Accenture vs Mastercard: Founders, CEOs and History

Company facts

Founders

CEOs and their tenures

Timeline: Accenture and Mastercard side by side

1. 1953Accenture

   Arthur Andersen GE feasibility study

   Arthur Andersen's administrative services group, led by Joseph Glickauf, carries out a study for General Electric on computerizing payroll at Appliance Park in Louisville, Kentucky.

2. 1966Mastercard

   Interbank Card Association Takes Shape

   A group of U.S. Banks formed the Interbank Card Association to make card acceptance work across institutions rather than inside isolated bank programs.

3. 1968Mastercard

   Master Charge Brand Adopted

   The association adopted the Master Charge name and interlocking-circle design to give member banks a stronger shared identity. A common brand made the network easier for merchants and consumers to recognize as acceptance expanded beyond local bank programs.

4. 1979Mastercard

   Master Charge Becomes MasterCard

   The network changed its name from Master Charge to MasterCard as it became more international. The rebrand simplified recognition and helped the company present itself as a global acceptance network rather than a domestic bank-card association.

5. 1989Accenture

   Andersen Consulting formed

   Arthur Andersen and Andersen Consulting become separate units of Andersen Worldwide Societe Cooperative, with George Shaheen as managing partner and CEO of the consulting unit. The more profitable unit pays the other up to 15% of profits.

6. 1997Accenture

   Arbitration with Arthur Andersen begins

   Andersen Consulting files an arbitration claim with the International Chamber of Commerce, arguing that Arthur Andersen broke their agreement by building its own competing consulting practice.

7. 2000Accenture

   Arbitration ruling and Avanade

   In April 2000 Andersen Consulting and Microsoft form Avanade, a joint venture now majority owned by Accenture.

8. 2001Accenture

   Rename to Accenture and NYSE IPO

   Andersen Consulting becomes Accenture on Jan 1, 2001, a name based on "Accent on the future" suggested by an employee in Oslo. The Bermuda-incorporated company prices its IPO at $14.50 per share and starts trading on the NYSE on July 19, 2001.

9. 2002Mastercard

   Europay Merger and Corporate Conversion

   MasterCard merged with Europay International and converted from a membership association into a private share corporation. That structure prepared the company for public-market ownership and a more independent investment agenda.

10. 2004Accenture

    William D. Green becomes CEO

    William D. Green succeeds Joe Forehand as CEO on Sept 1, 2004; Forehand remains chairman.

11. 2006Mastercard

    Initial Public Offering on the NYSE

    MasterCard priced its initial public offering at $39 per share and listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MA.

12. 2009Accenture

    Reincorporation in Ireland

    On May 26, 2009 the board approves moving the company's place of incorporation from Bermuda to Ireland, which remains its legal domicile.

13. 2011Accenture

    Pierre Nanterme becomes CEO

    Pierre Nanterme becomes CEO in January 2011. The same year Accenture completes its purchase of insurance software company Duck Creek Technologies.

14. 2013Accenture

    Fjord acquisition

    Accenture agrees in May 2013 to acquire Fjord, a service design consultancy, adding design capacity to Accenture Interactive.

15. 2016Accenture

    Duck Creek stake sold to Apax

    Funds advised by Apax Partners buy a 60% stake in Duck Creek Technologies from Accenture, which keeps 40%.

16. 2017Mastercard

    Vocalink Expands Real-Time Payments

    Mastercard completed its Vocalink acquisition after announcing a deal for 92.4 percent of the U.K. Payments infrastructure company for about $920 million.

17. 2019Accenture

    CEO transition and Droga5

    Nanterme steps down for health reasons on Jan 11, 2019 and CFO David Rowland becomes interim CEO. Accenture Interactive completes the purchase of creative agency Droga5, and Julie Sweet becomes CEO on Sept 1, 2019.

18. 2020Mastercard

    Finicity Strengthens Open Banking

    Mastercard completed the acquisition of Finicity, a North American financial data and open banking platform. The deal added consumer-permissioned data connectivity for lending, account verification, personal finance, and account-based payment use cases.

19. 2021Mastercard

    Michael Miebach Becomes CEO

    Michael Miebach became chief executive officer on January 1, 2021 after serving as chief product officer and president.

20. 2021Mastercard

    Nets Account-to-Account Business Closes

    Mastercard completed the acquisition of the majority of Nets' Corporate Services business, adding clearing and settlement instant payment infrastructure, bill payment, and e-invoicing capabilities.

21. 2022Accenture

    Accenture Song

    On April 26, 2022 Accenture Interactive begins going to market as Accenture Song. FY2022 revenue rises 22% to $61.59B.

22. 2023Accenture

    $3B Data & AI investment

    In June 2023 Accenture announces a $3B investment over three years in its Data & AI practice and a plan to double AI talent to 80,000 people.

23. 2024Accenture

    Udacity acquisition

    Accenture completes its purchase of online education company Udacity on May 20, 2024 to support its Accenture LearnVantage training business.

24. 2024Mastercard

    Recorded Future Adds Threat Intelligence

    Mastercard completed the acquisition of Recorded Future, adding AI-enabled threat intelligence to its cybersecurity, identity, and real-time fraud scoring services.

25. 2025Accenture

    FY2025 results and restructuring

    FY2025 revenue reaches $69.67B with $80.62B in new bookings. In September 2025 Accenture outlines a six-month, $865M business optimization program, mainly severance, and moves to a single Reinvention Services unit.

26. 2025Mastercard

    $32.8B FY2025 Net Revenue

    Mastercard reported $32.791 billion in FY2025 net revenue and $14.968 billion in net income.

27. 2026Accenture

    Faculty and Ookla deals

    Accenture completes the acquisition of UK AI company Faculty on March 16, 2026 and agrees in March 2026 to buy Ziff Davis's connectivity division (Ookla, Speedtest, Downdetector) for $1.2B in cash. Q3 FY2026 revenue is $18.72B.

28. 2026Mastercard

    BVNK Adds Stablecoin Infrastructure

    Mastercard closed its acquisition of stablecoin infrastructure firm BVNK on August 3, 2026, for up to $1.8 billion including contingent payments. The deal extends the company's network to on-chain payments alongside cards and bank transfers.

Acquisitions

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