Pamela Craig, CFO, Accenture

The Confident CFO

By Brittani Banks

Pamela Craig first joined Accenture as a public accountant 32 years ago. But as her career continued to rise, Craig often wrestled with a lack of self-confidence.

“I’m one of the longest serving people in our company and I’m not planning on going anywhere soon… I love my job,” Craig tells PINK. She has been the CFO of Accenture, ranked on Fortune’s Global list at 422 with $25.5 billion in annual revenue, since 2006. She also serves on the board of directors of Akamai, a “cloud-based service for optimizing Web and mobile content.”

But with all of her accomplishments, working to develop confidence was always on her mind. “I wasn’t born with it and did not yet have it as a young adult,” she says. When Craig came back from her first maternity leave 25 years ago, she had to reestablish herself. Since her job requires significant travel, “I’ve had to really focus and pay attention when things fell through the cracks at home.”

What’s her secret? She learned to trust her instincts. “Even when you don’t feel the confidence, just telling yourself to have it anyway helps you feel it. [I found that] being proactive, speaking up, did not have a downside,” says Craig. She was also motivated by great mentors. “Their investment in me has influenced my passionate commitment to women – their development and advancement – in Accenture and beyond.”

What does Craig hope for the future? “I believe we can never take our eyes off the responsibility to promote and support the growth of next generation leaders, especially women!”