Accenture names Rohleder chief operating officer

The head of Accenture Ltd.'s government business is moving up in the ranks at the Bermuda-based company by being named chief operating officer.

Stephen Rohleder assumes the post Sept. 1. He replaces Stephan James, who will retire Aug. 31 after 36 years with the company. After his retirement, James will continue in an advisory capacity to Accenture as international chairman.

Rohleder, 46, is chief executive of Accenture's government operating group. The unit recently led a team that won U.S. Visit, the 10-year, $10 billion contract to build a system to track and monitor foreign nationals visiting the United States.

Succeeding Rohleder will be Martin Cole, 48, who is Accenture's managing partner of outsourcing and infrastructure delivery. Cole also will become a member of the company's management committee and an executive officer. Accenture's outsourcing revenue has grown about 35 percent annually under Cole's leadership, according to the company.

Rohleder and Cole have track records as business builders and an intense focus on sales and client satisfaction, said William Green, who will replace Joe Forehand as Accenture's chief executive officer Sept. 1. Forehand will remain Accenture's chairman after he steps down as CEO.

As COO, Rohleder will lead all of Accenture's business operations and have primary responsibility for executing its business strategy. He will keep his roles as an executive officer and a member of the company's management committee.

Rohleder became chief executive of the government group in March 2003. During his more than five years in leadership roles in government, it has become Accenture's fastest-growing operating group.

As chief executive of Accenture's government group, Cole will oversee Accenture's work with national, state and municipal government agencies and organizations around the world. Accenture's government operating group focuses primarily on the defense, revenue, human services, justice, postal, education and electoral authorities.

"Steve helped develop our business strategy and made enormous contributions to our successful arbitration, our move to corporate form and IPO, as well as our global corporate repositioning," Forehand said.

Accenture was ranked No. 24 on Washington Technology's 2004 Top 100, which measures government contracting revenue. Overall, the Hamilton, Bermuda company had $13.4 billion in 2003 revenue.