Accenture to undergo round of redundancies, with up to 70 underperforming MDs on the chopping block
Consulting company Accenture will take an axe to its Australian executive team, making up to 70 managing directors redundant.
The Australian Financial Review reports that this could constitute up to a quarter of local MDs, with the consultancy confirming that the redundancies are due to an “overcapacity of skills in certain areas”. A spokesperson did not comment on the number of redundancies, but said they would affect “a very small percentage” of employees.
That’s a lot of underperforming senior staff. One could assume there would be a significant flow-on effect to the middle ranks and contractors that make up the Accenture workforce.
As for AI, putting an ad agency guy in charge of a largely tech-first business, with little exposure to partners like M/SF/A/O seems like an odd choice.
Most CMOs have realised that ‘tech-first’ is largely worthless without a solid understanding marketing fundamentals. And most consultants are nothing more than spruikers for Adobe, Salesforce et al.
I’d take Mark’s extensive experience of building brands over tech consultant lifers any day.
+1
There’s at least a dozen seasoned CMOs looking for a proper gig at the moment. Many of them ignored tech entirely, others cocked up the implementation because understanding it ended at a powerpoint presentation, and a remaining few thought changing ad agencies and/or brand refresh would replace the need to fix their crappy customer experience.
These terminally unemployed types can rely on the occasional speaker gig to do some chest beating though!
There’s “at least a dozen seasoned CMOs looking for a proper gig at the moment”. What the hell does that have to do with anything? In your view – from a distance – they ignored tech? There could be hundreds of reasons they aren’t in work, most of which neither you nor I would have a clue about.
There are hundreds of ‘digital transformations’ where the benefits have been oversold (& never realised) and the implementation has been carried out by a bunch of lifer consultants who have little understanding or experience in actually delivering a marketing program. The failure rates of these programs are well known and it can’t be ‘the client is an idiot’ in all of these instances. Failure rates of over 50% suggest a systematic industry failure.
So, back to the original point.
I’d back Mark’s track record of growing brands – including both his clients’ and that of The Monkeys – and Accenture’s choice to appoint him as CEO of AI over the opinion of the Peanut Gallery every time. It is what the market needs: a proven marketing talent who understands the connection between all facets of marketing and commercial success.
What’s the collective noun for 70 under performing Managing Directors?
A waste.
A cluster?
A consultancy?
A WPP?
Comment of the year, surely.
I wouldn’t trust my marketing to an agency (or accountants) that lets the phrase “70 under performing managing directors” into the press.
the economy is struggling and most companies are finding it hard to hit their numbers.
“This will affect a very small percentage of our workforce in ANZ.”
If 70 Managing Directors is a “small percentage” how many did they have to start with?!
A LOT. The Accenture model is hundreds of MDs in each region, but due to the centralised model none of them actually have much control or decision-making ability.
‘Recession’ anyone?
this release certainly hammers home the point that PR is a gap in their offering
Now I know the NBN rollout is complete.
Unfortunately this is now a company who has lost its way. Forcing employees to take roles that is not their area of expertise all for the sake of being chargeable to any client.
From a dynamic forward thinking amazing company to a narrow minded management team with no vision. No wonder they have not met targets in 2 years ! Sad and very toxic place to work.