Making a Difference: Accenture 2016 Corporate Citizenship Report Features Progress on Skills Training, Sustainability & Clos...

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) has published its 2016 Corporate Citizenship Report “Making a Difference,” detailing its commitment to a more inclusive and sustainable world.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170330005348/en/

Accenture, through its Skills to Succeed initiative, has equipped more than 1.7 million people with the skills to get a job or build a business (Graphic: Business Wire)

“As a company, we have a responsibility to address today’s most pressing challenges and to improve the way the world works and lives," said Pierre Nanterme, Accenture's chairman and CEO. "Our global capabilities and digital experience help drive innovative solutions for a wide range of societal issues, from equipping young people with job skills to helping close the gender gap in technology.”

“Making a Difference” spotlights Accenture's initiatives around the world to help people acquire the critical skills they need to earn a living. Through its Skills to Succeed initiative – and working with its nonprofit partners -- the company has equipped more than 1.7 million people with the skills to get a job or build a business. Accenture’s goal is to reach and empower three million people with these skills by 2020.

"New skills open doors to job opportunity and economic independence,” said Jill Huntley, managing director of global corporate citizenship at Accenture. “With a focus on innovation and new technologies and in close collaboration with our partners, we help identify the skills and build the confidence people need to thrive.”

The report also highlights Accenture’s initiatives to:

• Improve energy efficiency by more than 30 percent since 2007 – Fiscal 2016 marked Accenture’s most energy-efficient year in its history.
• Progress supply chain sustainability – All of the company’s procurement teams now weigh ESG (environmental, social and governance) performance of prospective suppliers.
• Close the gender gap – Accenture has set a new goal: by the end of 2020, women will account for 25 percent of managing directors worldwide. Additionally, the company surpassed its goal of having women comprise at least 40 percent of its new hires by 2017. Its global workforce now includes more than 150,000 women.

To explore how Accenture is #MakingaDifference, visit: accenture.com/corporatecitizenship.

About Accenture’s 2016 Corporate Citizenship Report

Accenture’s 2016 Corporate Citizenship Report details Accenture’s impact during fiscal 2016 across five areas: Ethics & Governance, Our People, Community Impact, Environment and Supply Chain. Accenture uses the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G4 Guidelines as a foundation for its reporting approach, and its 2016 Corporate Citizenship Report is prepared in accordance with the Core option. The report serves as Accenture’s eighth Communication on Progress to the United Nations Global Compact, which the company signed in 2008, and documents Accenture’s progress as a member of Global Compact LEAD, which focuses on raising sustainability performance.

About Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions – underpinned by the world’s largest delivery network – Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With approximately 401,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170330005348/en/

AccentureMark Radvanyi, + 44 7770 [e-mail] Hyland, [e-mail]