Accenture agrees $25M DEI settlement

Accenture agreed to pay the US government $25 million to settle claims that its Accenture Federal Services unit considered race and gender in hiring and promotions since 2017. The company did not admit liability. Deloitte ($21.5 million) and IBM ($17 million) previously agreed to similar payments.

• US DOJ accused AFS of falsely certifying anti-discrimination compliance
• AFS received monthly reports on race and gender shares to match goals
• Candidates advancing diversity goals got priority for managing director promotions
• Deloitte paid $21.5M in August, IBM $17M in April in similar cases