Retired Accenture CEO Discusses Career with AU Students

Accenture logoAuburn industrial and systems engineering alumnus Joe Forehand and retired chairman of Accenture - the world's largest consulting firm - recently spoke to students about his career, its relation to the industrial and systems engineering discipline, and the perspective he has gained from his professional achievements.

Forehand joined Accenture (then Anderson Consulting) in 1972 in the Atlanta office and became a partner ten years later. He served as Accenture's CEO from November 1999 through August 2004, leading Accenture through a period of significant change and growth. In August 2000, Forehand orchestrated the successful conclusion of the company's arbitration process with Andersen Worldwide. Shortly thereafter, the company changed its name to Accenture and undertook one of the largest global rebranding campaigns of its kind in record time.

Joe ForehandIn recognition of his leadership, Information Week named Forehand one of the top 15 Most Inspirational Figures in the information technology industry in 2001. Also that year, he was named the No. 1 Most Influential Consultant by Consultant Magazine. He was named one of the top 25 executives for 2001 by CRN Magazine. Forehand has also been named as distinguished alumnus by the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering at Auburn University and was elected to the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame.

In April 2004, Forehand stepped down as Accenture CEO, and in October 2006, joined the board of Aricent, the communications software company.

Forehand has received many honors for his visionary leadership. Among them are the Carl S. Sloane Award for Excellence in Management Consulting and the Morgan Stanley Leadership Award for Global Commerce, sponsored by the Computerworld honors program. He was also named as distinguished alumnus by the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering at Auburn University and was elected to the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame.

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. Committed to delivering innovation, Accenture collaborates with its clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments.