In the world of risk management, minorities are often overlooked, but Minnesota business leader Abdi Abdinoor, CPA, is working to change that. Abdinoor and the ACE organization strive to raise awareness of the influence and issues faced by minorities who work in risk management.
Interested in what it takes, rolling out caught up with Abdinoor to understand just how he and his organization are making a change for not only Minnesota, but the nation as a whole.
What is the ACE organization?
The ACE organization is the African American Community of Excellence. It’s an organization that brings together minorities of color in RSM, across the different service lines. We meet on a monthly basis to discuss issues that are affecting us and what we want to do to raise more awareness of issues of minorities in the firm as well as the community.
What are some positive results from the organization that has benefitted Minneapolis and the nation as a whole?
This event here is one of the events where we’ve connected with NABA [National Association of Black Accountants]. I have a relationship with Orlando Bryant [president of NABA Twin Cities Chapter]. He reached out and told us he was looking for a potential host for a discussion about the retention of African Americans within corporate in Minneapolis. In addition, we partner with the recruitment team and go to universities to talk to students who are interested in RSM. The last part is holding events for professionals here. One of the events we host is for Martin Luther King Jr. Day where we invite the entire office and talk about issues faced by the African American community and how we make a difference. We do a fundraiser to raise money for minority schools so they can afford books and additional supplies.
How do you use technology through the program?
We use primarily LinkedIn. We post pictures from events and we try to get as many likes as possible and shares to reach students. We also communicate a lot through Jabber. It’s more internal, but it raises awareness about what we do here. It doesn’t just reach the Minneapolis office, but nationally as well. It’s a great tool we use to send the message across to everyone … that allows us to connect with leaders and student across the U.S.
