Accenture CEO Pierre Nanterme Steps Down

Accenture’s Chairman and CEO Pierre Nanterme announced he is immediately stepping down for health reasons and CFO David Rowland will take over as interim CEO.

Nanterme, who has been CEO since 2011, was diagnosed with colon cancer in July 2016 and underwent surgery shortly thereafter. At the time, Nanterme said that he would “be able to stay actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the company throughout this process.”

On Friday, Nanterme said that would no longer be the case.

“It has been my honor and privilege to serve Accenture’s people and our clients for my entire 36-year career, and I’ve never been more confident in our business strategy, leadership team and people,” said Nanterme in a statement. “I know that David’s significant involvement in developing and delivering our growth strategy to rotate our business to new, high-growth areas of digital, cloud and security — and his tenure as a highly respected senior leader and developer of talent — will make this transition seamless. This is the right decision for my family and me, so I can focus on my health.”

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Accenture -- No. 2 on the 2018 CRN Solution Provider 500 -- named Marge Magner, the board’s lead independent director, as the company’s non-executive chair of the board, the company said. KC McClure, who now leads Accenture’s finance operations, will take over for Rowland as chief financial officer.

“Looking ahead, David is the right choice to serve as interim CEO,” Magner said in a statement. “David brings deep knowledge of Accenture’s business, the global marketplace and the competitive environment — coupled with his unparalleled commitment to driving value for our clients, our people and our shareholders. I have personally worked with David for more than a decade, and he has the full support of the board.”

Nanterme was named chief executive officer in January 2011. He became the chairman of the board in February 2013.

During his time as CEO, Accenture’s net revenues grew 55 percent from $25.5 billion in fiscal 2011 to $39.6 billion in fiscal 2018, while the company’s market cap increased approximately $70 billion to $108 billion through August 2018, for a total return to shareholders of 309 percent, the company said in a statement.

“Nanterme transformed Accenture and was instrumental in rotating its business to high-growth areas in the New — digital, cloud and security-related services — which together account for more than 60 percent of Accenture’s total revenues,” according to a statement from Accenture. “He dramatically increased Accenture’s investment in the business to enhance the company’s end-to-end capabilities and differentiation.”