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Some years ago, Maurice Kuykendoll was simply an attendee at the AFROTECH ™ Conference. Now in its eighth year, he will approach the annual tech affair as an official speaker on the Executive Stage. It’s not lost on him that when he attended the conference, he was responsible for global expense management at insurance company Prudential, with one of its largest expenses being technology. During the transformation, he notes how vital the event was to his leadership development. “I was transforming my team simultaneously, so it was an area of development for me,” Kuykendoll said in an interview with AFROTECH™. “So, a couple of days at this conference, where there’s Black people, and they know all about technology, I was like, ‘I’ll go and see if this can be one of the things I put on my calendar every year to make sure that I am developing this essential part of what’s going on in the world.’” After sitting in many rooms alongside founders and talking to them about their latest...
“Sometimes you have to see it being the case to know that it is possible.” That’s what Sindy Wilson to ld Forbes as she paves the way for more Black women to aspire to lead in the C-suite. The outlet reports that on July 12, 2023, the former Lyft vice president was named chief financial officer (CFO) of Kickstarter.
Starting July 9, 2018, Paula Price will serve as Macy’s, Inc. Chief Financial Officer. Price succeeds Karen Hoguet, who plans to retire at the end of the 2018 fiscal year. Before this upcoming role, Price has had 30 years of experience in finance roles, especially in retail and consumer-facing business. She currently lectures full-time at Harvard Business School in the accounting and management department. In her new role as CFO, Price will be leading finance, accounting, investor relations and internal audit functions, according to Business Wire . The role will be based in New York. After obtaining an M.B.A. in finance and strategy from the University of Chicago, a bachelor’s degree in accounting from DePaul, and being certified as a public accountant, she held roles as chief financial officer of Ahold USA, senior vice president, controller and chief accounting officer for CVS Caremark Corporation and even senior-level roles at companies such as JPMorgan Chase, Diageo, Kraft Foods...
Shou Zi Chew, CEO of TikTok, is at the center of one of the most debated tech platforms in the world. Born and raised in Singapore, Chew’s career spans finance and tech leadership, bringing a mix of expertise and experience to the table as TikTok faces significant global challenges. From Singapore to Global Business According to Business Insider, Chew earned a degree in economics from University College London and later completed his MBA at Harvard Business School — he also interned at Facebook his first year at Harvard. He began his career at Goldman Sachs in investment banking before transitioning to DST Global, where he worked on major investments, including one in ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company. Chew later served as chief financial officer of Xiaomi, a Chinese electronics company known for its affordable smartphone devices. During his tenure, Xiaomi expanded its global footprint and went public in 2018. His experience in managing high-growth companies positioned him for...
You work hard for your money, so how you spend, invest, or save it is your business — and it’s critically important for managing your life. Since money plays a vital role in almost everything we do, budgeting and money management tools are essential for long-term sustainability. One of the nation’s leading experts on this topic is The Budgetnista, Tiffany Aliche. Aliche’s path to becoming “The Budgetnista” started with her passion for teaching. After 10 years as a schoolteacher, she transitioned into personal finance — a topic she was familiar with, having grown up as the daughter of a CFO father. Raised in a Nigerian household, financial literacy and negotiation were ingrained early on, with her mother being a master negotiator. This blend of professional teaching, family financial wisdom, and cultural influence laid the groundwork for Aliche’s successful personal finance brand. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tiffany Aliche (@thebudgetnista) The former preschool...
Several Boston-based businesses will be uplifted through Jaylen Brown’s $5 billion commitment to generate new wealth for underrepresented communities. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the Boston Celtics star launched nonprofit Boston XChange (BXC) in August 2024. This followed his signing of a five-year NBA supermax contract extension with the team in July 2023 worth $304 million. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Boston XChange (@bosxchange) BXC exists to support underinvested entrepreneurs and creators through professional coaching, access to capital, tools, and workplaces. “It was hard for businesses of color to get started in the city,” Brown told AFROTECH™ in a previous interview. “All of these different things are all types of hegemony that you just notice that goes on in the city. So, in response to that, I launched an initiative there, trying to help balance and even that out, to give opportunities and resources to our community, allowing me to be in these places...
50 Cent is making major real estate moves in Shreveport, LA. G-Unit Studios As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the entrepreneur opened G-Unit Studios in the city, now the second-largest Black-owned studio behind Tyler Perry. The 985,000-square-foot property is being used “to operate a production studio and/or activities and uses related to the promotion or development of the film, sound, light, movie, television, broadcasting, recording, and arts industries.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by 50 Cent (@50cent) “Founding my own studio is the next step in my plan to expand G-Unit Film & Television’s output of premium, diverse content across all media and to provide more opportunities for artists, crew members and more jobs within the community,” 50 Cent told KTAL-6 News. Housing Project 50 Cent’s plans for Shreveport also extend beyond his studio. He is rolling out a three-phase plan to transform the city through areas including housing. “We start building houses, and we...
Sterling Coleman left his role at a Fortune 500 company to become one of the top Zaxby’s franchisees. According to the SJAC Food Groups website, The St. Louis, MO, native’s business prowess was displayed at an early age while living in a single-parent home with three brothers. An article on his Instagram business page states he performed countless tasks for neighbors to earn money , such as cutting grass, pumping gas, and running a paper route and hot dog stand. View this post on Instagram A post shared by SJAC Food Groups (@sjacfoodgroups) Coleman’s entrepreneurial muscle would lead him to Tennessee State University, in Nashville, TN, at the age of 18. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in business administration and secured a position as a sales manager at a Fortune 500 Company. However, Coleman’s longtime vision wasn’t to work for another company. Instead, he wanted to be his own boss. In 2001, he established SJAC Food Groups, headquartered in Atlanta, GA, “the largest...
The company you keep can make or break you, and artist Fat Joe found this out the hard way. According to Forbes, Fat Joe shared that he once lost out on $2 million because of the large entourage he rolled with during an earlier part of his career. “We fall into this trap all the time when we try to help everybody, and it’s detrimental to you and your finances,” Fat Joe told the outlet. What’s more, the Bronx native revealed that on a day-to-day basis, he surrounded himself with over 30 people, all of whom he took care of financially. However, Fat Joe’s commitment to his people would take an interesting turn when the chief financial officer (CFO) of a marketing company attempted to contact the “What’s Luv” emcee with an offer to promote a beer company. This offer would quickly fall short. To close the deal, the executive planned to present Fat Joe with a $2 million check “with Fat Joe’s name on the ‘pay-to-the-order-of’ line,” Forbes mentioned. Unfortunately, the business opportunity...
Perhaps there is no off-limit terrain for Shaquille O’Neal, who is also taking over the seas! Among O’Neal’s various business ventures, he founded Big Chicken, a fast-casual restaurant that debuted in Las Vegas in 2018. While the the former basketball center has multiple ventures, he says he only pursues opportunities that he believes can change people’s lives, he previously told AFROTECH. “I try not to base everything on a monetary value,” he said. “I get a lot of deals. ‘Wear the shirt, put your name on it, we’ll sell it.’ I like investing in things that’s going to change people’s lives. I heard Jeff Bezos say that once, and that’s how he invests. So, I follow the strategy, and it’s been working very well for me.” Launching Big Chicken makes perfect sense for O’Neal. He grew up eating various chicken dishes made by his mother, Houston Press reports. “This is my creation—Excuse me, this is my mama’s creation. Coming where we come from, me and this little guy had to eat chicken a...
Another top food executive is sitting in the hot seat for misconduct. Tyson Foods has issued a statement after the company’s Chief Financial Officer, John R. Tyson, was arrested during an incident this weekend after he reportedly entered the wrong home and fell asleep in a stranger’s bedroom, CNN reports.
Veteran Hip-Hop executive Irv Gotti may have leveled up in a huge way. Known for helping to launch the careers of artists like DMX and Ja Rule, the heavy-hitter has reportedly inked a $300 million deal with Iconoclast — a network developed to service global agencies, record labels, and content platforms, plus more. “I raised $5 million for me to shoot my movie, and I used my music catalog as collateral. When I did that, it opened up a can of worms,” he told Billboard. “My good friend Zach Horowitz, who used to be the CFO for the Universal Music Group, called me and was like, ‘Irv, are you interested in selling [your catalog]?” My guy Walter Jordan was always telling me, ‘Irv, you’ve got money there.'” He continued: “Then Zach said he knows Oliver Chastan, and he’s the best and pays top dollar. We met and it was a love fest — Oliver felt my energy and the deal didn’t take long, a couple months. I’m a very spiritual person, and it’s God and my dad who passed away on Nov. 1 looking out...
Andy Muir will be sporting a new hat as Skims’ new chief financial officer. Women’s Wear Daily reports the former vice president and chief financial officer of the Jordan Brand will lead inclusivity efforts and spearhead Skims’ growth and financial agendas, as it plans to expand globally. Muir’s presence is timely, as the swimwear and innerwear company, created by Kim Kardashian and Jens Grede, is set to reach new markets, launch new categories, and open brick-and-mortar Skims stores. The advancements will be supported by a Series B funding round in January totaling $240 million. “As Skims expands globally, it’s important to me that we partner with people who resonate with international audiences,” Kardashian said, according to WWD. “As a young brand that’s still growing, we are focused on aligning ourselves with those who represent our brand mission and ethos, while having global influence.” Muir will bring forward an arsenal of skills strengthened by her time working at Nike’s...
When all else fails and you can’t locate the market for a need, the best bet is to create a lane yourself. That’s what one Black retail executive did after the realization that she could not find her sorority’s colors in any dresses in stores. After the realization that her sorority’s colors weren’t included in dress designs, Cenetta Baker-Woods took it upon herself to present a new strategy to help Macy’s win over sororities included in the Divine Nine. Now, the line is expected to hit $10 million in sales this year, according to a report from Bloomberg.
The very second you first understand the concept of what jobs are, people start asking the age-old question: What do you want to be when you grow up? Regardless of how the decision develops, each person eventually lands on what they want to do. Discovering your passion and calling is the fun part. For some — in particular, people of color — determining where to cultivate that passion can be much more intricate. But, finding a company that’s committed to equity, can provide a safe and inclusive space and ensures that benefits are on par with expectations isn’t quite as cumbersome as some may think. As the world of tech becomes inundated with career options for future technologists, Accenture has established itself as a world-class firm that’s delivering on the promise of technology and human ingenuity. Accenture’s commitment to provide clients with diverse innovation allows it to achieve and develop the best solutions. The company’s culture of equity ensures an inclusive work...