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JA Europe appoints Avanade CEO as new Board of Directors Chairman

Brussels, 11 October 2018

Junior Achievement (JA) Europe today announced that Adam Warby, CEO of Avanade, Inc. has been selected as JA Europe’s new Chairman of its Board of Directors. Warby will take over from Accenture COO, Jo Deblaere, who has been in the role for the last six years. Warby, who is celebrating his 10th anniversary as Avanade’s CEO this year, has a track record of driving growth through innovation and under his leadership, Avanade has grown to over $2.4bn in sales and 34,000 professionals in 26 countries globally.

In addition, Avanade, the leading digital innovator on the Microsoft ecosystem, has been appointed as Junior Achievement Worldwide’s (JAWW) Global Technology Partner. In this role, Avanade will advise and collaborate with Junior Achievement as they seek to drive their digital transformation strategy across the JA network.

JA Europe serves and supports a network of 41 national member organisations—all dedicated to helping young people prepare for employment and entrepreneurship. Each organisation works on a local level to impact young people in thousands of communities each year. JA Europe has focused on building a strong alumni network, increasing impact and public awareness while also influencing policy-makers. It leads on a number of pan-European initiatives including the Entrepreneurial Skills Pass, the EE-HUB (& Entrepreneurship Education Summit) and The Entrepreneurial School Awards.  JA is well-known for its annual inspirational events for young people including the JA Enterprise Challenge, the JA Marketplace and the JA Company of the Year Competition.

Avanade has been committed to, and collaborated with, JA Europe since 2016, supporting its programmes with the aim of teaching young people about the world of technology. With JA Europe, Avanade empowers young people to choose a career in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Through the partnership to date, over 200 Avanade volunteers have supported close to 2,000 youths across Brazil, Italy, Norway, Spain and Sweden.


“It has been a great experience to chair this board and to see the impact JA is making on so many young people in so many places. I know I am putting the reins in good hands and that JA Europe will continue to go from strength to strength,” said JO DEBLAERE, former Chair of JA Europe, COO of Accenture.

 

“I am honoured and delighted to be taking on the role of European Chair of JA. Helping organizations such as JA develop the skills of young people for the digital world and equipping the future workforce is something that I am personally passionate about. In addition, as JA’s Global Technology Partner, the Avanade team will bring fresh, innovative perspectives and expertise on the Microsoft ecosystem to help JA map out their digital path for the future,” added ADAM WARBY, incoming chair of JA Europe, CEO of Avanade

 

“It is a privilege to work with such a committed and passionate board of directors. We have had a succession of outstanding Chairpersons and I look forward to continuing our work together under Adam’s leadership,” concluded CAROLINE JENNER, CEO of JA Europe.

 

About JA Europe
JA Europe is the largest non-profit in Europe dedicated to preparing young people for employment and entrepreneurship. JA Europe is a member of JA Worldwide which for 100 years has delivered hands on, experiential learning in entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial literacy. JA creates pathways for employability, job creation and financial success. Last school year, the JA network in Europe reached more than 4 million young people across 40 countries with the support of 140,000 business volunteers and 130,000 teachers/educators.
www.jaeurope.org

 
About Avanade
Avanade is the leading provider of innovative digital and cloud services, business solutions and design-led experiences delivered through the power of people and the Microsoft ecosystem. Our professionals bring bold, fresh thinking combined with technology, business and industry expertise to help fuel transformation and growth for our clients and their customers. Avanade has 30,000 digitally connected people across 24 countries, bringing clients the best thinking through a collaborative culture that honors diversity and reflects the communities in which we operate. Majority owned by Accenture, Avanade was founded in 2000 by Accenture LLP and Microsoft Corporation. Learn more at www.avanade.com

 
 
Contacts:
•    For Avanade: Claire Booty claire.booty@avanade.com
•    For JA Europe: Mathilde Poncelet mathilde@jaeurope.org

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