CxO of the Week: Julie Sweet, CEO of Accenture

Julie Sweet is a leading figure in the technology industry. As of September 2019, she took on the challenging role of CEO for multi-national professional services brand, Accenture. However, this isn't the first challenge that Sweet has taken on during her impressive career.  According to the New York Times, Sweet is one of the most powerful women ever to appear in corporate America. Additionally, Julie was named on the Most Powerful Women list by Fortune in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Julie grew up in California and earned a law degree from the Columbia Law School. As well as this, she gained a bachelor's degree from Claremont McKenna College. 

Transitioning from Law to Business Leadership

Soon after earning her law degree, Julie took on a fast-paced role as a partner for the Cravath Law firm. For ten years, she was responsible for representing underwriters, corporate clients, and private equity funds. She also managed a range of other legal tasks. When Sweet decided to join Accenture in March 2010, she was General Counsel for the company. During this role, Julie was responsible for offering legal support to Accenture. In particular, Julie served as counsel to the board of directors and the senior leadership for the brand.  Then, in 2015, Julie changed track completely, becoming CEO for the North American brand of Accenture. In this role, Sweet was responsible for the company's largest geographic market, with revenues of around $18 billion in fiscal 2018. The North American branch also served more than 70% of the Fortune 500.  Julie's exceptional success running the North American branch of Accenture identified her as the perfect person to lead the company into the future, according to the rest of the leadership team for the company. Moving ahead, Julie will continue to focus on driving the Accenture brand forwards through the age of digital transformation. 

An Exciting Future in Business

Julie's background in law and consulting gives her a unique perspective for her role at Accenture. The leadership team for the brand is keen to see how Julie will bring her unique flavour to the organisation.  As a thought leader, Julie has spoken about innovation, inclusion, and diversity. She is also a member of the World Economic Forum's council for international business. As well as this, she is a member of the WEF Business roundtable, and previously served on the company's board of directors and as chair of the Technology Committee.