Accenture and Avanade Recognized as 2021 Microsoft Canada Country Partner of the Year

Companies also named 2021 Global Alliance SI Partner of the Year

TORONTO, July 8, 2021 /CNW/ - Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and Avanade have been named Microsoft's Canada Country Partner of the Year. The companies were honoured for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology.

In addition to being named the 2021 Microsoft Canada Country Partner of the Year, Accenture and Avanade were also named the 2021 Global Alliance SI Partner of the Year for the 16^th time, and  received the following awards:

• Automotive Partner of the Year
• Dynamics 365 Customer Insights Partner of the Year
• Dynamics 365 Customer Service Partner of the Year
• Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management & Finance Partner of the Year
• Employee Experience Partner of the Year
• SAP on Azure Partner of the Year
• Ireland Country Partner of the Year

"We are honoured to be named the 2021 Microsoft Canada Country Partner of the Year," said Jeffrey Russell, president of Accenture in Canada. "Accenture and Microsoft formed Avanade 21 years ago to combine the best in strategy and technology to help organizations unlock more value from Microsoft solutions. We will continue our path of collaboration, delivering world-class services and solutions to help our clients embrace change and accelerate value."

André Nadeau, managing director and leader of Avanade Canada said, "We are truly gratified to be recognized by Microsoft. This is a testament to Accenture and Avanade's strategic partnership and leadership in providing successful and innovative digital transformations for our Canadian clients and helping them navigate and respond during the pandemic. With the largest community of Microsoft skilled professionals globally, we are uniquely positioned to help businesses digitally transform through the power of the Microsoft technologies."

The Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards recognize Microsoft partners that have developed and delivered outstanding Microsoft-based solutions during the past year. Awards were classified in various categories, with honorees chosen from a set of more than 4,400 submitted nominations from more than 100 countries worldwide. Accenture and Avanade were recognized for providing outstanding transformations across industries amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, including transitioning a government agency from a paper-based system with on-site data storage to a responsive system based in the cloud; helping a financial services organization leverage the power of the public cloud; and transforming an outdated phone system for a wellness, mental health and telemedicine service provider to Microsoft 365 E5 in record time to support thousands of employees working from home. Read the Microsoft Canada blog to find out more. https://blogs.partner.microsoft.com/mpn-canada/2021/07/08/a-blueprint-for-the-future-accenture-and-avanade-win-2021-microsoft-canada-partner-of-the-year/

"I am honored to announce the winners and finalists of the 2021 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards," said Rodney Clark, corporate vice president, Global Partner Solutions, Channel Sales and Channel Chief, Microsoft. "These remarkable partners have displayed a deep commitment to building world-class solutions for customers—from cloud-to-edge—and represent some of the best and brightest our ecosystem has to offer."

About Accenture
Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries, we offer Strategy and Consulting, Interactive, Technology and Operations services — all powered by the world's largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers. Our 569,000 people deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity every day, serving clients in more than 120 countries. We embrace the power of change to create value and shared success for our clients, people, shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

About Avanade
Avanade is the leading provider of innovative digital and cloud services, business solutions and design-led experiences on the Microsoft ecosystem. Our professionals bring bold, fresh thinking combined with technology, business and industry expertise to help make a genuine human impact on our clients, their customers and their employees. We are the power behind the Accenture Microsoft Business Group, helping companies to engage customers, empower employees, optimize operations and transform products, leveraging the Microsoft platform. Avanade has 44,000 professionals in 25 countries, bringing clients our 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.

SOURCE Accenture