When Julie Sweet needed to announce the biggest organizational change in Accenture\u2019s history to her workforce of more than 770,000 employees, she broke with decades of corporate tradition. Instead of crafting a company-wide memo, the CEO opted for something different: a direct video message that would reach employees across 120 countries and fundamentally reshape how massive corporations communicate during times of upheaval.<\/p>\n
\u201cReading it on a piece of paper would not have conveyed the why in the same way as hearing it\u2014hearing the excitement in my voice, understanding the passion we have for why we\u2019re changing,\u201d Sweet said in a recent interview with Alyson Shontell, Fortune\u2018s editor-in-chief, for the first-ever episode of the Fortune 500 Titans and Disrupters of Industry vodcast (subscribe here<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Sweet\u2019s communication strategy reflects the scale of challenge she faces as head of Accenture, the world\u2019s largest consulting firm by revenue. The Dublin-based company generated $64.9 billion in fiscal 2024<\/a> and serves more than 9,000 clients, providing services spanning strategy consulting, cloud migration, data analytics, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and more. With hundreds of thousands employees spread across more than 120 countries, Accenture helps organizations reinvent themselves in the digital age, making it both a beneficiary of and participant in the AI-driven transformation sweeping global businesses.<\/p>\n Sweet herself represents an unconventional path to corporate leadership. Since becoming CEO<\/a> in September 2019, she\u2019s been the first woman to lead Accenture and the first CEO in the company\u2019s history who didn\u2019t start there straight out of college. Her background as a high-powered corporate lawyer\u2014she spent 17 years<\/a> at the prestigious firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore, making partner within eight years\u2014gave her an outsider\u2019s perspective when she joined Accenture as general counsel in 2010. Under her leadership, the company\u2019s revenue has grown more than 50%, and she\u2019s been recognized as one of Fortune\u2018s Most Powerful People in Business<\/a>.<\/p>\n The restructuring Sweet announced represents what she describes as reversing \u201cfive decades of how we\u2019re working.\u201d The move brings together previously siloed business units to better serve clients seeking comprehensive digital transformation, aligning Accenture\u2019s organizational structure with its strategy to be \u201cthe reinvention partner of choice\u201d for businesses navigating rapid technological change.<\/p>\n At the heart of Sweet\u2019s strategy was recognition that this transformation had to be both decisive and deeply human. The restructure wasn\u2019t a cost-cutting exercise, though Sweet acknowledges it inevitably uncovered efficiencies and duplications. Instead, the move was driven by client needs and Accenture\u2019s ambition to deliver integrated solutions combining industry knowledge, technical expertise, data, AI, and functional capabilities as a single offering.<\/p>\n \u201cIn order to capture the opportunity with AI, you really have to be willing to rewire your company,\u201d Sweet said, reflecting broader advice she gives to Fortune 500 CEOs. \u201cMany times, when clients are saying, we\u2019re not getting a lot out of AI, it\u2019s because they\u2019re trying to apply it to how they operate today.\u201d<\/p>\n Sweet\u2019s approach to managing the change went beyond just the medium of communication. She solicited feedback and critiques from her leadership team, refining her message through multiple iterations to ensure it resonated at every level. \u201cI try to have no ego on communication, because it\u2019s so important that we\u2019re really clear,\u201d she said, noting all her direct reports work with speech coaches to hone their communication skills.<\/p>\n The transformation also demanded what Sweet calls a balance of \u201cart and science\u201d\u2014using metrics and benchmarks from Accenture\u2019s transformation GPS database to provide the analytical foundation, while applying empathy and cultural understanding to ensure the human element wasn\u2019t lost. Ultimately, Sweet\u2019s leadership through this restructuring has become a case study in navigating sweeping organizational change in an era when traditional corporate communication methods may no longer suffice.<\/p>\n You can watch the first episode of Titans, featuring Sweet, below.<\/p>\n