Chris Howarth Appointed as CEO of Avanade, Strengthening Alignment Across Accenture and Microsoft

February 3, 2026

Chris Howarth Appointed as CEO of Avanade, Strengthening Alignment Across Accenture and Microsoft

SEATTLE, WA; Feb. 3, 2026 - Chris Howarth has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Avanade, effective February 3rd.

Howarth succeeds Rodrigo Caserta, who will step down as CEO after more than 11 years with Avanade to join Microsoft as Corporate Vice President, Small, Medium Enterprises & Channel (SME&C), Americas. Caserta served as Avanade's CEO since 2024.

"Chris brings deep knowledge of Avanade, strong alignment across Accenture and Microsoft, and a proven record of leadership," said Manish Sharma, chief strategy and services officer at Accenture and chair of the board of directors at Avanade. "His appointment ensures continuity in our strategy and momentum, while further strengthening Avanade's central role in the joint venture. We thank Rodrigo for more than a decade of extraordinary impact and look forward to continuing to work closely with him in his new role at Microsoft."

Howarth has been closely involved with Avanade for more than five years through his leadership within the Accenture-Microsoft ecosystem, helping drive joint innovation, client success, and growth across the partnership. After more than 28 years with Accenture, he will join Avanade as CEO, to lead Avanade through its next phase of growth, building on the company's strong foundation and strategic priorities. He will retain ownership of the overall Microsoft relationship, recognizing the critical role Avanade plays in driving growth for Accenture and Microsoft across all customer segments.

"I'm honored to join Avanade as CEO, building on the strong foundation Rodrigo and the leadership team have built," said Chris Howarth. "Rodrigo's leadership has positioned Avanade for sustained momentum, and his move to Microsoft further strengthens our partnership. I'm excited to work with our people, clients, and partners at this pivotal moment, delivering on the huge potential of AI to drive transformation and accelerate value."

About Avanade
Avanade is the world's leading expert on Microsoft. Trusted by over 7,000 clients worldwide, we deliver reliable, AI-driven solutions that solve business challenges of all sizes and unlock the full potential of people and technology. We empower organizations to use Microsoft technology to optimise operations, drive growth, and foster innovation, enabling them to excel in delivering exceptional customer experiences.

Together with Accenture, we combine global scale with local expertise in AI, cloud, data analytics, cybersecurity, ERP to create human-cantered experiences. We are committed to doing what matters for our clients, their customers, employees and partners by designing solutions that prioritise people and drive meaningful impact.

Since 2000, Avanade has leveraged its close partnership with Microsoft to bring the latest technologies to market, serving as Microsoft's "Client Zero" and earning, with Accenture, Microsoft's Global SI Partner of the Year Award a record 20 times.

As a purpose-driven and responsible organization, Avanade champions diversity, inclusion, and sustainability, ensuring our work benefits society as well as drives business success. Learn more at https://www.avanade.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

About Accenture
Accenture is a leading solutions and services company that helps the world's leading enterprises reinvent by building their digital core and unleashing the power of AI to create value at speed across the enterprise, bringing together the talent of our approximately 784,000 people, our proprietary assets and platforms, and deep ecosystem relationships. Our strategy is to be the reinvention partner of choice for our clients and to be the most client-focused, AI-enabled, great place to work in the world. Through our Reinvention Services we bring together our capabilities across strategy, consulting, technology, operations, Song and Industry X with our deep industry expertise to create and deliver solutions and services for our clients. Our purpose is to deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity, and we measure our success by the 360° value we create for all our stakeholders. Visit us at accenture.com.

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Contacts:

Hannah Unkefer
Accenture
+1 206 839 2172
[email protected]

Juanjo Campos
Avanade
+1 506 4036 5244
[email protected]