More Indian-origin execs in Accenture’s global panel

Bengaluru: The meteoric rise of Indian-origin leaders in Accenture’s strategic decision-making body called global management committee (GMC) underscores the depth of expertise in newer technologies which are helping its clients reimagine the enterprise. From four Indian-origin leaders on the GMC roster in 2020, the number has more than doubled till date. There are other Indian leaders who’re elevated in other business functions too.Accenture’s COO Manish Sharma, also a part of the GMC, has been elevated as CEO of North America effective September 1. North America has generated $29 billion in revenue in the 2022 financial year. Accenture follows a September-August financial year. Sharma is responsible for Accenture’s clients, people, shareholders, partners, and communities. He joined Accenture in 1995 in its strategy practice and later became the group chief executive – operations, for which North America was the largest market. He oversaw operations, Accenture’s moniker for the BPM business, that had $6 billion in annual revenue in the 2019 financial year.Karthik Narain, Accenture’s lead – Accenture Cloud First, Data & AI, will become group chief executive – technology. Since the formation of Cloud First in 2020, cloud has become a top growth-driver and cloud-certified talent has nearly tripled under his leadership. He is also a member of the company’s GMC.Senthil Ramani, its lead for data and AI, growth markets, will take a newly created role -- lead data and AI reporting to Narain to drive a single data and AI go to market and capability. He will join the GMC in this newly created role. “We are elevating data and AI and creating this new role to be multi-service, hosted in technology driving a single data and AI go to market and capability agenda that is business value led, “ an email from Accenture CEO Julie Sweet said. Ramani will join the GMC in this newly created role.Sweet in an email to employees in July said, “…. we are announcing global management committee rotations as well as some expansions of responsibilities and departures. ..The GMC is responsible for bringing best innovation, experiences and feedback from every corner of the world, moving seamlessly between local and global, and global to local and for shaping and executing our near and longer-term strategy and priorities. We have critical roles outside the GMC, and we intentionally rotate leaders below the CEO’s direct reports on and off the GMC. As new priorities develop, we also create temporary GMC roles to reflect those focus areas.”Mahesh Zurale, lead for Advanced Technology Centers in India, will become the global lead for these centres, expanding his current role as it brings all the technology centres around the world under a single leadership. Arjun Bedi, lead of Diamond Client Council, Accenture’s global strategic portfolio of clients, will continue for one more year as the lead of the Diamond Client Council extending his three-year term. Zurale and Bedi are members of Accenture’s GMC.Phil Fersht, CEO of US-based HfS Research said, “Accenture’s embrace of Indian talent several years ago has been the cornerstone of its mega growth and success over the last decade. Sharma is the epitome of India leading from the front in the firm, where his elevation is an example of so many other ambitious Indian leaders to follow.” Among the other leaders in the GMC include Accenture chief strategy officer Bhaskar Ghosh, chief assets and solutions officer Kaushal Mody, group chief executive operations Yusuf Tayob, market unit lead US - Midwest Shiv Iyer and Arundhati Chakraborty, lead - delivery and transformation, operations.