When Accenture CEO Julie Sweet needed to announce the largest organizational restructure in the consulting giant's history, she deliberately chose not to send a company-wide memo to her 770,000-person workforce. Instead, Sweet opted for a direct video message to communicate the sweeping changes across 120 countries, breaking decades of corporate tradition.
"Reading it on a piece of paper would not have conveyed the why in the same way as hearing it—hearing the excitement in my voice, understanding the passion we have for why we're changing," Sweet told Fortune in a recent interview.
The Dublin-based company, which generated $64.9 billion in fiscal 2024, serves more than 9,000 clients worldwide. Sweet's restructuring represents what she describes as reversing "five decades of how we're working," bringing together previously siloed business units to better serve clients seeking comprehensive digital transformation.
Video communication delivers emotional impact across global workforce
Sweet's communication strategy reflects her belief that major organizational changes require both analytical foundation and human connection. She refined her message through multiple iterations with her leadership team, ensuring it would resonate at every organisational level.
"I try to have no ego on communication, because it's so important that we're really clear," Sweet explained, noting that all her direct reports work with speech coaches to improve their communication skills.
The transformation wasn't driven by cost-cutting but by client needs and Accenture's strategy to become the "reinvention partner of choice" for businesses navigating technological change. Sweet acknowledges the restructure inevitably uncovered efficiencies and duplications along the way.
AI transformation requires companies to fundamentally rewire operations
Under Sweet's leadership since 2019, Accenture's revenue has grown more than 50%. As the first woman to lead the company and its first CEO who didn't start straight out of college, she brings an outsider's perspective from her background as a corporate lawyer at Cravath, Swaine & Moore.
"In order to capture the opportunity with AI, you really have to be willing to rewire your company," Sweet said, offering advice she frequently shares with Fortune 500 CEOs. "Many times, when clients are saying, we're not getting a lot out of AI, it's because they're trying to apply it to how they operate today."
"Reading it on a piece of paper would not have conveyed the why in the same way as hearing it—hearing the excitement in my voice, understanding the passion we have for why we're changing," Sweet told Fortune in a recent interview.
The Dublin-based company, which generated $64.9 billion in fiscal 2024, serves more than 9,000 clients worldwide. Sweet's restructuring represents what she describes as reversing "five decades of how we're working," bringing together previously siloed business units to better serve clients seeking comprehensive digital transformation.
Video communication delivers emotional impact across global workforce
Sweet's communication strategy reflects her belief that major organizational changes require both analytical foundation and human connection. She refined her message through multiple iterations with her leadership team, ensuring it would resonate at every organisational level.
"I try to have no ego on communication, because it's so important that we're really clear," Sweet explained, noting that all her direct reports work with speech coaches to improve their communication skills.
The transformation wasn't driven by cost-cutting but by client needs and Accenture's strategy to become the "reinvention partner of choice" for businesses navigating technological change. Sweet acknowledges the restructure inevitably uncovered efficiencies and duplications along the way.
AI transformation requires companies to fundamentally rewire operations
Under Sweet's leadership since 2019, Accenture's revenue has grown more than 50%. As the first woman to lead the company and its first CEO who didn't start straight out of college, she brings an outsider's perspective from her background as a corporate lawyer at Cravath, Swaine & Moore.
"In order to capture the opportunity with AI, you really have to be willing to rewire your company," Sweet said, offering advice she frequently shares with Fortune 500 CEOs. "Many times, when clients are saying, we're not getting a lot out of AI, it's because they're trying to apply it to how they operate today."
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