Accenture dubs 800,000 staff ‘reinventors’ amid shift to AI | Business

Accenture has reportedly started calling its 800,000 employees “reinventors,” as the consultancy tries to position itself as a leader in artificial intelligence.

The consultancy’s chief executive, Julie Sweet, has already started referring to staff by the new label and the company is now pushing for the term to be used more widely, the Financial Times reported, citing company sources.

The “reinventor” label grew out of a reorganization within Accenture in June, which merged its strategy, consulting, creative, technology and operations divisions into a single unit called “Reinvention Services.”

The new label for consultants is the latest in a long list of unusual jargon that big companies have imposed on their staff; some tech workers are referred to as “ninjas,” “growth hackers,” and “evangelists.”

Curious job titles are also popular in the media and entertainment industries, notably at Walt Disney, where the technical experts who design and build its theme parks are called “imagineers.”

Accenture’s push to “reinvent” comes as it prepares to focus more on its AI capabilities. Sweet told investors in September that the consulting firm would “leave” employees who were not proficient in using AI at work.

The New York-based group said it was training its staff in the fundamentals of generative AI, but that employees for whom “reskilling, based on our experience, is not a viable path to acquiring the skills we need” would be shown the door.

The consultancy has also reportedly created a version of its internal human resources website in which staff are referred to as “reinventors” rather than “workers”, the FT reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.

Accenture, which was founded in 1989 by Arthur Andersen, the now-departed accountant, works with thousands of companies around the world, providing IT and business strategy consulting and outsourcing services.

The company benefited from huge demand for technology consulting in the wake of the pandemic, but its shares, listed in New York, suffered this year after Donald Trump ordered U.S. government agencies to review their spending with big consulting firms.

The consultancy reported a 7% annual rise in revenue to $69.7bn (£52.7bn) for its financial year ended August, but warned investors that cuts in US federal spending would likely slow its growth next year. Since the start of the year, it has lost more than a quarter of its market value, which stands at $155 billion.

Accenture has been contacted for comment.