David Thomlinson is the chief geographic strategy & operations officer. In this role, to which he was appointed in September 2007, Mr. Thomlinson leads Accenture's geographic operations as well as the company's strategy to build and extend Accenture's market-leading position in key geographies around the world. Mr. Thomlinson is based in Shanghai. He is also a member of Accenture's Global Management Committee.
From 2006 to 2011, Mr. Thomlinson led Accenture’s business in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Prior to that, he had spent the majority of his career with Accenture in the company's Resources operating group, which serves clients in the chemicals, energy, natural resources and utilities industries. He led the operating group globally from June 2003 until September 2006, serving as group chief executive—Resources. Previously, Mr. Thomlinson was managing partner of Resources in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) region. Before that, he led Accenture's Utilities industry group in North America, where he helped many utility companies transform themselves to take advantage of the opportunities in increasingly deregulated marketplaces.
Mr. Thomlinson has worked extensively throughout Europe, helping utility companies manage critical issues such as industry restructuring, new business models and growth strategies, customer management, and mergers and acquisitions. As one of the founders of Accenture's UK Utilities practice, Mr. Thomlinson is also a highly regarded expert on the subject of privatization, competition and energy restructuring.
Mr. Thomlinson joined Accenture in 1986 and became a partner in 1992. Before joining Accenture, Mr. Thomlinson spent nine years with the international engineering firm Ove Arup, where he was involved in the design and construction of major building projects, including the headquarters of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank in Hong Kong.
Mr. Thomlinson received a degree in civil and structural engineering from Sheffield University, England. He is a professional Chartered Engineer and a member of both the Civil and Structural Engineering Institutions. He was appointed as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) in 2010.