The Path Forward: Digital Acceleration with Accenture CEO Julie Sweet

Accenture CEO Julie Sweet joins David Ignatius on Wednesday, Dec. 9. (Video: The Washington Post)

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The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the necessity of operating digitally for most global businesses. Accenture CEO Julie Sweet has said COVID-19 “created a new inflection point that requires every company to dramatically accelerate the move to the cloud." On Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 11:00 a.m. ET, Sweet will join Washington Post columnist David Ignatius to discuss how investments in strong digital foundations at scale have not only helped leading companies maintain business operations throughout crisis, but how Accenture is helping those left behind close the gap and accelerate their digital transformations with more urgency.

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Highlights

Accenture CEO Julie Sweet said “every business today is a technology business,” explaining that technology has become a lifeline for “businesses, companies and society” during the coronavirus pandemic. “The debate is over. Technology became a lifeline for governments, companies and society…the exponential change in technology that was happening before covid is only going to continue.“ (Video: Washington Post Live)

Accenture CEO Julie Sweet said while there are some industries that are ahead technologically, all industries need to find ways to transform. “In every single industry, you have leaders and laggers…all industries today need to transform…When we talk about this being a once in a digital era global re-platforming, it is not linked to one industry. ” (Video: Washington Post Live)

Accenture CEO Julie Sweet says one of the reasons companies should move to the cloud is the data security. "What you’ve seen during covid is the vulnerabilities in many of the systems companies have…cloud is actually more secure when it comes to data.” (Video: Washington Post Live)

Accenture CEO Julie Sweet says companies have a responsibility to re-skill workers and more needs to be done to get people prepared to deal with the digital world. “We are not educating and training our people to deal with the digital world. Automation is a fact, and it is going to continue. You have examples like Best Buy…They are creating another thousand jobs. The point is are Americans able to take those jobs?...The answer in many cases is no…We are leaving many people behind when you look at K-12 education.” (Video: Washington Post Live)

Guest

Julie Sweet, Accenture CEO

Julie Sweet is chief executive officer of Accenture and serves on the company’s board of directors.

Prior to becoming CEO in September 2019, Julie served as chief executive officer of Accenture’s business in North America, the company’s largest geographic market. Previously, she was Accenture’s general counsel, secretary and chief compliance officer for five years. Before joining Accenture in 2010, Julie was a partner for 10 years in the law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP.

Outside of Accenture, Julie is a leader on topics including innovation, technology’s impact on business, and inclusion and diversity. She serves on the board of directors for the Business Roundtable, where she is Chair of its Technology Committee. She also serves on the board of directors for Catalyst. In addition, Julie is on the board of trustees for the Center for Strategic & International Studies and for the Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities – Bridges from School to Work. In 2020, she was named No. 1 on FORTUNE’s “Most Powerful Women in Business.”

Julie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Claremont McKenna College and a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School.