FORM 10-K Accenture plc

1 UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSIONW ashington, 20549 form 10-K Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2021 Commission File Number: 001-34448 Accenture plc (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)Ireland98-0627530(State or other jurisdiction ofincorporation or organization)( Employer Identification No.)1 Grand Canal Square,Grand Canal Harbour,Dublin 2, Ireland (Address of principal executive offices)(353) (1) 646-2000(Registrant s telephone number, including area code)Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:Title of each classTrading Symbol(s)Name of each exchange on which registeredClass A ordinary shares, par value $ per shareACNNew York Stock ExchangeSecurities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: NoneIndicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

2 Yes No Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Yes No Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes No Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T ( of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes No Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company.

3 See the definitions of large accelerated filer, accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, and emerging growth company in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange accelerated filer Accelerated filer Non-accelerated filer Smaller reporting company Emerging growth company If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the Registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).

4 Yes No The aggregate market value of the common equity of the registrant held by non-affiliates of the registrant on February 26, 2021 was approximately $159,483,888,262 based on the closing price of the registrant s Class A ordinary shares, par value $ per share, reported on the New York Stock Exchange on such date of $ per share and on the par value of the registrant s Class X ordinary shares, par value $ per number of shares of the registrant s Class A ordinary shares, par value $ per share, outstanding as of October 1, 2021 was 656,739,486 (which number includes 25,098,784 issued shares held by the registrant). The number of shares of the registrant s Class X ordinary shares, par value $ per share, outstanding as of October 1, 2021 was 512, INCORPORATED BY REFERENCEP ortions of the definitive proxy statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A relating to the registrant s Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, to be held on January 26, 2022, will be incorporated by reference in this form 10-K in response to Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 of Part III.

5 The definitive proxy statement will be filed with the SEC not later than 120 days after the registrant s fiscal year ended August 31, of ContentsTable of ContentsPagePart IItem Factors12 Item Staff Comments26 Item Proceedings26 Item Safety Disclosures26 Part IIItem for Registrant s Common Equity, Related Shareholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities27 Item 6.[Reserved]28 Item s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations29 Item and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk39 Item Statements and Supplementary Data40 Item in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure40 Item and Procedures40 Item Information41 Item Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections41 Part IIIItem , Executive Officers and Corporate Governance42 Item Compensation42 Item Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Shareholder Matters43 Item Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence43 Item Accountant Fees and Services44 Part IVItem.

6 Financial Statement Schedules45 Item 10-K Summary47 Signatures48 Table of ContentsPart IDisclosure Regarding Forward-Looking StatementsThis Annual Report on form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act ) relating to our operations, results of operations and other matters that are based on our current expectations, estimates, assumptions and projections. Words such as may, will, should, likely, anticipates, expects, intends, plans, projects, believes, estimates, positioned, outlook and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate.

7 Actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecast in these forward-looking statements. Risks, uncertainties and other factors that might cause such differences, some of which could be material, include, but are not limited to, the factors discussed below under the section entitled Risk Factors. Our forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this report or as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update them, notwithstanding any historical practice of doing so. Forward-looking and other statements in this document may also address our corporate responsibility progress, plans, and goals (including environmental matters), and the inclusion of such statements is not an indication that these contents are necessarily material to investors or required to be disclosed in the Company s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

8 In addition, historical, current, and forward-looking sustainability-related statements may be based on standards for measuring progress that are still developing, internal controls and processes that continue to evolve, and assumptions that are subject to change in the InformationOur website address is We use our website as a channel of distribution for company information. We make available free of charge on the Investor Relations section of our website ( ) our Annual Report on form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on form 10-Q, Current Reports on form 8-K and all amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC ) pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. We also make available through our website other reports filed with or furnished to the SEC under the Exchange Act, including our proxy statements and reports filed by officers and directors under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, as well as our Code of Business Ethics.

9 Financial and other material information regarding us is routinely posted on and accessible at We do not intend for information contained in our website to be part of this Annual Report on form SEC maintains an Internet site ( ) that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. Any materials we file with the SEC are available on such Internet this Annual Report on form 10-K, we use the terms Accenture , we, the Company, our and us to refer to Accenture plc and its subsidiaries. All references to years, unless otherwise noted, refer to our fiscal year, which ends on August 31. Table of ContentsACCENTURE 2021 form 10-KPart I1 Item 1. BusinessOverview Accenture is a leading global professional services company that helps clients build their digital core, transform their operations, and accelerate revenue growth creating tangible value across their enterprises at speed and scale.

10 We are uniquely able to create these outcomes because of our broad range of services in strategy and consulting, interactive, technology and operations, with digital capabilities across all of these services. We combine unmatched industry experience and specialized capabilities, together with our culture of innovation and shared success to serve clients in more than 120 countries. We serve clients in three geographic markets: North America, Europe and Growth Markets (Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East). Our geographic markets bring together capabilities from across the organization in Strategy & Consulting, Interactive, Technology and Operations infusing digital skills and industry and functional expertise throughout to deliver value to our clients. Our revenues for fiscal 2021 were$ billion, and we employed more than 624,000 people as of August 31, 2021.