May 10, 2018

Accenture Announces U.S. ’Innovation Challenge’ Undergraduate Winner

Georgetown University team focused on CARE

ATLANTA; May 10, 2018 – A student team from Georgetown University, in conjunction with Accenture (NYSE: ACN), will provide management consulting services to help the global humanitarian organization CARE empower female smallholder farmers as part of Accenture’s annual U.S. undergraduate Innovation Challenge.

The winning team from Georgetown University was selected in April following multiple rounds of competition, which included 1,375 participants across 53 teams from undergraduate campuses and diversity partner organizations.

"Throughout the competition, the students’ focus on CARE and the targeted beneficiaries – namely women around the world working to improve their families’ lives – was both humbling and inspiring," said Marty Rodgers, managing director of Accenture’s nonprofit practice. "CARE helps make the world a better place, and we at Accenture are thrilled that the Innovation Challenge could support a great new initiative to help women in agriculture."

The Georgetown University team’s winning proposal called for a three-pronged approach to support female farmers as part of “She Feeds the World,” a new CARE initiative launched in 2018 to help 19 million women through improved access to sustainable agriculture resources and markets. The Georgetown solution focused on boosting awareness, development and empowerment to increase women’s access to seeds and microloans, in part through a new farmer-to-farmer ambassadors’ network.

"CARE is a movement, not just an organization, and building allies such as Accenture and the students in its Innovation Challenge is critical to our continued progress and impact around the world," said Martha Brooks, CARE’s board chairperson.

Steve Stone, Accenture’s group operating officer for North America and one of the competition’s judges, said, "We are happy to support great organizations in the communities where we live and work, such as CARE, and know that the students involved in the Accenture Innovation Challenge were inspired by the CARE vision."

Launched in 2012, the Accenture Innovation Challenge provides college students from across the United States an opportunity to put their community spirit and creative ideas to the test by participating in a case competition to support a priority goal of a nonprofit organization. Winning teams help implement their proposals with the nonprofit organization and an Accenture consulting team.

Accenture in the United States
Accenture is a leading professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. With more than 50,000 people and operations in 41 cities in the United States, Accenture serves 93 of the Fortune 100 and more than 70 percent of the Fortune 500. In the United States, Accenture has innovation hubs which bring together key elements of the Accenture Innovation Architecture – including labs, studios and innovation centers – to help clients develop and deliver disruptive innovations to drive growth. With an unwavering commitment to inclusion and diversity, Accenture is consistently recognized on FORTUNE’s 100 Best Companies to Work For and DiversityInc’s Top 50 Companies for Diversity lists. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

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Contact:

Joe Dickie
Accenture
+1 512 694 6422
joseph.r.dickie@accenture.com