• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Tech40 Under 40

Meet Accenture’s heli-skiing digital wunderkind

By
Heather Clancy
Heather Clancy
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Heather Clancy
Heather Clancy
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 28, 2015, 9:00 AM ET
Courtesy of Accenture
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Virtually every morning like clockwork, but without an actual alarm clock, Anand Swaminathan mounts a stationary bike for a brisk 45-minute spin workout. “It helps me stay healthy, clearheaded, and directed,” declares Accenture’s (ACN) youngest-ever global leadership council member, who turned 39 at the end of August and has been named to Fortune’s 2015 class of the 40 Under 40 at No. 18.

Spinning is actually his least extreme physical hobby. An avid helicopter skier, Swaminathan has hurtled down more than 1.5 million vertical feet of steep Canadian mountain slopes. That stat is all the more amazing when you consider he spent the first 17 years of his life in Oman and the United Arab Emirates. On the side, he has completed four “Escape from Alcatraz” triathlons since 2005. I could go on.

“I’m not sure that he ever turns the switch off,” jokes Phil Kilbridge, former CEO for the San Francisco chapter of Habitat for Humanity, where Swaminathan is a director in what’s left of his “spare” time.

Accenture Digital’s tireless managing director (whose business school nickname was “Speedy”) certainly maintains a brutal pace, existing on an average of five hours of sleep daily. His $6 billion business was the consulting firm’s biggest success story last year with a 30% expansion in revenue. Swaminathan’s staff spans 30,000 technologists working on digital marketing, business analytics, and mobility projects for clients like hospitality giant Marriott International (MAR) and Swiss bank UBS (UBS).

“Our core technology business is something for point-specific situations, such as a Salesforce implementation,” he says. “Our digital operation is something quite different. Our [chief marketing officer] agenda is focused on experience and design as it relates to reaching customers. … Our analytics practitioners are expert in providing insights from data. And our third pillar is around mobility.”

Many projects contain elements of all three.

One example: the connected ship project Accenture Digital is undertaking for Hyundai Heavy Industries. The solution uses sensors to track progress of ocean-going vessels and optimize cargo handling. Another project, one in which Swaminathan was personally involved, centers on Visa’s (V) “frictionless” commerce strategy. His team developed the prototype for one service—voice-activated transactions that can be made while driving a connected car—in just 12 weeks.

“You can pay for things simply by talking to your dashboard,” Swaminathan says.

Under his guidance, Accenture Digital is investing aggressively in talent: it engineered six acquisitions in the past year (including four in the last three-and-a-half months), collectively investing $500 million in digital talent and technology. You can expect more of the same in fiscal year 2016, as the group looks to add another 1,500 in headcount.

Swaminathan sweats the details, perhaps too much, purging his inbox daily of an average of 250 messages. “I am a hands-on manager,” he admits. “I love details. The hardest thing to do in managing is trust the people me and delegate to them.”

He has always been an overachiever: the India-born Brahmin finished his undergraduate studies in economics within three years and completed his MBA in just 11 months while working full-time. He had incentive: his father had finally agreed to let Swaminathan marry his college sweetheart outside his faith. But only after graduation. The couple, who met in the vegetarian food line at Ohio’s Case Western Reserve University, has now been married 17 years. They are parents to three boys.

Even though Swaminathan has basically spent half of his adult life working in the corporate world, his reputation as an “exemplar” for entrepreneurs is also impressive. He has advised more than 45 startups, including digital payments darling Stripe and small-business services pioneer ZenPayroll (now known as Gusto). The companies in this frequent angel investor’s personal portfolio were valued at more than $4 billion, as of early September.

Notes one long-time mentor, currently the CIO of a Fortune 500 apparel company, in an unsolicited email: “Anand represents all the characteristics one would be looking for in a leader: inspirational, drive for results, innovative, strong relationships at all levels, excellent people skills, humility, and a thirst for knowledge.”

And he shows no signs of slowing down.

To see the full list of the Fortune 40 Under 40, visit fortune.com/40-under-40.

About the Author
By Heather Clancy
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

How foodservice giant Sodexo is embracing AI and robotics to reshape the kitchen
NewslettersCIO Intelligence
How foodservice giant Sodexo is embracing AI and robotics to reshape the kitchen
By John KellJuly 1, 2026
4 hours ago
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei
AIAnthropic
Anthropic’s AI models are back online after a two-week government standoff—settling the company and administration into a fragile truce
By Tristan BoveJuly 1, 2026
4 hours ago
Nikesh Arora, chief executive officer at Palo Alto Networks
SuccessJobs
CEO of $248 billion cybersecurity company says workers are about to face a ‘Darwinian moment’ thanks to AI: Evolve or get cut
By Emma BurleighJuly 1, 2026
5 hours ago
Current price of Ethereum for July 1, 2026
Personal FinanceEthereum
Current price of Ethereum for July 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 1, 2026
7 hours ago
In this photo illustration, a Cisco logo is displayed on a smartphone with Artificial Intellingence (AI) symbols in the background.
AICFO Daily
Cisco is rolling out AI agents to every single one of its 90,000 employees
By Sheryl EstradaJuly 1, 2026
8 hours ago
senate
CommentaryCongress
One rare bipartisan AI bill is moving through Congress. Here’s why it deserves to pass
By Neil Björkman and Betsy BrewerJuly 1, 2026
9 hours ago

Most Popular

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
7 days ago
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
Big Tech
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 1, 2026
13 hours ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
4 days ago
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Success
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
By Sydney LakeJune 29, 2026
2 days ago
The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
Newsletters
The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
By Diane BradyJuly 1, 2026
11 hours ago
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
Commentary
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
By Marc AndersenJune 30, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.