Accenture Names William D. Green as Chief Executive Officer
NEW YORK; April 8, 2004 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) today announced that William D. Green will become the company’s new chief executive officer effective Sept. 1, 2004.
Mr. Green, who is currently Accenture’s chief operating officer – Client Services, will succeed Joe W. Forehand, who will step down as Accenture’s CEO on Sept. 1, 2004, but will retain the title of chairman.
“In his 26-year career with Accenture, Bill has distinguished himself as a true leader whose knowledge of our business, tireless work ethic, commitment to our people and their development, and demonstrated ability to forge major client relationships make him the clear choice for CEO,” Mr. Forehand said. “Bill’s contributions as a member of Accenture’s senior management team, his work on our transition from a global partnership to corporate form and through our IPO, and his experience across all of Accenture’s businesses give him unique insight into running our company. As chairman, I look forward to working closely with Bill in taking Accenture into the future.”
Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, lead director of the Accenture board, said that of the several highly qualified executives reviewed by the board during succession planning, Mr. Green was the preferred candidate with the experience and qualifications that best meet the needs of the CEO role.
“Bill brings to the position a unique combination of knowledge, experience and insight that the board feels is crucial to lead Accenture through its next phase of growth,” Sir Mark said. “He also has overwhelming support among the partners, who as senior executives of the company with direct operational responsibility for the business have unique insight into the requirements for Accenture’s CEO. The board is confident that Bill will serve Accenture in an exemplary fashion, and we look forward to working with him.”
Mr. Green said: “I am proud and honored to be selected as Accenture’s CEO by the board and to have such strong support from our partners. I am firmly committed to our strategy of helping our clients become high-performing businesses, as well as delivering results that demonstrate Accenture’s own high performance. I believe that our 90,000 people are the best and the brightest professionals in our industry, and that our leadership team is unmatched in experience and capability. I am also pleased that Joe will remain as chairman, to help further strengthen Accenture’s leadership position at this dynamic time for our business.”
Mr. Green has significant experience as a member of Accenture’s senior management team. In his current position as Accenture’s chief operating officer—Client Services, which is part of the Office of the CEO, he has overall management responsibility for the company’s operating groups, which are the industry-focused groups through which Accenture serves clients around the world. He has been a member of the Accenture board of directors since its inception in 2001. Mr. Green has also served as country managing director for the United States since August 2000.
Mr. Green played a central role, internally and externally, in Accenture’s transition from a global partnership to corporate form and through the company’s IPO in 2001. He worked closely with the company’s global partner group to develop and implement the strategy for the transition and beyond, and he was a lead spokesman for the company with the investment community during the IPO process.
During Mr. Green’s 26-year career at Accenture, he has held executive positions in most of the company’s operating groups. Mr. Green, who has particular expertise in the high tech, aerospace and telecommunications industries, was the group chief executive of Accenture’s Communications & High Tech operating group from 1999 to 2003. Under his leadership, the group grew to become the company’s largest business unit, with net revenues of $3.29 billion in fiscal year 2003.
From 1997 to 1999, Mr. Green was the group chief executive of Accenture’s Resources operating group. During his tenure, he managed a $2 billion operation that contributed 20 percent of the company’s total revenues. From 1994 to 1997, Mr. Green led the Manufacturing industry group, and before that he was managing partner for Accenture’s practice in New England.
Mr. Green joined Accenture in 1977 and became a partner in 1986. He attended Dean College and holds a bachelor of science degree in economics and a master of business administration degree from Babson College.
In March, Accenture announced that Mr. Forehand would step down as CEO on Sept. 1, 2004, retaining the position of chairman. As chairman, Mr. Forehand will continue to chair the board of directors, act as an advisor to Mr. Green, and continue to provide input into Accenture’s business strategy. He will also help to build relationships with clients, as well as with business and government leaders.
Conference Call Today
Accenture will host a conference call at 2:00 p.m. ET today. To participate, please dial +1 (888) 428-4471 [+1 (612) 326-1011 outside the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada] approximately 15 minutes before the scheduled start of the call. The conference call will also be accessible live on the Investor Relations section of the Accenture Web site at www.accenture.com\
A replay of the conference call will be available online at www.accenture.com and via telephone by dialing +1 (800) 475-6701 [+1 (320) 365-3844 outside the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada] and entering access code 724763 from 7:15 p.m. ET Thursday, April 8, through 11:59 p.m. ET Thursday, April 22.
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 approximately 90,000 people in 48 countries, the company generated net revenues of US$11.8 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2003. Its home page is www.accenture.com.
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Roxanne Taylor
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