Jorge Benitez

Jorge Benitez
CEO, United States and Senior Managing Director, North America, Accenture

Website: www.accenture.com
Primary Business: Management consulting, technology services, and outsourcing
Revenues: $27.9 billion

Emphasizing Training at Accenture

At Accenture, we take the widest view of diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive and equitable environment for people with different backgrounds, lifestyles, expectations, and needs. We move beyond gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity to create a work environment that welcomes all forms of differences. When I’m asked about Accenture’s culture of inclusion and how it was created, I often talk about our core values—especially Best People, Integrity and Respect for the Individual—as the foundation of an authentically diverse workplace. Inclusion and diversity are fundamental to our company, fostering a collaborative work environment that helps people succeed and enables the company to compete in the global marketplace.

Evidence of diversity everywhere, from the people who lead to Employee Resource Groups that bring together those with common interests and backgrounds, to the recognition Accenture has received from groups like the Human Rights Campaign and Working Mother. I see it in the more than two million résumés received each year—people want to join a diverse company.

I’m proud our company demonstrates inclusion quite publicly. For instance, we were one of the first companies to add sexual orientation and gender identity and expression information to its nondiscrimination policy. In 2010, we became one of nine companies in the U.S. to implement Transgender Transition Guidelines that comply with World Professional Association for Transgender Health standards.

In addition, women account for three of the ten non-management directors on our board, 17 percent of senior executives, and 20 percent of the Global Management Committee, the company’s primary governance group. International Women’s Day is a big celebration at Accenture with women and men participating in events in more than forty countries.

In addition to our core values, training is one way we spread our culture and extend our company’s inclusive nature. Last fiscal year, more than $850 million was spent on training, placing an emphasis on customized courses to help women and ethnic minorities grow their careers. Everyone begins training on their first day and, in addition to functional and technical skills, our curriculum focuses on developing knowledge of core values, how to treat one other, and how we can succeed together.

Overall, Accenture is a diverse company by character and by geography. What makes us an inclusive company is a deliberate focus on the people who make up the company and what they bring to their teams and clients every day.

Education: BS, University of Florida
My Philosophy: My personal philosophy is based in lessons from my parents, especially my father. He told me things like ‘You are known by the people you associate with’ and ‘Your word is your bond.’ These may sound simplistic but they are true and have translated into my professional philosophy as well.
Interests: Boating, golfing, and my family