Julie Sweet, CEO of Accenture, A Visionary Leader at the Helm of Accenture

Julie Sweet stands out as a leader whose career combines legal rigor, strategic insight, and a commitment to inclusive growth. As Chair & CEO of Accenture, she has been steering the global professional services giant through the challenges of digital transformation, shifting workforce dynamics, and evolving client expectations since 2019. Her leadership is marked not just by ambition, but by empathy, inclusion, and a sharp focus on future skills.

Accenture: A Global Powerhouse of Innovation
Accenture is a global professional services company offering strategy & consulting, technology, and operations services. With hundreds of thousands of employees serving clients across more than 120 countries, it is known for helping organizations modernize their infrastructure, adopt cloud and AI technologies, and improve operational resilience. Under Julie Sweet’s oversight, Accenture has emphasized sustainability, gender parity, and ethical business practices alongside growth and innovation.

Early Years and Career Foundations
Julie Sweet was born in 1967 and grew up in Tustin, California. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Claremont McKenna College and a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School. Before joining Accenture, she spent about 17 years at the law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, becoming one of the few women partners there.

Journey to CEO
Sweet joined Accenture in 2010 as General Counsel, Secretary, and Chief Compliance Officer. In 2015, she became CEO of Accenture North America, the company’s largest geographic market. In September 2019, she succeeded then-interim CEO David Rowland to become the global CEO, and in September 2021 she also became Chair of the Board.

Leadership & Vision
Julie Sweet leads with a blend of strategic clarity and moral purpose. She emphasizes the importance of inclusivity and equity, believing that diversity in leadership and workforce improves innovation and business outcomes. She also urges continuous learning, seeing leaders as lifelong learners rather than just holders of authority. Under her, Accenture has committed to preparing its workforce for AI, data, cloud, and sustainability challenges. She is vocal about tackling pay inequality, closing skill gaps, and adapting to emerging technologies.

Impact & Achievements
Since taking office as CEO, Sweet has overseen Accenture through moments of global disruption, including the COVID-19 pandemic, maintaining operational stability and delivering value to clients and shareholders. She guided the company’s strategic push into high-growth areas like digital, cloud, security, and AI. She has been recognized widely: named among Fortune’s Most Powerful Women in Business, listed among the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women by Forbes, and featured in TIME’s 100 Most Influential People. Her board roles and public advocacy reflect a leader who takes her influence beyond corporate walls.