May 13, 2015

Accenture Becomes First Founding Member of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy to Address Impact of Digital Technology

SAN FRANCISCO; May 13, 2015 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has announced its founding membership with The MIT Initiative for the Digital Economy (IDE) to address the impact of digital technology on business, the economy, and society, including broad sociological changes. The relationship is based on Accenture and IDE’s mutual interest in defining new business models necessary to be successful in the digital world.

The IDE engages faculty and students in education programs relevant to the digital revolution, and makes recommendations to industry leaders and policy makers on the digital economy and job growth. As the first Founding Member of the IDE, Accenture has agreed to a five year relationship in which the company will have the opportunity to participate on joint research projects, contribute to the program’s research and technology roadmap, mentor students by providing feedback on projects and case studies, and participate in a specialized fellowship program.

“We are pleased to have the support of Accenture’s thought leadership as we continue build out an interdisciplinary focus and conduct research in various areas such as new digital models, big data, and productivity,” said Dr. Andrew McAffee, associate director, Initiative on the Digital Economy at the MIT Sloan School of Management. “The IDE looks forward to growing the program with Accenture as we pave the way towards better understanding how digital technology is transforming the world today.”

“We are excited to work with the IDE to explore how businesses can continue to master digital technologies to effect change on a much bigger scale,” said Paul Daugherty, chief technology officer, Accenture. “IDE’s dedication to digital transformation matches Accenture’s focus.”

“Accenture believes that every business needs strong partnerships to drive digital growth,” said Michael Sutcliff, group chief executive, Accenture Digital. “IDE is well positioned to be a leader in the digital space and this new relationship is illustrative of Accenture’s commitment to developing new business models.”

About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 323,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$30.0 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2014. Its home page is www.accenture.com.

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Contact:
Oriana Branon
Accenture
415-537-5032
Oriana.Branon@accenture.com