The Top 25 Most Influential Consultants 2004 - William Green, Chief Operating Officer, Accenture

A CEO change in command warrants many things, not least of which is a heightened number of skirmishes near water coolers, latte dispensers, or other communal fonts, where a company's rank and file may gather to debate the virtues of such lofty topics. No matter how silly or out there such debated conclusions may be (this is water cooler wisdom, mind you), these largely impromptu debates frequently reveal far more than the firm's press releases do. Take Accenture, where William D. Green next month is to be handed the CEO title by Joe Forehand, the firm's current chairman and CEO.
Having most recently served as the firm's COO, Green's career at Accenture dates back to 1977, when he joined the firm's disowned ancestor Arthur Andersen. Green's career steadily climbed, allowing him to advance into the new century as one of the firm's most seasoned generals, which brings us back to the water cooler, where Green is better known by his nickname "Eisenhower." All politics aside, if Green is Eisenhower then Forehand must be Truman. That is, Green is now stepping into the shoes of man who, like Truman, never expected to reside in the president's suite. Moreover, Forehand was given the task of completing the work of a man (George Shaheen) who, up until his abrupt departure from the firm in 2000, wore his CEO title as if it were to last ad infinitum (shades of FDR). Nevertheless, Forehand's leadership yielded bountiful riches. There was a windfall divorce from Arthur Andersen, the conversion of a partnership model to that of a publicly held entity, and the practical application of showing how skills and scale could open a global age for consulting.
In short, the general has one hard act to follow.