Linked inTwitter

The 52:52:52 project, launching on this site and on social media in 2025, will help you address 52 issues with 52 responses over 52 weeks.

This site addresses what's changing, at the personal, organisational and societal levels. You'll learn about key changes across more than 150 elements of life, from ageing and time, through nature and animals, to kindness and love...and much more besides, which will help you better prepare for related change in your own life.

Halcyon In Kaleidoscope features irregular and fragmentary writings - on ideas and values, places and people - which evolve over time into mini essais, paying humble homage to the peerless founder of the genre. The kaleidoscope is Halcyon's prime metaphor, viewing the world through ever-moving lenses.

A Mundane Comedy is Dom Kelleher's new book, which will be published in 2025. The introduction is available here and further extracts will appear on this site and on social media in the coming months.

Accenture Insights

Submitted by Halcyon In Business on 22 June 2016

June 2016

 

 

  • Debra A. Polishook has been appointed Group Chief Executive, Accenture Operations. She succeeds Michael J. Salvino, who will retire and join Carrick Capital Partners, an investment firm focused on technology-enabled businesses. Accenture has also named Manish Sharma as Group Operating Officer, Accenture Operations, succeeding Polishook. The changes are effective 1 September 2016. Polishook, is currently Group Operating Officer for Accenture Operations, one of the firm’s five businesses with more than $7 billion in annual revenues and 100,000 staff globally. Polishook will also join the company’s Global Management Committee. Sharma, based in Bangalore, India, is currently Senior Managing Director, Global Delivery & Solution Development for Accenture Operations. Sharma will continue as a member of Accenture’s Global Leadership Council.

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 2016

 

 

 

　 

 

 

  • Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, announced a collaboration agreement with Accenture and SAP China. The partnership with Accenture, revealed during their cloud computing conference in Shenzhen, shows Alibaba Cloud’s global ambition to become a leader in service technology and business solutions for clients in China and in ASEAN markets. Through the collaboration Accenture and Alibaba Cloud will combine their infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) solutions with Accenture’s industry and technology consulting capabilities. The two companies will also work together to jointly bring cloud-based third-party solutions onboard the Alibaba Cloud platform.

 

 

 

April 2016

 

 

  • Accenture is expanding its global security presence by opening a cyber centre in Bangalore, India. The new state-of-the-art facility uniquely brings together interdisciplinary capabilities, ranging from the innovation, incubation and development of new solutions to strategic consulting and transformation, and the managed delivery of a broad range of cyber defence services, enabling clients to tap into the latest strategies and technologies to address their toughest cybersecurity challenges

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 2016

 

 

  • Accenture reported better-than-expected quarterly revenue and profit numbers, led by strong growth in its consulting business, especially in North America. 2Q net revenue rose 12% in local currency terms, to US$7.95 billion. Second quarter consulting revenue was up 18% in local currency terms and outsourcing revenue was up 6% to US$3.65 billion. The firm’s shares have risen nearly 18% in the past 12 months compared with a 0.5% increase in the S&P 500 IT Services index.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 2016

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 2016

 

 

 

 

  • Accenture said it had invested US$841 million on the training and professional development of its people in fiscal 2015. The company also spent 15 million hours to train people, at an average of more than 40 hours per employee. Accenture provided training through its Connected Learning programme, which is a blend of classroom-based training and a digital learning environment. The programme links the company’s employees to professional content and world-class experts from inside and outside Accenture. The Accenture Connected Learning comprises more than 50 connected classrooms, 24,000 online courses and 900 learning boards and five regional learning centers – Bangalore, India; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; London, England; Madrid, Spain; and the US. Moreover, the program includes more than 100 professional communities. Since its introduction at the start of fiscal 2015, Accenture said, its Connected Learning has enabled the company to develop specialised skills required to quickly respond to changing business requirements faster than ever before.

 

 

  • Accenture argued that there is one key word that is at the centre of the digital economy or companies' digital strategy: it is the word platform, which basically combines a number of elements. The platform as a tool. The platform as a place where partners in an ecosystem reconfigure, and the platform as a centre of solutions. The platform business model is, for Accenture, probably the greatest opportunity in the next 3-5 years to create growth in the digital economy. Which platforms, which ecosystems, are providing the most value? How can you tap into internal and external resources, expand your capacity? This is the key role of the platform, this is the so-called “network effect,” that a platform provides. Also from a competitive standpoint, an industry specific digital strategy needs, requires, to be clear on which platform, what roles, which data, are fundamental to compete successfully in that industry and, or, in a disruptive way across industries. The key is really to identify which part of your business is prime for a platform strategy, starting with the most information intensive part of your business.

 

 

 

  • A report from Accenture argued that few businesses grasp how dramatic the changes arising from new platform-based ecosystems will be. The threat they pose? Unexpected new competitors seizing advantage. The opportunity? Previous technology disruptions were often unpredictable, but now, enterprises have a line of sight to track growing ecosystems and anticipate their impacts. Forward-thinking leaders can get ahead of the game, develop their ecosystem strategies, and ride the results into new markets.

 

  • Accenture's Pierre Nanterme claimed that digital disruption is at the heart of all the conversations he has with CEOs today. And this is not surprising, as it presents the most significant threats and opportunities any of us have faced in business. When assessing the implications, consider the fact that that new digital business models are the principal reason why just over half of the names of companies on the Fortune 500 have disappeared since the year 2000. And yet, we are only at the beginning of what the World Economic Forum calls the “Fourth Industrial Revolution,” characterised not only by mass adoption of digital technologies but by innovations in everything from energy to biosciences. While the digital transformation of industries will be profound, we must keep in mind that it will have wider economic and social impact, too, as with previous revolutions driven by steam and coal, electricity and computers.

 

 

  • Accenture agreed to acquire Formicary, a provider of consulting and systems integration services for trading platforms in the UK and North America. The acquisition will further strengthen Accenture’s capabilities in helping banks, asset managers, hedge funds and clearing organisations transform their trading technology platforms, enabling them to quickly and cost-efficiently adapt to market and regulatory change. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Formicary specialises in financial trading systems consulting, systems integration and migration, and IT services and software for over-the-counter clearing, which includes implementations of industry-leading trading platforms such as Murex, Calypso and Misys Summit. The company helps capital markets firms revamp their trading platforms to reduce reliance on heavily customised, high-cost systems.

 

 

  • Accenture acquired CRMWaypoint, a supplier of cloud advisory and technology services in the Netherlands, specialising in Salesforce cloud solutions for sales, service and marketing. CRMWaypoint is one of the largest Salesforce partners in Benelux, established in 2006 with an exclusive focus on Salesforce. It was one of the first official implementation partners for Salesforce in the Dutch market in early 2008. Since then, CRMWaypoint has delivered on more than 600 Salesforce projects in different industries with a team of highly qualified professionals that carry over 80 Salesforce certifications. CRMWaypoint is serving clients both in medium business and large enterprise market segments. Accenture continues to grow and strengthen its position as a leading enterprise cloud services provider. Accenture was one of the first global companies to establish a strategic alliance partnership with Salesforce and today has leading capabilities in Salesforce with more than 3,400 unique certified professionals around the world.

 

 

 

December 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Accenture acquired Boomerang Pharmaceutical Communications, an international full-service digital marketing agency serving the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical-device industries. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition strengthens the broad range of digital consulting and digital marketing services Accenture provides to clients in these industries, particularly in Europe. Services include end-to-end digital marketing; service and experience design; content, campaign and publication management; and digital communication services. Headquartered in Basel, Boomerang is a full-service digital agency, providing digital strategy, digital marketing services, web-site development and site promotion for the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical-device industries for more than 17 years. With more than 80 employees, Boomerang also has offices in Mulhouse, France; Parsippany, New Jersey (United States); and Dublin, Ireland.

 

 

  • Accenture acquired Beacon Consulting Group, a trusted advisor and management consultant to the North American asset management community. This acquisition significantly expands Accenture’s asset management consulting capabilities and enhances its ability to help global investment managers, institutional investors and asset servicers gain an edge in increasingly competitive markets. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Beacon Consulting will become part of Accenture’s Capital Markets practice, reinforcing its expertise and capabilities in asset management to help asset managers and other financial services companies design, build and operate their business. Headquartered in Boston, Beacon Consulting Group brings a deep understanding of the asset management industry with differentiated expertise in middle- and back-office operations. Beacon’s proprietary benchmarking data and thought leadership also help its clients enhance their competitive position and implement changes that transform their business performance.

 

 

 

 

  • Accenture named a record number of 723 people to managing director and senior managing director. “Each of these individuals brings the talent, leadership and experience that we need to serve our clients, develop our more than 358,000 people and run Accenture as a world-class business," said Pierre Nanterme, Accenture’s chairman and CEO. "These promotions reflect our commitment to career growth and opportunities for our people. We salute these executives and their contributions to Accenture – and to our clients." Women account for more than 28% of the new managing directors and senior managing directors – up from 21% in 2014. 

 

 

November 2015

 

 

 

 

  • Accenture closed its acquisition of Schlumberger Business Consulting (SBC), the management consulting affiliate of global oilfield services company Schlumberger. Accenture says the deal will expand the capabilities of Accenture Strategy to help the world’s largest exploration and production companies to become more competitive and grow. SBC was a leading management consulting service provider in the energy sector, particularly in the upstream oil and gas sectors, providing consulting services in the areas of strategy, operations, people & transformation, capital projects and mergers & acquisitions. Founded in 2004, SBC was a global consultancy with over 250 professions serving clients from nine offices worldwide. All SBC employees and associated knowledge assets have joined Accenture Strategy, with the exception the Schlumberger and Schlumberger Business Consulting trademarks, which have been retained by Schlumberger and are not part of the transaction.

 

 

 

  • Accenture and Oracle launched the first industry-specific product of their Accenture Oracle Business Group venture, formed in April this year to provide cloud services. The Hospitality Finance Cloud Solution enables companies to access real-time financial data from multiple data sources such as internal property management systems and external financial institutions, then connecting to existing on-property systems to automate workflow approvals.

 

 

 

 

October 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Accenture is to invest €25 million in a new centre for innovation in Dublin, which will create 200 jobs. The company said it will “research, incubate, and pilot innovative industry-specific and cross-industry technologies and solutions for its clients” in the new centre. The centre will also include a technology lab that will focus on identifying and scaling innovative solutions based on new and emerging technologies. Accenture said it will recruit more than 200 professionals with R&D and design expertise in cognitive computing, Internet of Things, advanced analytics, security and digital marketing.

 

 

 

 

 

September 2015

 

 

 

 

  • Accenture entered into an agreement to acquire Cloud Sherpas, a leader in cloud advisory and technology services specialising in Google, Salesforce and ServiceNow. The move will further strengthen Accenture’s position as the leading enterprise cloud services provider and enhance its ability to provide clients with unparalleled cloud strategy, technology consulting, and cloud application implementation, integration and management services. Following the completion of the acquisition, more than 1,100 professionals from Cloud Sherpas are expected to join the newly created Accenture Cloud First Applications team, which delivers cloud services for Google, NetSuite, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Workday and other “pure play” technologies. Combining with Cloud Sherpas will further expand Accenture’s ability to create differentiated cloud services across leading and emerging application platforms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Accenture and SOASTA, a leader in performance analytics, are forming an alliance to provide faster and more reliable digital performance management solutions to clients. In addition, Accenture has made a minority investment in SOASTA. Terms of Accenture’s investment were not disclosed. Combining Accenture’s global testing and performance engineering capabilities with SOASTA’s advanced performance management and analytics tools will allow clients to increase end-to-end performance of their web sites and mobile applications while delivering exceptional customer experiences. This ability to monitor customer experience in real time can help predict and solve performance problems from virtually any location and on any device around the world. As part of the alliance, Accenture will draw on its extensive experience with enterprise clients to advise SOASTA on their product roadmaps. Accenture will also become a reseller for SOASTA products and will provide solution development support.

 

 

  • Accenture Interactive continued its acquisition spree by buying Brazilian digital agency AD.Dialeto. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The 115-person shop will become part of Accenture Interactive, but for the immediate term, AD.Dialeto will retain its own brand identity. The agency's office will remain as is, but the agency will collaborate with Accenture Interactive’s existing office in Sao Paulo where client synergies exist. The acquisition of AD.Dialeto is part of Accenture’s Latin American digital growth strategy, with Brazil being a key pillar in the region. Earlier this year, Accenture Interactive expanded the operations of its design and innovation unit Fjord Studio with the opening of an office in Sao Paulo. That followed Accenture’s acquisition of Rio de Janeiro-based Gapso, the analytics provider in February.

 

 

 

August 2015

 

 

  • The Washington Post commented on Accenture’s evolving diversity initiatives, “The global consulting firm, whose consultants often travel weekly when assigned to a remote client's site, announced new benefits for employees who are the primary caregiver of a new child. For the first year after they return from leave, consultants in North America will be assigned to work on client projects in their local areas, rather than being asked to travel frequently." The firm also introduced a programme, similar to one recently introduced by IBM, that lets employees ship pumped breast milk home at no cost when travelling on business, as well as expanding the number of hours of back-up dependent care provided to employees.

 

 

  • In India, the Economic Times noted the appointment of Rekha Menon as Accenture Chairwoman, saying “Menon, who currently is the head of human resources for growth markets at Accenture, is Accenture's first woman head in India, continuing a recent trend of multinational technology firms in India appointing women leaders. IBM named Vanitha Narayanan as its India managing director in 2013, while Neelam Dhawan and Kumud Srinivasan enjoy similar roles at HP and Intel respectively.

 

 

  • Accenture acquired Schlumberger Business Consulting (SBC), the management consulting arm of Schlumberger, for an undisclosed amount. Over 250 consultants operating from nine offices worldwide will be integrated into Accenture’s Strategy business unit. SBC is a global player in the energy and utilities sector, with a particular focus on clients in the upstream oil and gas industry. The company provides consulting services in strategy, operations, people & transformation, capital projects and mergers & acquisitions. Founded in 2004, Schlumberger Business Consulting has grown to become a team of over 250 consultants operating from nine offices worldwide. With the acquisition of Schlumberger Business Consulting, Accenture significantly bolsters its capabilities in the rapidly changing energy landscape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July 2015

 

 

  • Accenture will get rid of the annual performance review. Accenture CEO Pierre Nanterme told The Washington Post that the firm has been quietly preparing for this "massive revolution" in its internal operations. "Imagine, for a company of 330,000 people, changing the performance management process—it's huge," Nanterme said. "We're going to get rid of probably 90% of what we did in the past." The firm will disband rankings and the once-a-year evaluation process starting in fiscal year 2016, which for Accenture begins this September. It will implement a more fluid system, in which employees receive timely feedback from their managers on an ongoing basis following assignments. Accenture is joining a small but prominent list of major corporations that have had enough with the forced rankings, the time-consuming paperwork and the frustration engendered among managers and employees alike. Six percent of Fortune 500 companies have got rid of rankings, according to management research firm CEB.  These companies say their own research, as well as outside studies, ultimately convinced them that all the time, money and effort spent didn't ultimately accomplish their main goal - to drive better performance among employees.

 

 

  • Accenture entered into an agreement to acquire EnergyQuote JHA, a Pan-European energy management and procurement services provider. The acquisition will bolster Accenture’s energy procurement capabilities in Europe and further enhance its ability to deliver energy management as-a-service to clients. Terms of the deal were not disclosed and the acquisition is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Headquartered in London, EnergyQuote JHA provides services including energy procurement, risk management and strategy development, forecasting, energy contract management, portfolio management, carbon emissions reduction and utility bill management to clients in more than 22 European countries. EnergyQuote JHA’s 279 employees from offices across Europe including the UK and Romania, as well as India, are expected to join Accenture at the completion of the transaction.

 

 

  • Accenture acquired creative studio Chaotic Moon. The Austin, Texas--based studio known for coming up with crazy fire shooting drones and other design technology for major brands will now apply that same unique spark to rapid prototyping and tech capabilities within Accenture. The company employs over 200 people. Neither company disclosed terms of the deal, but it fits a pattern for Accenture who recently acquired Swedish digital content provider Brightstep in June and a Hong Kong-based collection of interactive companies called PacificLink Group earlier this month.

 

 

  • Accenture acquired full ownership in Solium, a Madrid-based technology company. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Accenture and BBVA founded Solium as a joint venture in 2001. BBVA owned 66.7% of the company at the time of sale. Accenture has now acquired BBVA’s ownership stake and is the sole owner of Solium. As part of the transaction, Solium will continue to provide hybrid cloud services to BBVA for the next five years. The acquisition will also enhance Accenture’s capabilities in infrastructure optimisation and operations including the implementation and management of cloud architectures. As a result of the acquisition, Solium’s 65 professionals are expected to transition to Accenture and will continue to be located in Madrid.

 

 

  • Accenture increased its strength in Asia Pacific with the acquisition of PacificLink Group, an independent set of full service digital agencies in Hong Kong. The acquisition significantly expands the ability of Accenture Interactive, part of Accenture Digital, to bring its unique blend of digital design, marketing, content and commerce services to clients in the rapidly expanding Greater China market. PacificLink employs approximately 240 professionals in Hong Kong and includes a number of multi-award winning agencies that specialise in creating and delivering an integrated and connected set of differentiated marketing solutions for brands across a full spectrum of online and offline platforms. The move is designed to strengthen Accenture Interactive’s ability to help CMOs and CIOs bridge the gap between marketing and digital technologies.

 

 

 

 

  • Spanish travel technology company Amadeus said it would buy Navitaire, a subsidiary of Accenture for US$830m. About 550 Navitaire employees, including the company's senior management team, are expected to transfer to Amadeus, the company said in a statement. Navitaire focuses on the low-cost and hybrid-carrier segments of the airline industry and has a global customer base of more than 50 operators, provides revenue generation and cost streamlining solutions in the areas of reservations, ancillary sales, loyalty, revenue management, revenue accounting and business intelligence. Amadeus and Accenture expect to close the Navitaire acquisition in the fourth quarter of calendar 2015, following regulatory approvals. Amadeus expects the acquisition to have minimal impact on its financial performance in 2015.

 

 

 

June 2015

 

 

  • Accenture had strong demand for its consulting, IT and business process services in fiscal Q3, and year-to-date for the first three quarters of fiscal 2015. Revenues were $7.8bn, up 0.4% in US dollars and 10% in local currency. Operating income was $1.13bn. The strong results prompted the firm to increase its fiscal 2015 outlook, to 9-10% growth. Accenture’s revenue distribution shifted over the period, with US revenues up 11.53% YTD in USD, and European revenues down 2.53%. Digital services was an area of particular strength, growing at more than 30% in local currency in Q3, with the firm’s new Strategy consulting group exhibiting strong performance. From a competitive standpoint, Accenture views the Big Four (with an emphasis on Deloitte and EY) and the “Indian pureplays” as its primary competition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Accenture entered into an agreement to acquire Javelin Group, a UK-based retail strategy consulting and digital transformation services provider. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Javelin Group is a specialist integrated retail strategy and digital transformation consulting firm, employing more than 160 people and generating approximately half its revenues outside the UK. Services include digital market assessment and potential evaluation, digital performance improvement, omni-channel retail planning, retail analytics, supply chain fulfilment and operations, as well as location and international expansion strategy. It also provides digital technology consulting and systems implementation and support services. 

 

 

  • Accenture acquired Tquila UK, a Salesforce consulting services provider. More than 100 professionals will join Accenture, elevating the size of its UK-based Salesforce practice to approximately 185 consultants. Founded in 2010, Tquila is a privately held company headquartered and operating out of London. The firm delivers a full range of Salesforce services from consulting, implementation and integration, through to custom application development, governance and support. Tquila has more than 100 dedicated Salesforce professionals and over 270 certifications in the domain.

 

 

 

 

  • Deloitte and Accenture Duck Creek established a strategic alliance to help US property and casualty insurers prepare for the dynamic changes that are reshaping the insurance industry. The collaboration will enable Deloitte to offer clients access to a range of quality offerings and Accenture choices in systems integrators. The alliance brings Deloitte's decades of experience helping insurers transform their business processes and IT systems together with Accenture Duck Creek's suite of software to assist insurers that want to update their core systems and use the opportunity to prepare their business for the future.

 

 

 

April 2015

 

 

  • Accenture acquired US based consulting services business Axia Ltd. Axia, headquartered in Boston, provides growth, go-to-market, operational, performance management and M&A consulting services. The company's clients are mainly in the life sciences, health care and consumer goods sectors. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Number of employees were not confirmed, however, website has 11 'Partners and Principles' and 5 'Senior Advisors'. Transaction terms were not disclosed.

 

 

 

March 2015

 

 

 

February 2015

 

 

  • Accenture closed its acquisition of Reactive Media, one of Australia’s largest independent digital agencies. Reactive Media is the latest of Accenture’s acquisitions of leading digital firms. Accenture acquired Fjord and Acquity Group in 2013, and avVenta in 2012. Reactive Media Accenture also completed its acquisition of Structure, a provider of consulting, systems integration and customised applications and services to energy and utilities clients. Structure’s approximately 200 staff will be integrated within Accenture’s Resources operating group.

 

  • Accenture Federal Services acquired Agilex Technologies, Inc a company that provides services in Advanced Analytics & Data Management; Enterprise Mobility (Mobile Strategy, Architecture, Infrastructure and App Development); Infrastructure Optimisation & Cloud Computing and Software Development & Systems Integration. Agilex is based in Virginia, US. Transactions details and staff numbers were not disclosed.

 

 

January 2015

 

 

 

December 2014

 

  • Omar Abbosh was appointed Accenture’s Chief Strategy Officer. Abbosh succeeds Shawn Collinson, who will retire on 1 March 2015. Abbosh has worked for Accenture for 25 years and is currently the Senior Managing Director, Growth & Strategy for the firm’s Resources operating group. As Chief Strategy Officer, Abbosh will oversee all aspects of the company’s strategy, including leading the firm’s Growth & Strategy organisation globally. He will also join Accenture’s Global Management Committee - details.

 

  • Accenture signed an alliance in the US with Backbase, which will target banks and financial services clients. The alliance aims to leverage Backbase’s customer experience management technology to provide clients with end-to-end solutions for their digital transformation strategies.

 

 

 

September 2014

 

 

  • Accenture also reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full fiscal year ended August. 31st, 2014. For the fourth quarter, net revenues were $7.8bn, an increase of 10% in U.S. dollars and 8 percent in local currency compared with the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, and above the company’s guided range of $7.45 to $7.70bn. Diluted earnings per share were $1.08. Operating margin was 13.9%. Operating cash flow was $1.6bn and free cash flow was $1.5bn. New bookings were $8.3bn.

 

 

 

August 2014

 

 

 

 

July 2014

 

 

Topics
Business
Levels
Organisational
Timelines
2016
2014
2015
Spaces
Global
Signifiers
Professional Services