Visa’s IRO Built a System for Earnings Prep
“I get to have a Super Bowl four times a year.” That is how Jennifer Como, SVP and Head of Global Investor Relations at Visa, describes earnings season.
We recently listened to her conversation on the IR in Focus podcast. What stood out was the level of discipline her team brings to earnings prep. Not through more hours, but through systems that scale with Visa’s complexity.
The episode covers many aspects of the IRO role, but for this article we zero in on Jennifer’s approach to creating a repeatable system for earnings prep. We’ve distilled four earnings takeaways from her conversation that I think IROs might find useful or reassuring.
1. Start by Understanding What's Happening in the Business
Early in each earnings cycle, Jennifer meets one-on-one with Visa’s regional and product heads. She tries to understand what’s actually changing throughout Visa’s global business. How is the competitive landscape changing? What regulatory shifts are happening? What products are they building?
These conversations give her a more grounded view of the business as her team prepares the messaging. As she puts it: “Some of what they’re saying, we may use in earnings. Some of it, we may not. But I love to learn.”
Our take for IROs: Do this every quarter and the compounding effect is real. You connect dots faster, and it shows up directly in your messaging, Q&A prep, and how you speak to investors in your follow-ups.
2. Make IR a Company-Wide Responsibility
Jennifer’s mantra is, “everyone works in IR, they just may not know it.” Finance, legal, product, comms, and other teams each own pieces of the earnings story. She pulls those threads together by setting expectations with them early, sharing a clear timeline, and keeping everyone aligned on what’s needed and when.
Our take for IROs: Strong earnings calls are built through shared ownership. When people across the company know their role and deliver high-quality inputs on time, you messaging is sharper, and you have fewer last-minute issues.
3. Turn Q&A Prep Into a Real Pressure Test
Jennifer compiles every question she believes could come up on the call, then workshops them with the CEO and CFO and grills them hard on the answers. Her bar is simple: “If they can make it through prep with me, they’re gonna do great on the call. It’ll feel like a cakewalk.”
What makes that possible is the credibility she’s built with leadership. She has earned the right to challenge them, not just rehearse with them. That trust turns Q&A prep from a routine run-through into a real stress test.
Our take for IROs: In my experience, IROs sit at very different levels of influence with their CEOs and CFOs. Jennifer’s approach is a good reminder that great Q&A preparation starts with trust. You earn that by doing the homework, bringing sharp questions, and showing you are there to make the leaders better, not just to keep the process moving. When you have that trust, you can lean in during prep and set your leaders up to handle tough questions with clarity and control.
4. Stay Earnings-Ready Through Ongoing Scenario Planning
Visa does not wait for earnings season to think through macro scenarios. Management reviews global volume data daily, works through what it could mean for the business, and decides if any action is needed. They also keep options ready, like shifting investments, delaying programs, or adjusting controllable expenses.
That kind of year round scenario work flows straight into earnings prep. Investors today want answers in scenarios, not absolutes. When questions come up on spend bands, categories, or cross border trends, and implications for Visa’s business, leadership can respond with clarity and confidence because the thinking is already done.
Our take for IROs: Teams that run scenarios all year do not scramble when the macro turns. They can explain what they are seeing, what it could mean, and how they would respond. It makes Q&A sharper, and guidance easier to stand behind. Investors can tell when that confidence is grounded in real, proactive scenario planning.
Zooming Out
What stood out from Jennifer’s thinking is how systems-oriented and repeatable her earnings process is. It’s not a quarterly fire drill. The discipline shows up in how they run the business all year, then translate that into clear materials and messaging, and a team that is ready for the hard questions. That is what makes Visa’s earnings story feel confident and consistent, quarter after quarter.
To hear the full conversation, check out this episode of the IR in Focus podcast.
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