Built for Change Accenture

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a fourth of the American workforce will be over the age of 55 by 2024. At the same time, technology is changing at such a rapid pace that skill gaps and talent shortages are emerging at every level. To help close those gaps, business leaders should invest in a talent pool that is often overlooked: our aging workforce. And yet, Accenture research shows that only 23% of workers feel that their workplace provides them with a learning environment that promotes skill development. In this episode, we’ll explore why the onus is on business leaders to offer better opportunities for skilling — and speak to a former teacher who made a successful transition into a tech career. Our guests will be Michele Richmond, Software Engineer Associate at Accenture Federal Services; Allison Horn, Global Talent Lead at Accenture; and Aaron Skonnard, Co-Founder and C.E.O. at Pluralsight.

Many organizations are collecting large amounts of data just by going about their everyday business. All this data can provide insight into broader industry trends, consumer habits, market shifts and much more. That’s why businesses need to shift their mindsets toward responsibly embracing transparency, to enhance customer relationships—and to secure new ones. The bottom line? Companies can seize the moment and find ways to take advantage of the changing data ecosystem, or resist them and miss big opportunities. In this episode, we’ll speak with Nick Smith-George, Senior Director of Growth Strategy and Revenue Operations at StreetEasy; Karthik Narain, Lead of Accenture Cloud First and Data & AI; and Carolyn Jameson, Chief Trust Officer at Trustpilot.

Progress in science and technology go hand in hand — their relationship is a bidirectional feedback loop. Advancements in one direction can accelerate innovation in the other. Today, as new discoveries are being made in areas such as space exploration, artificial intelligence and life sciences, it’s critical for organizations to take strategic advantage of these developments to transform their industries. In this episode, we’ll explore the nascent fields of space data and synthetic biology, and identify key strategies for enterprises looking to benefit from the science-tech feedback loop. We’ll hear from Jason Kelly, Co-Founder and C.E.O. of Ginkgo Bioworks; Marc Carrel-Billiard, Global Senior Managing Director at Accenture R&D Labs; and Rafel Jorda Siquier, Founder and C.E.O. of Open Cosmos.

A.I.-enabled creative technology is evolving at an astonishing speed and becoming increasingly accessible to all. Chatbots, image processors and music generators are changing the way humans create, but they are also raising concerns around ethics, authorship and intellectual property. As a result, companies must stay ahead of this trend to avoid missing out on a wave of innovation. In this episode, we’ll learn how two A.I.-based companies have reimagined music and design. We’ll also hear from an Accenture thought leader on how A.I. can enable new ways of working for teams. This episode features Oleg Stavitsky, C.E.O. and Co-Founder of Endel; Nick Law, Global Lead for Design and Creative Tech at Accenture Song; and Joseph Reisinger, C.E.O. and Co-Founder of Facet.

How can businesses free up more time for their employees, reduce effort spent struggling with multiple applications and foster meaningful collaboration between teams? The key is interoperability. Accenture research shows that companies that achieve high interoperability grow revenue 6x faster than their more disconnected peers. So, in this episode we explore how the ability to quickly adapt to new circumstances, adopt new technologies and otherwise remain nimble allows companies to thrive. We’ll speak to Michelle Green, V.P. of Business Technology for Strategy, Transformation and Governance at Discover Financial Services, and Emma McGuigan, Global Lead for Enterprise and Industry Technologies at Accenture.

In an unstable world, communities of belonging are more important than ever. That’s why people are using technology to build new digital identities. The question is: Will brands find success online by treating people as customers, or as part of the brand? In this episode, we explore why companies should take a community-first approach to things like content, experiences, data and identity. We’ll speak with Tom Verrilli, Chief Product Officer at Twitch, an interactive livestreaming platform; Katie Burke, Global Thought Leadership Lead at Accenture Song; and Karyl Fowler, C.E.O. and Co-Founder of Transmute, a company empowering enterprises across industries with authentic data and traceable insights.