5- Joe Forehand

"Despite what has been the most challenging global business environment in decades, we've been proud of our strong performance this past year," he says.

While FY 2002 revenue showed little growth over last year, and net revenue for its most recent posted quarter was down 3 percent, the company nonetheless scored some juicy contracts. "Our biggest win was with BC Hydro--a 10-year, $1 billion agreement to transform its core customer-service operations," Forehand says in this e-mail interview.

Accenture also recently signed a five-year, $500 million agreement to transform AT&T's residential credit and accounts receivable management functions to support AT&T's growth plans into the local services market.

Forehand is clearly pleased with the company's continued growth in outsourcing, which now represents 29 percent of its revenue. But top-line consulting and its systems integration business are nowhere near growing, and economic uncertainties compelled Accenture to lay off 750 people earlier this year. "We are well aware that challenges remain...making many businesses reluctant to invest in the kinds of services offered by Accenture," Forehand acknowledges.

Despite the sector's current constraints, Accenture is revved about new technologies and the concept of a "next big thing," Forehand says. Specifically, it's keeping an eye on Web services, wireless protocols, sensors and the ability to mine data for deep customer insight.

"Our researchers...are working on key applications [and] envision bold advances in the not-too-distant future, such as technologies that give inanimate objects the power to sense, reason, communicate and even act," he says. "Indeed, reality itself will be captured online."