MIKE GORSHE

Partner, Consumer Products and Services Practice
Accenture

Mike Gorshe is an executive partner in Accenture’s Consumer Goods & Services Practice. He supports clients globally, including manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers and food agents. Gorshe is focused on helping consumer goods companies effectively manage business change and become high-performance businesses. He leads the Practice’s business development efforts in the United States and is heavily involved in the Accenture Customer Innovation Network.

Gorshe manages the Consumer Goods Practice’s industry trade association initiatives, focusing on consumer products and services and food retail. He also serves as a director of Accenture’s Customer Innovation Network facilities located in Chicago, Dusseldorf, Milan and Shanghai.

He is a charter board member of the Network of Executive Women and sits on NEW’s Executive Committee. Gorshe is also a board member of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and sits on the board of Students In Free Enterprise, a global business and higher learning partnership. A frequent industry speaker and academic guest lecturer, Gorshe serves as an executive member of industry advisory boards in food marketing at Cornell and Western Michigan University and is an active member of the GMA Associate Member Executive Advisory Committee and FMI’s Joint Executive Advisory Board.

Prior to joining Accenture, Gorshe spent 19 years with the Kroger Company, working in store operations management, division merchandising management and corporate leadership. As corporate executive director of store operations, he supported 11 operating divisions representing more than 900 retail stores.

Gorshe earned his bachelor of arts degree from Ohio University and a degree from the University of Cincinnati Executive Program. He and his wife, Diana, reside in the Chicago area with two of their four children.

Q. You are one of several men who have been instrumental in building NEW and advancing gender diversity in CPG/retail. How did you get so involved?

A. My excitement and involvement started eight years ago with a phone call from our good friend, business associate and NEW founder, Hedy Halpert. She asked for my personal involvement and commitment to advance the NEW mission within CPG and food retail. I have three daughters and married a professional woman -- I could personally relate to NEW’s mission. In addition, my organization, Accenture, has been committed to women’s initiatives and diversity opportunities. It was a perfect match. Besides, Hedy was very persuasive. She would be so proud of the organization and all that has been accomplished.

Q. What was NEW like in the beginning? Are there more men now than then?

A. Initially, there were very few men involved. I believe the name of the group made men feel there wasn’t a need for their personal involvement. This was an industry-first pioneering effort, but it didn’t take long for NEW’s mission to become part of an industry initiative that generated tremendous support from NEW’s 50 sponsoring companies. Today, men play an active role in all aspects of NEW. The regional committee build-out, now numbering 14, has involved both men and women to accelerate and advance NEW across all diversity groups.

Q. How have you benefited from your long involvement in the Network?

A. I had tremendous personal gain from my involvement. My communication skills, the way I think about the business, and the way I interact with my colleagues and clients have notably changed. I’ve had the good fortune to leverage what Accenture has done internally around similar topics and apply it to the NEW mission -- and vice versa. The depth and scope of my relationships in the industry have broadened. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting so many professionals through our joint involvement in NEW.

Q. Does your leadership in NEW illustrate an important point – that everyone, male and female, in CPG/retail has a stake in gender diversity.

/ A. Definitely. We are all responsible for driving success through people development and strong communications. We all have responsibilities for building the talent and organization alignment to nurture personal and business success. When you add mentoring to the equation, which NEW has done, it makes for a powerful combination of people and talent.

Q. Do you think the message has gotten through that gender diversity in management is critical to business and not just good HR practice?

A. Absolutely, diversity has taught us we can benefit from several points of view. Building a diverse organization, with a focus on personal and business relationships, will drive continued growth and success into the global marketplace. It’s a foundation for successful longevity and supports building the organization to fit into the multi-polar world of the future.

Q. Speaking as an active advocate for management diversity in the food business, is the industry making progress?

A. Yes. Is it perfect? Not quite. But huge advancements have been made in the makeup of organizations and the leadership roles women play. With the ever-changing workforce, the continued dynamics of the marketplace and the pressing need for talent, diversity is a key ingredient for an organization's high-performance consistency. In addition to NEW’s corporate sponsors and regional committees, many individual NEW ‘Champions’ have accelerated our industry efforts. My compliments go out to these individuals, organizations and trade associations for their continued involvement and support.

Q. What can be done to speed the advancement of women into executive positions in CPG/retail?

A. Mentorship is the key to rapid change, especially when supplemented with awareness and individual company strategic initiatives focused on talent-building and organizational alignment. NEW has created the awareness and platform to assist organizations in building their internal values.

Q. What would you say to a senior executive who does not have a sense of urgency about gender diversity?

A. I’m convinced this person doesn’t exist today. This may have been the thinking a few years ago, but I believe we have made terrific strides in each of our individual organizations -- accelerated with what started eight years ago with the formation of NEW. This continuous journey has been nurtured through the support and learnings from a Network of committed and dedicated professionals. We’ve learned from each other.

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