Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sharon Smith-akinsanya. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Sharon, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

At the time, I saw corporations struggling to connect with consumers and Professionals of Color. They were leaving money on the table because they didn’t have the right relationships. They weren’t in the right rooms. They weren’t having the right conversations. And I knew I could help fix that.

So, I launched the Rae Mackenzie Group in 1997, a marketing firm focused on helping major corporations build authentic, meaningful relationships with communities of color. I focused on the business case on why it made sense to position yourself in the marketplace to attract and retain Top Talent of Color. And thankfully, the message was well received. Companies knew they needed help, and they saw me as the person who could bridge that gap.

This ultimately led to the launch of the People Of Color Career Fair in 2016, which continues to grow today. In fact, we’re expanding to Saint Paul, Minnesota this April for the very first time.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Sharon Smith-Akinsanya, and my life’s work is about power. The power of diverse talent, the power of Black, Latino, Asian, and LGBTQ+ consumers, and the power of the demographic shift that is already reshaping America. My company, the Rae Mackenzie Group, helps major corporations win the competition for diverse talent and expand their customer base, because if they don’t? They’ll get left behind.

I got into this work because for decades, I watched companies claim they wanted to hire more professionals of color but “just couldn’t find them.” I saw them struggle to reach Black, Latino, and Asian consumers while dumping millions into ineffective marketing strategies that failed to connect with those audiences. And I knew, without a doubt, that the real problem wasn’t a lack of talent or a lack of consumers, it was a lack of proximity. These companies weren’t in the right rooms, they weren’t building the right relationships, and they weren’t making themselves attractive to the professionals and consumers they needed to increase shareholder value.

That’s where I come in.

I launched the People of Color Career Fair because I was tired of hearing the excuse that corporations “couldn’t find” top talent. We bring thousands of highly qualified professionals of color into one room, and we put them face-to-face with Minnesota’s top employers. And guess what? They get hired.

I also work directly with CEOs and C-suite leaders to help them expand their talent networks, retain the best professionals, and ensure their businesses remain competitive as America continues to shift toward a majority-minority nation. Because let’s be clear, this isn’t charity work. This is about shareholder value. This is about the future of business.

One of the ways I help leaders build authentic relationships with diverse market segments is by producing landmark events like Celebrating the Sistas in Minneapolis, where CEOs, corporate executives, federal, state, and local policy makers, and community leaders, come together to let the world know that Minnesota is a place where we can all live, work, play, and prosper.

What Sets Me Apart
Let’s talk about what doesn’t work. For the past few years, too many companies framed DEI as a moral obligation or “the right thing to do”, instead of a business strategy. And now? We’re seeing the backlash. Companies are rolling back their DEI programs left and right, not because they don’t need diverse talent and consumers, but because they failed to make the business case from the start.

That’s what makes me different. I don’t do fluff. I don’t do box-checking. I don’t do feel-good initiatives that don’t move the needle. I teach leaders how to tie inclusive growth to their bottom line, so that when political tides shift (as they always do), they’re not caught scrambling.

Because here’s the truth: Even if “DEI” as a term disappears from corporate mission statements, the need to attract and retain top talent of color, and expand multicultural consumer markets, will never go away.

So, if you’re a CEO reading this, ask yourself:

Can your business afford to ignore the $6 trillion in buying power held by Black, Latino, Asian, and LGBTQ+ consumers?
Can you afford to lose top talent when the entire country is experience a workforce shortage?
Can you afford to keep playing by an outdated playbook when America is on the verge of becoming a majority-minority nation?

If the answer is no, then you already know why my work is so essential.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Let me take you back to 2008. The Rae Mackenzie Group was thriving. I had built a business that was helping corporations connect with Professionals and Consumers of Color in ways they had never done before. But when the recession hit, diversity marketing was one of the first things companies cut from their budgets.

Almost overnight, I lost everything. My home was foreclosed on. My car exploded on the freeway. I had to pull my daughter out of private school.

I remember sitting in my kitchen, feeling completely defeated. I had worked so hard to build something meaningful, something that was making an impact, and suddenly it was all gone.

But here’s the thing about me: I don’t stay down for long.

I leaned into my relationships, my network, and my skills. I took a role at the United Negro College Fund and raised over $10 million, proving that I could drive revenue, build partnerships, and make an impact even in a tough economy. But even while I was working there, I knew my mission wasn’t finished.

I was still hearing the same excuses from corporations, “We can’t find talent of color.” And I knew that wasn’t true. The talent was there, but the relationships were missing.

So in 2017, I relaunched the Rae Mackenzie Group, bigger and better.

This time, I didn’t just help companies market to communities of color, I helped them attract, hire, and retain diverse talent. I launched the People of Color Career Fair, bringing thousands of professionals and major employers together in one room. And it was a game-changer.

That’s what resilience looks like to me.

I could have walked away. I could have said, “This is too hard.” But I didn’t. Because my mission is bigger than me.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I show them I actually care. I send birthday messages. I send Christmas cards. I attend their events. I invite them to my events. I even invite them to my home. I make sure we see each other frequently. Again, proximity is everything. The more I know my clients, the better I can serve them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.raemackenziegroup.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonsmithakinsanya/

Image Credits

All images are provided on behalf of the Rae Mackenzie Group