Accenture vs PricewaterhouseCoopers: Founders, CEOs and History
Accenture was founded in 1989 by Arthur Andersen Consulting Partners, George Shaheen and is led by Julie Sweet. PricewaterhouseCoopers was founded in 1849 by Samuel Lowell Price, William Cooper, Edwin Waterhouse and is led by Mohamed Kande.
Company facts
Accenture
- Founded
- 1989
- Headquarters
- Dublin, Ireland
- Current CEO
- Julie Sweet
- Employees
- 799,000
PricewaterhouseCoopers
- Founded
- 1849
- Headquarters
- London, United Kingdom
- Current CEO
- Mohamed Kande
- Employees
- 364,000
Founders
Accenture
Arthur Andersen Consulting Partners
Accenture has no single founder. It began in the early 1950s as the business and technology consulting practice of Arthur Andersen, the accounting firm founded in 1913.
George Shaheen
George Shaheen led Andersen Consulting from 1989 until September 1999. By the time he left, the consulting unit had about 65,000 staff. In 1997 it began the ICC arbitration to separate from Arthur Andersen.
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Samuel Lowell Price
Samuel Lowell Price (1821-1887) was an English accountant who opened a practice in London in 1849. In 1865 he went into partnership with Edwin Waterhouse and William Holyland, the firm that became Price Waterhouse & Co.
William Cooper
William Cooper founded an accounting practice in London in 1854 that became Cooper Brothers & Co. as his brothers joined. The firm was known for insolvency and audit work, and in 1957 it combined with Lybrand, Ross Bros.
Edwin Waterhouse
Edwin Waterhouse (1841-1917) joined Samuel Lowell Price and William Holyland in 1865 in the partnership that became Price Waterhouse & Co.
William M. Lybrand
William M. Lybrand was an American accountant who, in 1898, formed Lybrand, Ross Bros. & Montgomery with brothers Adam A. Ross Jr. and T. Edward Ross and Robert H. Montgomery; the four had trained together at Heins, Lybrand & Co. in Philadelphia.
CEOs and their tenures
Accenture
- George Shaheen1989–1999
Managing Partner and CEO, Andersen Consulting
Led Andersen Consulting from its 1989 formation as a separate unit of Andersen Worldwide until September 1999, a period in which the consulting unit grew to about 65,000 employees and began the 1997 ICC arbitration to leave Arthur Andersen.
Source - Joe Forehand1999–2004
CEO
Succeeded Shaheen in November 1999 as global managing partner and CEO. Led the firm through the August 2000 arbitration ruling, the January 1, 2001 rename to Accenture and the July 19, 2001 NYSE IPO at $14.50 per share.
Source - William D. Green2004–2011
CEO
CEO from Sept 1, 2004 to January 2011, after serving as chief operating officer for client services. Revenue was $23.09B in FY2010, his last full fiscal year as CEO.
Source - Pierre Nanterme2011–2019
CEO
CEO from January 2011 and also chairman from February 2013. Revenue grew from $27.35B in FY2011 to $41.60B in FY2018 as originally reported.
Source - David Rowland2019–2019
Interim CEO
Chief financial officer who served as interim CEO from Jan 10, 2019 after Nanterme stepped down, until Julie Sweet took over on Sept 1, 2019.
Source - Julie Sweet2019–present
Chair and CEO
CEO since Sept 1, 2019 and chair since Sept 1, 2021; previously CEO of Accenture North America and, before that, general counsel. Revenue rose from $44.33B in FY2020 to $69.67B in FY2025, and headcount reached about 799,000 by May 31, 2026.
Source
PricewaterhouseCoopers
- Bob Moritz2016–2024
Global Chairman
Led PwC through advisory, technology, and global client expansion as Global Chair from 2016 until his retirement at the end of his term on 30 June 2024, when Mohamed Kande succeeded him.
Source - Mohamed Kande2024–present
Global Chairman
Leads the PwC global network through AI investment, audit-quality focus, client reinvention, and professional-services market change. He began his four-year term as Global Chair on 1 July 2024, after serving as PwC's Global Advisory Leader since 2019.
Source
Timeline: Accenture and PricewaterhouseCoopers side by side
1849PricewaterhouseCoopers
Samuel Lowell Price opens London practice
Samuel Lowell Price begins practising as an accountant in London, the root of Price Waterhouse.
1854PricewaterhouseCoopers
William Cooper founds his practice
William Cooper opens a London practice that becomes Cooper Brothers & Co.
1865PricewaterhouseCoopers
Price, Holyland and Waterhouse partnership
Edwin Waterhouse joins Price and William Holyland, forming the firm later known as Price Waterhouse & Co.
1898PricewaterhouseCoopers
Lybrand, Ross Bros. & Montgomery founded
William M. Lybrand, Robert H. Montgomery, Adam A. Ross Jr. and T. Edward Ross form the Philadelphia firm.
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.
1957PricewaterhouseCoopers
Coopers & Lybrand formed
Cooper Brothers, Lybrand, Ross Bros. & Montgomery and McDonald, Currie and Co combine as Coopers & Lybrand.
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.
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.
1998PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers created
Price Waterhouse and Coopers & Lybrand merge to form PricewaterhouseCoopers.
2000Accenture
Arbitration ruling and Avanade
In April 2000 Andersen Consulting and Microsoft form Avanade, a joint venture now majority owned by Accenture.
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.
2002PricewaterhouseCoopers
PwC Consulting sold to IBM
PwC sells its consulting arm to IBM following Enron and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
2004Accenture
William D. Green becomes CEO
William D. Green succeeds Joe Forehand as CEO on Sept 1, 2004; Forehand remains chairman.
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.
2010PricewaterhouseCoopers
Brand shortened to PwC
The network adopts PwC as its brand name, keeping PricewaterhouseCoopers as the legal name.
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.
2013Accenture
Fjord acquisition
Accenture agrees in May 2013 to acquire Fjord, a service design consultancy, adding design capacity to Accenture Interactive.
2014PricewaterhouseCoopers
Booz & Company acquired
PwC acquires Booz & Company and renames it Strategy&.
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%.
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.
2022Accenture
Accenture Song
On April 26, 2022 Accenture Interactive begins going to market as Accenture Song. FY2022 revenue rises 22% to $61.59B.
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.
2023PricewaterhouseCoopers
US$1 billion AI investment
PwC US announces a US$1 billion, three-year generative AI investment with Microsoft and OpenAI.
2024Accenture
Udacity acquisition
Accenture completes its purchase of online education company Udacity on May 20, 2024 to support its Accenture LearnVantage training business.
2024PricewaterhouseCoopers
Kande becomes Global Chairman; revenue reaches US$55.4 billion
Mohamed Kande succeeds Bob Moritz on 1 July 2024. FY2024 gross revenue rises 3.7% in local currency to US$55.4 billion.
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.
2025PricewaterhouseCoopers
Record US$56.9 billion revenue
FY2025 gross revenue reaches US$56.9 billion, up 2.7% in local currency, with 364,000 people in 136 countries.
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.
Acquisitions
Accenture
- Faculty2026Undisclosed
- Ookla (Ziff Davis Connectivity division)2026$1.2B
- Udacity2024Undisclosed
- umlaut2021Undisclosed
- Droga52019Undisclosed
- Fjord2013Undisclosed
PricewaterhouseCoopers
- Booz & Company2014Undisclosed
- Diamond Management & Technology Consultants2010Undisclosed
Questions about Accenture vs PricewaterhouseCoopers
Who is the CEO of Accenture PLC and PricewaterhouseCoopers?
Accenture PLC is led by Julie Sweet and PricewaterhouseCoopers is led by Mohamed Kande. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Accenture PLC founded vs PricewaterhouseCoopers?
PricewaterhouseCoopers was founded in 1849 — 140 years before Accenture PLC, which was founded in 1989. PricewaterhouseCoopers's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Accenture PLC.
How many employees does Accenture PLC have compared to PricewaterhouseCoopers?
Accenture PLC employs approximately 799,000 people, while PricewaterhouseCoopers employs approximately 364,000. Accenture PLC has the larger workforce at 799,000 employees, compared to PricewaterhouseCoopers's 364,000. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Accenture PLC and PricewaterhouseCoopers headquartered?
Accenture PLC is headquartered in Ireland and PricewaterhouseCoopers is headquartered in United Kingdom. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded Accenture PLC and PricewaterhouseCoopers?
Accenture PLC was founded by Arthur Andersen Consulting Partners, George Shaheen. PricewaterhouseCoopers was founded by Samuel Lowell Price, William Cooper, Edwin Waterhouse, William M. Lybrand.
Which company has a longer operating history — Accenture PLC or PricewaterhouseCoopers?
PricewaterhouseCoopers has been operating for approximately 177 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Accenture PLC has been in operation for around 37 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Accenture vs PricewaterhouseCoopers overview