Accenture Interactive guiding light Anatoly Roytman steps down after ten years

Accenture Interactive leader Anatoly Roytman (below), who runs the digital giant outside the US, is retiring after ten years there.

Accenture says: “We can confirm that Anatoly Roytman will be retiring at the end of the year, following a brilliant decade-long career with Accenture Interactive. As one of the early founders of Accenture Interactive in 2009, Anatoly has been a key driver in building the business in a critical region and making Accenture Interactive what it is today.

“The EALA leadership team will provide client service continuity during this transition period, and we will be announcing a successor in the new year.”

Global CEO Brian Whipple says: “For the past decade, Anatoly has been a key driver in building the Accenture Interactive business in a critically important region. His vision and devotion have been instrumental in making Accenture Interactive the industry leader it is today. As a founding member of Accenture Interactive since the early days in 2009, he has taught all of us so much and I want to wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement.”

So is the restless and engaging Roytman really hanging up his boots? He may well see it as job done at Accenture where he has overseen about 20 acquisitions including design studio Fjord (an important part of the empire) and agencies including the UK’s Karmarama and Ireland’s Rothco.

Belarus-born Roytman emerged on the scene with his own digital agency which foundered when the dotcom bubble burst in 2001, rebuilding his career at Digital and Sapient (both bought by Publicis) before joining Accenture.

Boss Whipple seems emphatic enough that he’s retiring but it wouldn’t surprise anyone if Roytman, a rare personality on today’s somewhat beige ad scene. re-emerged to do his own thing.