NABA’s Convention Had an ‘Uneasy’ Vibe This Year

Posted on by Adrienne Gonzalez
Defocused Image Of Business People At Seminar

I saw this story on Fox News of all places: Sponsors flee from National Association of Black Accountant recruiting event: report.

Fox grabbed their info from a Bloomberg newsletter published a few days ago that almost slipped past our radar: DEI Backlash Turns Recruiting Event Into Litmus Test. Bberg had this to say:

Does sponsoring an event for Black professionals count as DEI?

The annual gathering of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) is one of corporate America’s flagship diversity recruiting events. This year, it was also a litmus test of the impact of Donald Trump’s executive orders attacking what he calls “illegal DEI.”

By and large, the convention’s traditional backers showed up. For four days in June, signage from employers — Deloitte LLP, Wells Fargo & Co. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. among them — lined the halls of the swanky Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, where 3,300 convention goers mingled and networked. Accounting giant PwC had more than 100 representatives in neon pink shirts with the slogan “Leadership. Business. Inclusion. You.” Even the Internal Revenue Service had a presence, with a booth wedged at the rear of the conference’s career expo.

But in the shadows, there were hints of unease.

It goes on to say that attendance at SOAR — “the all-inclusive, premier event for Talent, Innovation, and Culture,” per NABA — was down to about 3,300 this year from 4,000 in 2024. It’s hard to say definitively if that’s due to “anti-DEI” sentiment or simply how expensive everything is these days combined with firms tightening up the purse strings. Oftentimes one can get their firm to pay for conferences like these — we all know that — but one regional NABA chapter leader told Bloomberg his employer declined to pay for his entry to this year’s conference, on top of declining the opportunity to sponsor the event. “He turned to his chapter for help affording the $1,250 ticket and said he was considering looking for a new job,” wrote Simone Foxman in the newsletter.

Do it, my guy.

As for the sponsors NABA did get, Bloomberg had this to say about a familiar name:

Deloitte, the title sponsor, kept press out of the sessions it underwrote and declined to make featured panelist Lara Abrash, the chair of Deloitte US, available for interviews. And more than two dozen named sponsors from previous years, including American Express Co., Meta Platforms Inc. and Walt Disney Co., were missing from the list this time around.

We’ve grabbed the full sponsor list, posted in order as they appear on NABA’s expo website. You’ll spot many more familiar names from top to bottom with Big 4 leading the list:

2023’s conference had 72 sponsors listed while 2024 had 75. There were 41 organizations for 2025.

I’d love to hear from the peanut gallery if your firm or industry employer has cut down on conference expenses this year. Give me a shout and let me know. Anonymously, of course.

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Bob Moritz Is Happy To Address Your FAQs on PwC’s New Logo That Don’t Concern Colors or Shapes

Okay people. By now some of you might be sick of hearing about PwC’s new logo that incorporates the beauty of autumn and your first Atari (look it up, young people). However, based on what we’re seeing in the traffic patterns, many are not, so we’ll truck on with Extreme Makeover: PwC Edition.

As we mentioned earlier this week, at least one person felt compelled to share their feelings on the switcheroo with PwC’s U.S. Chairman Bob Moritz. Whether that particular employee got their questions/concerns addressed is currently unknown, however Bob did address many popular questions in an email to the rank and file.

In his email, Roberto said that he’s perfectly okay with the feedback, even the negative stuff. But he implores that you don’t get hung up on the colors or building blocks because, well, it really has no bearing on anything and it’s silly to get caught up on something like appearances.

By now you’ve likely checked out the new PwC brand. Not surprisingly, I’ve gotten strong feedback from around the firm. Many love it. Some don’t. Few are neutral. With a firm of 30,000 smart people, there are going to be lots of opinions…and that’s okay. I ask that you don’t get caught up in the colors and logo; these changes to our visual identity are simply what we think reflects the evolution that has taken place within our firm as we continue to build a relationship-based, value-driven culture. The most important thing is that each of us understands what we’re doing and why, and can articulate what our brand means to our clients and to one another. And, it’s in line with what we’re doing around the network to create a more consistent brand worldwide. You’re going to hear more about the changes starting October 4, so stay tuned. In the meantime, click on FAQs below to read my responses to some of the feedback I’ve received.

Brand Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Are we changing our name, and when do I use pwc instead of PwC?
A: First, our name is still PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. That’s what we’ll use on formal and legal documents, and it will accompany the new brand in an appropriate manner in external materials. What we will call ourselves in day to day communications, though, is PwC. That’s really just acknowledging what people typically call us, and it’s easier for everybody than typing out our full name. In writing, we will still use PwC (uppercase “P,” lowercase “w,” and uppercase “C.”)

Just jumping in here: PwC appears to be assimilating to the idea that capitalization is irrelevant in this day and age of texts, IM so on and so forth.

Q: What is the timing of the change to the new brand?
A: Although we have kept the details under wraps to help us maximize the impact in the market, this transition has been in the planning stages for some time — and is part of our overall network strategy. The transition began gradually with the PwC network’s global website (pwc.com), which changed on September 20. On October 4, the official brand launch date, there will be a number of highly visible changes here in the US, from building signs to new stationery. Beyond that, though, we expect the transition to take time. Network firms will have the option to change at their own pace. In the US, we are moving faster because we see it as an opportunity to engage in dialogues with our clients and the market about the very real changes we are making in how we build relationships and create value. The changes to our logo, colors, look and feel are symbols of the broader changes being made to the firm and the global network.

In terms of visible changes, we will have most of our building signs replaced by the end of this calendar year. We have been working with our EAs and TAs, Document Production, and Graphic Design to tackle the thousands of printed and electronic documents that will need to be converted, looking first to those with the greatest impact on our interaction with our clients. This process will take time, and we’ll need everyone’s patience and support as we make the changes.

Q: Will we get new business cards?
Yes, all partners and staff (and that includes client service staff, IFS staff and EAs/TAs) will receive business cards, which will provide each of you with a great resource to help you connect with others, build on the relationships you have and help the firm deliver value. More to come on when and how to order business cards following our October 4 launch date.

Whether this affects the pace of greenness at PwC isn’t entirely clear.

Q: With the economy just climbing out of a recession, why are we spending money on this change now?
A: Timing was clearly a consideration. We have set ambitious goals for our network of firms–and we are counting on our brand to work harder for us as we distinguish ourselves from our competitors. There will never be a better time to begin the transition to our new brand, and by starting now, we will be well-positioned as the economy improves.

There will be some costs associated with the change. In the US, they will include the cost of building signage and consumable items such as stationery, business cards and printed materials. Overall, this spend is minimal in relation to our size and is certainly not significant to our annual operating budget. If we treat the brand re-launch as an important opportunity to engage with our clients and each other–to discuss how together we will improve relationships and create value–the money we spend on the launch will be paid back many times over.

Anything not covered above can be asked below but if you must, further comments, questions, concerns about the colors and/or geometry of the logo will not be dismissed.

8 thoughts on “NABA’s Convention Had an ‘Uneasy’ Vibe This Year”

  1. More firms and corporations have seen the light. The racist DEI leaders have caused businesses to suffer, many of which are people who DEI exploits. MAGA stands up for everyone and not just those deemed inept by the DEI fascists.

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    1. Contrary to your belief, dei has nothing to do with racism and everything to do with giving females more and more opportunities. Check your facts man, dei didn’t help me as a black American and I have a 140 IQ. Despite being in the top 1% I still get passed over continuously for leadership positions by white and Asian applicants many of them female

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      1. Typical response by a woke radical. Women do benefit the most but they are not the poster child of your racist DEI leaders. SMH!

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    2. So we’re replacing DEI with WEI-white, entitled and incompetent. As we have always been taught we have to be twice as smart and professional to get half of what you WEIs get. Besides DEI benefits white women, veterans, etc more than it does ‘the Blacks’. Do some research. Anybody dumb enough to listen to trump certainly can’t be too bright!

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      1. Wow, so in your mind you equate being White as superior over all races. You need to take off the shackles from your mind. We are all created equal and should be treated as equals. Trump has tirelessly worked to kill such DEI racist mindsets.

        BTW, Trump is POTUS. It’s time you and others show him the respect he deserves.

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  2. There’s a solution here. And it’s not “woke”.

    Look at the CPA pass rates at most of the HBCUs. They are deplorable. Embarrassingly bad.

    Get more minorities into good accounting programs at good schools. Then you won’t need DEI programs.

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    1. We should not pay one cent of tax money to HBCUs until they get their act straight! The pandering Democrats who act like Black people are dumb won’t allow a cut in funding. MAGA has the numbers and they need to destroy the racist woke mentalities. SMH!!!

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