Accenture ends global DEI goals amid political shift
DUBLIN, IRELAND — Accenture, a global consulting giant, has announced the discontinuation of its diversity and inclusion (D&I) goals, which were originally set in 2017.
According to an internal memo from CEO Julie Sweet, seen by Reuters and reported by the Financial Times, this decision aligns with the evolving political climate in the United States, particularly recent executive orders.
The company is “sunsetting” its D&I targets along with specialized career development programs aimed at certain demographic groups. Sweet explained that the policy change was necessary to comply with new government directives since Donald Trump’s presidency commenced on January 20.
Corporate trend away from DEI goals
This move by Accenture follows a trend among major corporations such as Meta, Alphabet, Amazon, Walmart, and Lowe’s, which have also retracted their D&I commitments post-Trump’s election. The U.S. president has criticized these programs as “absolute nonsense” and discriminatory, issuing executive orders to eliminate federal DEI initiatives.
Additionally, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi indicated that the Justice Department would aggressively address what it considers illegal diversity practices within the private sector. In response to these shifts, some companies are reassessing their policies, while others, like Costco, Apple, and JPMorgan Chase, maintain their commitment to diversity.
Impact on company practices and future plans
As part of this policy overhaul, Accenture will halt the submission of data to external diversity benchmarking surveys and reassess its external partnerships related to talent strategies. Despite previously setting ambitious goals for female and minority representation within its workforce, these will no longer influence staff performance evaluations.
Sweet’s memo assured that Accenture achieved much of its diversity targets and would continue to strive for an inclusive work environment based on merit, echoing sentiments from the Trump administration favoring merit-based systems over mandated diversity quotas.
The company’s previous commitments included achieving gender parity by 2025 and increasing minority representation in managerial roles in the U.S. and the United Kingdom.
Despite these changes, Sweet reaffirmed Accenture’s dedication to an unbiased and equitable workplace, albeit without the formal D&I benchmarks previously in place.
