just add to Now sometimes the holidays can be a tough time of year, emotionally with just, you know, it's the happiest time of year, but maybe you're missing somebody you really love, or just the darker days if you're part of the pack. We've got the employee assistance program. They offer free counseling and career coaching and a whole host of other resources. But we also have our over 60 members, strong pack of well, Wolf ambassadors, so you can find the list on confluence, and every single person in that group is wonderful and would be happy to support you or point you to resources if you just need a friendly face to chat with or help connect you to some help so you're not alone. We hope you all have a joyous holiday season, and we'll see you in the new year. If you're not part of this vibrant and connected community on mission and cyber risk that we call the pack, you can join us by checking out our open positions@www.articult.com backslash careers. We'll talk to you in 2026
Chelsea Lowman 1:02:00
2026 Wow. I can't believe it. Me neither.
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