Alumnus Bill Green Steps into CEO Position at Accenture

Known for Motivating People to Do Extraordinary Things—Credits Dean College as Place He Got His Start

April 8, 2004 – Dean College announces Class of ’74 graduate Bill Green has been named CEO of Accenture, effective Sept. 1, 2004.  Green currently serves as Accenture’s chief operating officer–Client Services and as country managing director for the United States. Green credits Dean as the place where he got his start.

Green is known as someone who motivates people to do extraordinary things. He credits this ability—and his success--to his start at Dean College:  “Dean is a place that takes ordinary people and provides them with a framework and platform from which to do extraordinary things,” Green said.  “I would not have gotten to this place without having had my start at Dean College.”

            “Bill Green has been a great supporter of Dean College – and our ability to take the average student and inspire them to lead above-average lives—and we are both proud and grateful to Bill for having allowed us to affect his path. We here at Dean believe in the potential of every individual, and because of that, individuals like Bill Green find their path to excellence,” said Dean President Dr. Paula M. Rooney.            

Green, who graduated from Dean in 1974, chose to attend the college because he visited a friend at Dean and thought it seemed like a place where he could succeed.  In his words, “Dean made learning fun.”  With the help of professors Charlie Kramer, George Brooker, and Dave Omar, Green said he discovered a passion for economics.

            Green took his Dean success to Babson College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and then a master’s in business administration. He joined the global professional services firm that today is known as Accenture in 1977 and quickly moved up through the ranks, becoming a partner in 1986. Prior to being appointed to his current position as COO-Client Services in March 2003, Green was the group chief executive of Accenture’s Communications & High Tech operating group, a position he held since December 1999.

            Green’s success comes as no surprise to Dean’s George Brooker, who recalls him as “motivated, articulate, and a gentleman” even as a student. “Like many students during that time period,” Brooker said, “Bill exhibited a hunger and a desire to succeed.” Brooker still teaches at Dean today, serving as Department Chair for the Business Department.

            Green served on Dean’s board of trustees from 1992 to 1997. The Dean Alumni Association named him “Outstanding Alumnus” in 1999. Green lauds the advances Dean has made in facilities and technology since his student days, but insists the “Dean magic” remains.

            “Dean knows what it does best,” Green said. “Dean has never lost sight of its special ability to educate and inspire young people.”