A former employee has taken legal action against a major consulting firm, alleging gender discrimination and retaliation. Syed Raza filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on April 14, 2025, against Accenture LLP. The lawsuit claims that Raza was unjustly terminated due to his gender and in retaliation for raising concerns about discriminatory practices within the company.
According to the complaint, Syed Raza began working with Accenture in May 2013 as a Senior Manager within their Applied Intelligence practice. Over his tenure, he consistently received positive performance reviews and played a significant role in building the company's Enterprise Analytics practice. Despite his accomplishments and experience, Raza alleges that he was repeatedly denied promotion to Managing Director while less qualified female colleagues were promoted as part of Accenture's gender parity initiative led by CEO Julie Sweet. This initiative aimed to achieve gender parity at the company by 2025.
Raza claims that after expressing concerns about this initiative's impact on his career and client service, he faced further discrimination. He recounted instances where he was overlooked for leadership roles on projects he had developed and how his contributions were minimized or credited to others. Additionally, Raza took FMLA leave from October 1 to October 31, 2023, following personal family emergencies but was terminated shortly after returning to work under the guise of a "cost restructuring plan."
The plaintiff is seeking several forms of relief from the court: recognition of gender discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Illinois Human Rights Act; acknowledgment of retaliation for lodging complaints and taking FMLA leave; compensation for lost wages and benefits; compensatory and punitive damages; attorneys' fees; and any other relief deemed appropriate by the court.
Representing Syed Raza are attorneys Kristin M. Case and Kate Sedey from Case + Sedey, LLC. The case is identified as Case No.: 1:25-cv-3999.