The Ship is Sinking

To: Cincinnati Delivery Center Personnel
From: Drew Foster & Ernest Leffler
Date: August 18, 2006
Subject: Important Organizational Changes -- Cincinnati Delivery Center

This note is a follow-up to the center-wide discussions we conducted on July 18. We realize that it was not possible for everyone to attend, but thought it was important for everyone to get the update from us directly.

In the discussion, we announced that we would both be leaving Accenture. Ernest’s last day is tentatively set as November 1st, and Drew is planning on leaving November 30th. In the meeting we tried to emphasize that our departures were purely coincidental and was simply a realization on each of our parts that we would like to do something different.

Following are a few words from each of us individually on our decisions:

Ernest – I have been with Accenture for 18 years and have worked with a countless number of energetic, talented, and fun individuals. The people I work with are probably the single largest factor of what has kept me at Accenture as long as I have been here. There are two primary reasons I am moving on with my career elsewhere. The first is my desire to work on new things and continue to grow my experiences. Accenture has never had more opportunities to perform in a variety of roles, but at my level most of those options involve more travel. One of my priorities is spending time with my family, so being on the road is something I am trying to avoid. The second is my ambition to have my own business. I have a concept for a new business and am working on completing a business plan/analysis to determine if it makes sense to attempt. My hope would be to start up that new business. If I conclude that it is not feasible, I will begin the search for a new job.

Drew - I have spent 21 great years with Accenture and my decision to leave was one of the most difficult I've ever had to make. I will be going back to Miami University to pursue a Masters in Education that will allow me to teach high-school mathematics. There is a lot of emotion that I cannot express in a simple email. It is very hard to leave when Infrastructure Outsourcing is getting such a huge focus and the planned growth is so significant. It is a tough but exciting time in our business. But the demands of my role continue to take me to far-away places more and more frequently, and I decided I needed a significant change to maintain the right balance in my life and with my family.