There are a number of technology companies that are household names, the one's you hear about all the time for example IBM, Microsoft, Apple etc. - however there are a multiplicity of technology corporations that you may not be familiar with that do an exceptional amount of business and generate revenues in the billions globally, one such organization is Accenture a global tech giant that specializes in Management Consulting, Systems Integration and Technology, Business Process Outsourcing, and Application and Infrastructure Outsourcing with 569,000+ employees around the world.

In The Beginning

The company began as a business and technology consulting organization in the early 1950's, as a division of the accounting firm Arthur Andersen, which was considered one of the "Big Five" accounting firms along with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young, and KPMG.

Accenture gained traction in the 50's when it conducted a feasibility study for General Electric to install a computer at Appliance Park in Louisville, Kentucky, which led to GE's installation of a UNIVAC I computer and printer, believed to be the first commercial use of a computer in the United States.

Success..It's In the Name

Accenture was formerly known as Andersen Consulting, the organizations current name was adopted back in January, 2001 - The word "Accenture" is derived from "Accent on the future" which was submitted by one of its employees in an in-house naming competition.

Although Accenture gained its traction in the U.S. - it is known as a Fortune Global 500, Irish-domiciled, multi-national company - generating a reported revenue of $44.33 billion in 2020 and employs half a million people, in over 200 cities, in 120 countries with 50 locations in the United States.

Leadership

Julie Terese Sweet is the Chief Executive Officer at the organization and according to the New York Times she is "one of the most powerful women in corporate America." She was named to Fortune's "Most Powerful Women" list from 2016 through 2019.

Accenture appointed James (“Jimmy”) Etheredge, CEO — Accenture, North America in 2019. He has a highly decorated career at Accenture and has been with the organization for 36 years.

In 2020, Jimmy earned a spot on the "Power Players of Consulting" list published by Business Insider and he also ranked 28th in the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s "Power 100," a list of the most influential Atlantans. In 2018, he was named one of Atlanta's most admired CEOs by the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

Accenture has shown great awareness of the importance to the inclusion of women in top-tier roles in the work place and the organization is committed to DE&I.

The Review

In over 92,000 reviews on Glassdoor, Accenture has gained a 4.1 stars rating with 81% saying they would recommend to a friend and 91% CEO approval rate.

According to the latest Forrester Wave™ : Innovation Consulting Services report Accenture received the highest rating possible in 20 categories securing the #1 spot the report cited

"Accenture maintains a diverse innovation ecosystem and a large global network of innovation labs and hubs and supports ideation," the report states.

There is no doubt that Accenture is an organization that is here to stay; with its bold innovation and global reach, one would be wise to pay closer attention to this leader in the technology space.