AICPA Webcast Series Focuses on Diversity

The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) is offering a three-part webinar series on global diversity. The series will help participants maximize the opportunities that a diverse workforce affords and develop the cultural dexterity needed to succeed in an increasingly global work environment. The first webinar in the series will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 20, from 1-2 pm ET.

The webcast series is intended to teach CPAs practical knowledge and skills to help them create an effective global mindset that drives innovation through inclusion. Each hour-long webinar in the series provides one hour of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credit.

“As demographics within the United States continue to shift and multinational organizations are increasingly prevalent, the case for embracing a global mindset has never been stronger,” Kim Drumgo, AICPA, Diversity and Inclusion and vice chair of the AICPA’s National Commission on Diversity and Inclusion. “This new webinar series from the AICPA will provide people with the insights they need to succeed in a global landscape.”

Current trends point to the importance of diversity and inclusion in contributing to overall business profitability. For example, ethnically diverse companies are 35% more likely to outperform their industry peers.

The webinar series is the latest offering from the AICPA’s National Commission on Diversity and Inclusion. The Commission is a profession-wide effort lead by the AICPA to encourage and promote diversity and inclusion within the accounting profession. AICPA’s diversity and inclusion program has the goal of creating workplaces in the accounting profession that are better reflective and inclusive of the communities in which they serve.

The three individual webinars are listed below:

Wednesday, September 20, 1-2 p.m. ET. “How to grow your practice in a changing environment: technology and generational impact.” Presented by Tariq Khan, Founder and CEO, Global Diversity Marketing, this free session will help participants learn how to maximize the opportunities provided by diversity and inclusion and the role technology plays in defining new rules of engagement.

Thursday, October 19,1-2 p.m. ET. “Developing your global mindset.” Presented by Kim Drumgo, AICPA Director, Diversity and Inclusion, this session will provide participants with skills and resources needed to build the cultural dexterity for succeeding in any global situation or setting.

Thursday, November 16, 1-2 p.m. ET. “Global diversity: driving innovation through inclusion”: Presented by Kim Drumgo and Mark Brooks, AICPA Senior Manager, Innovation, this session provides participants case studies of how companies have combined the power of innovation and inclusion to better position themselves in a competitive global marketplace. This webcast is $59 for AICPA members and $69 for non-members.

Reporters and the general public can register in advance for this webinar series by linking to the individual sessions.

In addition to the webinar series, the AICPA provides tools and resources to promote diversity and inclusion, such as: The Recruitment and Retention Toolkit, which features an outline of the process necessary to make diversity and inclusion initiatives an ongoing part of companies’ cultures to help them fulfill their overall goals for recruitment and retention; and Inclusion Solutions, a free monthly newsletter that informs the accounting profession of best practices in diversity and inclusion.