The consulting firm Accenture has abolished its global diversity and inclusion goals. The decision follows an internal "assessment" of political developments in the USA under the new government.
Accenture CEO Julie Sweet informed the 799,000 employees worldwide in an internal message about the withdrawal from the diversity goals set in 2017. Additionally, career advancement programs for certain demographic groups would be discontinued. The decision was the result of a "review of our internal policies and the changing landscape in the USA," said Sweet.
The step comes just weeks after a series of executive orders by U.S. President Donald Trump, in which he restricted federal programs for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI). Trump repeatedly criticized the initiatives as "absolute waste of time" and "discriminatory.
Accenture joins a growing list of companies rethinking or scaling back their DEI strategies. In addition to the consulting giant, Meta, McDonald's, and Target have also weakened or abandoned their goals in this area. Meanwhile, other companies like JPMorgan Chase and Costco have publicly emphasized their commitment to inclusion goals.
Accenture originally set the goal of achieving gender parity in its workforce by 2025. Additionally, the percentage of women among the Managing Directors was to increase from 21 percent (2017) to 30 percent. The company also formulated specific guidelines for ethnic diversity in some markets, including the USA and the UK.
Sweet had positioned herself in the past as an advocate of an inclusive corporate culture. In a 2020 company report, she criticized that progress in DEI was "not being made fast enough." At that time, she argued that a diverse workforce was the "right and economically wise decision.
Diversity goals "mostly achieved" – New strategy in preparation
With the latest decision, Accenture now removes DEI metrics from employee performance evaluations and pauses participation in external diversity benchmarking surveys. External collaborations in this area would also be reviewed, according to Sweet.
We have always been a meritocracy," she wrote in the message – a phrase that closely aligns with Trump's rhetoric. The company wants to continue creating an "inclusive work environment without prejudice," but without set quotas or specific programs for individual groups.
