Accenture Appoints Two New Independent Directors to Its Board
NEW YORK; Feb. 2, 2006 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has appointed two new independent directors, Nobuyuki Idei and Marge Magner, to the company’s board of directors. Mr. Idei, a former Chairman and CEO of Sony Corp., now serves as Sony’s Chief Corporate Advisor, and Ms. Magner is a former chairman & CEO of Citigroup’s Global Consumer Group.
The appointments, which take effect immediately, were approved by Accenture’s board of directors at its meeting today and will be subject to shareholder ratification at Accenture’s next annual shareholder meeting.
The appointments support Accenture’s commitment to maintaining a majority of independent directors on its board. Accenture’s board now comprises nine external, independent directors and two internal directors.
The terms of Steve Ballmer and Carlos Vidal, who had served on the Accenture board since October 2001 and February 2003, respectively, expired at Accenture’s annual shareholder meeting yesterday.
“We are committed to maintaining a board of directors and a corporate governance framework for Accenture that reflect today’s best practices,” said Joe W. Forehand, Accenture chairman. “In Nobuyuki and Marge, we have two highly respected former chief executives and management experts whose strengths and skills complement those of our existing board members in providing valuable oversight and direction to the strategy, operations and management of Accenture. I would also like to thank Steve and Carlos for the significant contributions they’ve each made to our board over the past several years.”
In addition to their general corporate experience, Mr. Idei and Ms. Magner were selected for other specific strengths. Mr. Idei has international experience consistent with Accenture’s global presence, having served as a senior executive with Sony in Asia, Europe and the United States. Ms. Magner, who also has significant international business experience, has been a strong supporter of diversity in the workplace and has received numerous awards and honors for her advocacy on behalf of women and children.
Nobuyuki Idei
Mr. Idei, 68, has served as Chief Corporate Advisor and Chairman of the Advisory Board of Sony Corp. since he stepped down as the company’s Chairman and CEO in June 2005. He also served as President and Chief Executive Officer (1999-2000) and President and Representative Director (1995-1999). Mr. Idei has spent his entire professional career with Sony, joining the company after graduating from college in 1960.
Mr. Idei played a key role in moving Sony into the digital age and in developing and enhancing Sony’s renowned design and brand image throughout his career. He oversaw the areas of Corporate Communications and Advertising as a Director and then Managing Director of Sony Corporation from 1989-1995.
With his strong background in international marketing, Mr. Idei contributed significantly to Sony’s reputation as one of the worldwide leaders in the consumer audio/ video industry as Deputy Senior General Manager, Video Group (1986) and Senior General Manager, Home Video Group (1988). He was instrumental in Sony’s involvement in the computer business and was a key figure in the establishment of Sony’s compact disc market and the strengthening of Sony’s consumer VCR business. Internationally he was active in the establishment of Sony’s European market presence, particularly through the opening of Sony France in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.
Outside of Sony, Mr. Idei has been Counsellor to the Bank of Japan since April 1999. In May 2003 he was appointed Vice Chairman of Nippon Keidanren (Japan Business Federation), where he serves as Chairman of the Committee on Administrative Reform.
Mr. Idei currently serves on the board of directors of Nestlé S.A. and had previously served on the boards of Electrolux and General Motors. He was a member of the IT Strategy Council, an advisory committee to Japan’s Prime Minister, from July 2000 to February 2005 and served as the Council’s Chairman from July to November 2000.
Mr. Idei received a B.S. degree in Economics & Politics from Waseda University in Tokyo in 1960.
Marge Magner
Ms. Magner, 56, was until September 2005 Chairman & CEO of the Global Consumer Group at Citigroup, responsible for the company’s operations serving consumers through retail banking, cards and consumer finance, as well as for finance, credit and other staff functions.
From April 2002 through August 2003, Ms. Magner was Chief Operating Officer of Citigroup’s Global Consumer Group, responsible for the North American Retail Banking organization, the Global Retail Banking product, Primerica Financial Services, CitiFinancial North America, Women & Co., and CitiCapital. Ms. Magner worked jointly with the Citigroup International management team to oversee consumer operations in Western Europe and Japan. She was also instrumental in planning and executing many of Citigroup’s acquisitions and was involved in the subsequent integration of the acquired companies.
Ms. Magner, who was named to the Fortune magazine list of Most Powerful Women in Business from 2001-2004, has been a strong supporter of diversity in the workplace. At Citigroup she aggressively promoted providing financial services geared to women. She helped establish Citibank Community Development (CCD) as a viable business strategy, focusing on initiatives such as affordable mortgage programs and creating and overseeing Citigroup’s Microfinance division. Ms. Magner also led Citigroup’s Global Consumer Group Community Relations efforts and has received numerous awards and honors for her advocacy on behalf of women and children.
Ms. Magner joined Commercial Credit, a predecessor company to Citigroup, in 1987. Before joining Citigroup, she worked as managing director of the Chemical Technologies division for Chemical Bank. She began her career in the actuarial department of Equitable Life Insurance.
Ms. Magner holds a B.S. degree in psychology from Brooklyn College and an MSIA degree from the Krannert School of Management, Purdue University.
Additional information about Accenture’s board of directors can be found in the Corporate Governance section of accenture.com.
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. Committed to delivering innovation, Accenture collaborates with its clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. With deep industry and business process expertise, broad global resources and a proven track record, Accenture can mobilize the right people, skills and technologies to help clients improve their performance. With more than 126,000 people in 48 countries, the company generated net revenues of US$15.55 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2005. Its home page is www.accenture.com.
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Roxanne Taylor
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