The Seasoned Climber’s New Summit: Why I Joined Accenture at 50

For three decades, I built my career the traditional way: one project, one promotion, one company at a time. I’ve managed global rollouts, navigated mergers, and led teams across continents. I’d reached a comfortable plateau—a place of deep expertise and respected seniority. So, when I told my peers I was leaving to join Accenture at 50, more than a few eyebrows were raised.

The unspoken question was: “Why now? Why trade known comfort for the legendary grind of a consultancy giant?”

The answer is simple. After a long and successful climb, I wasn’t looking for another plateau. I was looking for a new, different kind of summit. And this is why this step feels less like a career change and more like a career acceleration.

Not a Reset, But a Recalibration

Let’s be clear: I’m not here to learn the basics of project management. I’ve lived through the chaos of go-live weekends and the delicate art of stakeholder management. What #Accenture offers isn’t a beginner’s bootcamp; it’s a masterclass in scale, impact, and innovation.

My three decades of experience aren’t being discarded; they’re being recalibrated. I’m now applying my hard-won, real-world knowledge within a framework of global best practices, cutting-edge tools, and methodological rigor I couldn’t access in a single corporate silo. It’s the difference between being a master carpenter and being given access to the world’s most advanced workshop. My craft is the same, but my tools and potential impact have been magnified exponentially.

The Platform for Amplified Impact

In my previous roles, I was often the most senior person in the room on a specific project. Here, I am a node in a vast, global network of experts. The impact I can now have is fundamentally different.

• From Single Projects to Ecosystem Influence: Before, I was optimizing a payment gateway for one company. Now, I contribute to shaping the future of any gateway across multiple industries. The scope of my influence has expanded from a single battlefield to the entire theater of war.
• A Legacy of Mentorship, Multiplied: One of the greatest joys of this stage in a career is mentorship. At Accenture, I’m not just managing a team; I’m surrounded by the sharpest, most ambitious young talent in the world. I have the privilege of injecting decades of practical, “in-the-trenches” wisdom into these brilliant minds, helping them avoid pitfalls and see the human side of the data. In return, they keep me sharp, constantly challenging my assumptions with new perspectives on AI, digital ecosystems, and technologies I’ve yet to master. It’s a symbiotic exchange that keeps me irreversibly young in spirit.

Access to the Frontier

In a corporate role, it’s easy to become an expert in your company’s specific, legacy technology stack. At Accenture, I am immersed in what’s next. We are not just implementing solutions; we are building them at the frontier of what’s possible with AI, cloud, and digital twins.

This is the ultimate antidote to professional stagnation. For an experienced leader, there is no greater thrill than taking your deep foundational knowledge and applying it to the most cutting-edge challenges. It’s the perfect fusion of wisdom and innovation, and it ensures my experience remains relevant and sought-after, not a relic of a bygone era.

The Summit Perspective

Yes, the pace is brisk. The learning curve is still steep. But it’s a different kind of climb. I’m not climbing for survival or for the next rung on the ladder. I’m climbing for the view.

This role offers a panoramic perspective on the entire business landscape that is simply unavailable from a single corporate headquarters. I see patterns across industries, I understand the universal challenges of transformation, and I’m part of the conversation about how to solve them.

Joining Accenture at this stage isn’t about starting over. It’s about taking the accumulated wisdom, resilience, and leadership of a 30-year career and launching it from a new, higher platform. It’s about ensuring that the second half of my career isn’t a gentle descent from my previous peak, but an ascent to an even more rewarding summit. The air is thin, but the view is spectacular.