Mary Beth Gracy named head of Accenture's Houston office
Mary Beth Gracy, a 30-year veteran of Accenture, has been named the managing director of the consulting firm’s Houston office.
As office managing director, Gracy will work to expand business with clients in the Houston market, as well as create a strong work environment for Accenture’s approximately 2,000 Houston-area employees. She will also continue to lead a client account for a major oil and gas company.
She succeeds Blake Pounds, who led the office since 2013. Blake will continue to serve as a senior managing director and lead a major client account.
“I'm excited and honored to be taking on the responsibility for leading our Accenture office in Houston,” Gracy said in a LinkedIn post. “Looking forward to harnessing the collective power and ingenuity of our people, clients, and community partners as we all work to realize incredible things in this remarkable city! Thanks Blake A. Pounds for all you did in the role!”During her 30-year career with Accenture, Gracy has advised a wide range of energy companies, from upstream to downstream, on driving innovation and shaping effective long-term strategies.
Though the oil industry has been hammered by the pandemic, Gracy notes that a shift to renewables holds opportunity for energy firms. “We are working with clients and you hear so much more about energy transition now," Gracy told the Houston Business Journal. "Everybody's looking to chart that path and build their sustainable future.”
Gracy has since 2018 been a board member at Genesys Works, a Houston nonprofit that provides skills training, internships, and career coaching to high school students in underserved communities.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Rice University.
Accenture also announced that it has closed its acquisition of Myrtle Consulting Group, a Houston-headquartered industrial operations consulting firm. The acquisition, first announced in October, added a team of approximately 150 professionals across nine offices in the US, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, the UK, and South Africa.