Good morning. Lila MacLellan right here, filling in for Sheryl right this moment. Jane Fraser, CEO of Citigroup, is a broadly revered chief, however she not too long ago instructed me concerning the chief government she admires. “Julie is without doubt one of the prime leaders within the company world, interval,” she mentioned of Accenture CEO Julie Candy. “I imply, there aren’t many different individuals who can come shut.”
“She’s very clear-eyed; she’s all the time curious,” Fraser additionally instructed me. “I believe that is most likely what’s going to give her unbelievable longevity as a frontrunner.”
As I write in a profile that additionally seems within the newest version of Fortune journal, Accenture’s outcomes assist Fraser’s views. Candy took management of the tech-forward consulting big in 2019, leaving her put up as CEO of North America to take the nook workplace. Accenture’s market cap has grown from $90 billion in 2018, the 12 months earlier than Candy was named world CEO, to $149 billion right this moment. And in 2018, Accenture recorded annual income of $41 billion. Final 12 months, it was $65 billion.
A few of that development might be attributed to Accenture’s famously aggressive acquisitions technique, which as soon as earned the corporate the title of “world’s most acquisitive agency.” Certainly, Candy first joined Accenture in 2010 as normal counsel and was recruited due to her profession as an lawyer who led giant and infrequently revolutionary M&A offers.
However Candy’s management model—formed by her distinctive historical past—additionally explains her success on the agency and Accenture’s eye-popping natural development. As I discovered, Candy managed to remain forward of a number of tendencies, together with cloud migration, partly by finding out rising expertise, taking in lots of factors of view, after which performing shortly when she sees a chance. To Fraser’s level, Candy’s curiosity and openness arguably allowed her to see the rise of generative AI lengthy earlier than ChatGPT arrived. Regardless of present headwinds in its federal contracting enterprise, analysts say Candy has now positioned Accenture to reap the benefits of a coming huge cycle of AI adoption as among the globe’s largest companies search for help. Even when generative AI itself eats away at among the demand for Accenture’s IT companies, as one analyst instructed, corporations will preserve coming to Accenture for ever-more-complicated AI initiatives.
“We’ve already been main,” Candy instructed me, describing the corporate’s concentrate on AI, “however we’re doubling down on that as a result of we all know that the unlock for purchasers in tough occasions is scaling the affect of AI.” Learn the complete profile right here.
Lila MacLellan
lila.maclellan@fortune.com
Leaderboard
Alex Kayyal was appointed CFO of The Commerce Desk (Nasdaq: TTD), a worldwide promoting expertise firm, efficient Aug. 21. Presently serving on The Commerce Desk’s Board of Administrators, Kayyal will lead the corporate’s long-term monetary and funding technique. Laura Schenkein will transition from CFO after greater than a decade in a collection of finance management positions with the corporate. Most not too long ago, Kayyal was a associate at Lightspeed Enterprise Companions, the place he led the agency’s utility software program observe. He additionally spent almost a decade at Salesforce in numerous government roles globally, together with SVP and managing associate of Salesforce Ventures.
Todd Tinelli was appointed SVP, CFO and treasurer of Centrus Power Corp. (NYSE American: LEU), efficient Aug. 11. Tinelli replaces Kevin Harrill, who’s resigning to pursue different alternatives after a profitable four-year tenure as CFO. Harrill will stay with the corporate by way of Aug. 29. Tinelli most not too long ago served as CFO of Sprague Sources LP, a multinational subsidiary of Hartree Companions LP. Throughout his 18-year tenure at Sprague, he progressed by way of senior positions together with treasurer and managing director of finance, director of FP&A and enterprise improvement and different positions in accounting and finance.
Massive Deal
The 2025 International Monetary Wellbeing Report, launched by Nudge International, a monetary training platform, finds that youthful generations—notably these aged 16–24 (Gen Z)—are probably the most proactive in bettering their monetary well being.
Whereas solely 69% of Gen Z price their monetary literacy as “good” to “wonderful,” 88% are actively working to enhance it—the very best price of any age group. In distinction, simply 71% of adults aged 55 and over (Gen X and Child Boomers) are doing the identical, regardless of having extra life expertise. Based on the report, this means a generational shift in mindset, with youthful folks exhibiting larger self-awareness and motivation to shut their data gaps.
Nevertheless, decrease monetary literacy might also contribute to larger emotional volatility round cash amongst youthful folks. Gen Z report the very best ranges of economic disgrace (40%), which can replicate the pressures of navigating debt, job insecurity, and the rising price of dwelling early in life.
Moreover, 18% of Gen Z say they really feel overwhelmed by debt—greater than double the speed of these aged 55 and over (7%).
Going deeper
“How once-iconic Intel fell right into a 20-year decline” is a Fortune report by Geoff Colvin.
From the report: “Intel’s decline started some 20 years in the past, when the corporate made a number of acquisitions, lots of which have been in telecommunications and wi-fi expertise. In idea, that made nice sense. However buying companies is a talent of its personal, and David Yoffie, a Harvard Enterprise College professor who was on Intel’s board of administrators on the time, instructed Fortune ‘100% of these acquisitions failed. We spent $12 billion, and the return was zero or unfavorable.’ Intel additionally tried unsuccessfully to know the mammoth mobile phone alternative. And as years glided by, easy poor administration crept in.”
Learn the entire report right here.
Overheard
“The USA wants Intel, as Intel is the one U.S. firm able to offering state-of-the-art logic manufacturing.”
—Craig Barrett, a former CEO and board chairman of Intel, writes in a brand new Fortune opinion piece