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Coworking is a weekly segment where we talk to CFOs and other leaders in the finance space about their experiences, their companies, and the larger economy. Let us know if you are—or you know—a CFO we should interview.
Okorie Ramsey has worked at Kaiser Permanente for over a decade, where he oversees SOX compliance as vice president of the health company’s SOX program. He’s also the current chair of the American Institute of CPAs, making him the first Black male to hold the post in the institute’s 136-year history.
Ramsey spoke with CFO Brew about the changing accounting landscape and how a new generation of leaders can set themselves up for success.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
What’s one skill that you think everyone needs for success in any accounting or finance role in 2023?
I would say the ability to communicate complex information in simple terms. How do you turn a bunch of your data into useful, valuable information to make smart decisions? And that's the key skill. When I think about my own personal experience, I tell people often that the classes that I think made the most impact on me were speech and business writing. So, not the technical classes. I needed that. I needed to know debits and credits, income sheets, cash flows, those are all things you’ve got to know. But the things that make you stand out, and set you apart as a leader, is: Can you help people understand these complex issues in a really fundamental way that helps them to make smarter, better business decisions?
Can you write in a way that is concise, and that tells the story? I find when I’m meeting with our committees, and our CFO, these are extremely smart people, but you also have to make it simple, [because] they’re dealing with a lot of information coming at them from many different ways and so if they have to spend time interpreting or trying to understand what you’re communicating, it’s likely going to move to the bottom.
What’s one of the career achievements so far that you’re most proud of?
From an accounting professional perspective, I come to the AICPA as the first African American male chair of the association. [Editor’s note: The AICPA has been around since 1887.]
For me, it’s a major accomplishment, because it’s a testament to the things that I’ve done to help to put me in a position to be here. It comes with a huge responsibility as well. I need to ensure that you know, I’m creating a vision of: What does it take to get here? But also, how do I utilize this platform in the best way to really let others know what is possible being in our profession, and really not just for those who may look like me, but for everyone who does it. So they know that “OK, well, this guy did it. Maybe I can do it, too.”
What advice do you have for future CPAs or other finance professionals?
I call it the six principles of leadership. The first is that you’re more than your career. And it’s important that you know that you’re so many elements, and it’s not just this title that you have, but that maybe you’re a husband or wife, you are a spouse, you’re a parent, you are a caregiver.
The second would be to work on developing your technical skills early. And that’s really about any job that you have. It’s not just when you’re starting a new career, but every time you take on a new role, you’re trying to figure out: How do I do this, and how do I do it well? The third is building relationships with a broad group of people, because you never know where your relationships are going to take you.
The next, which is really important, is knowing when you’re no longer working in the right place for you. That sometimes can be pretty hard because people are comfortable. But I try to do my best to put myself in positions where I’m comfortable being uncomfortable because that’s where you grow. So, if you are in a place where you are just kind of doing the routine, and [you’re] doing that same old thing every day, you’re not stretching and growing yourself, you may be getting yourself kind of stuck.
The next one is developing your personal brand. What are you known for? Is there daylight between what you are known for and what you want to be known for? And how are you going to change that perception to get where you want to be? Then, the last one is to work and think beyond the benefit of yourself. I have found that supporting other individuals and doing work that really helps people achieve their goals has really made just a lasting impact on me, just in terms of how I work.