The management consultancy firm is broadening its offering to include an in-house programmatic media planning and buying unit, saying the move is in response to clients looking to "drive greater efficiencies with their programmatic media spend, specifically digital media".

However, the IPA described the move to compete with media agencies as a "direct conflict of interest", saying the company’s existing media auditing, evaluation and pitch management services make it incompatible to provide media buying.

The industry body also dismissed Accenture’s claim that it will operate cross-departmental confidentially internally.

Paul Bainsfair, director general of the IPA (pictured), said: "As well as compromising impartiality, no business can legitimately offer competing media services to a market where it has a media auditor’s access to confidential client and agency media data and financial information.

"In an era where transparency is under the spotlight, this self-evident conflict of interest is unacceptable."