Why Accenture is an Incubator for top HR Talent

Of the top 10 companies where more than 16,400 current CHROs and CPOs worked prior to holding the top role, four—Accenture, Deloitte, PwC, and EY—are consulting firms, according to a data analysis provided to HR Brew by employment data provider Live Data Technologies.

After freelance or self-employed roles, a job at Accenture was the most common work experience for this cohort prior to entering the C-suite, with 0.64% of CHROs or CPOs spending time at the firm.

Accenture’s former CHRO, Jill Smart, can attest to this. Smart, who led HR at Accenture from 2004 to 2014, keeps in touch with some two dozen company alumni who went on to become CHROs or CPOs at other firms. Current and former Accenture staff say the nature of professional services work—where your product is people—helps prepare employees for top HR jobs elsewhere.