​London, UK – 23 March 2012 – Avanade, a business technology solutions and managed services provider, is proud to announce its certification as one of Britain’s Top Employers in the 2012 awards. As one of 67 organisations certified by the CRF Institute across the UK, the award comes in recognition of the outstanding working conditions Avanade offers employees.

The CRF Institute, a specialist in the field of international research into HR management and working conditions, recently completed its research into the HR practices and employee offerings of a large number of employers in the UK for the 2011 calendar year.

The organisations examined were assessed based on the following criteria: Primary and Secondary Benefits and Working Conditions, Training and Development, Career Development, and Company Culture. Only those organisations that met the stringent research criteria received the Top Employers certification. Avanade scored exceptionally high in the areas of Secondary Benefits & Working Conditions, and Training & Development.

Pam Maynard, Avanade, General Manager, UK and Ireland said: “Avanade is extremely proud to have been recognised as a Top Employer in 2012 not only in the UK but in a large number of our other European markets. We see this as a real acknowledgement of our collaborative, open working culture and further evidence of our commitment to retaining and developing world class talent. Our people are our business – this is feedback we have received time and again from customers – so it is vital that we continue to offer them the best working environment possible.”

Eleanor Nickerson, Country Manager, Britain’s Top Employers commented: “This year we’re proud to certify our strongest group of Top Employers to date. Increasingly, we’re seeing creative and intelligent HR practices and employee offerings that ensure the working experience is positive, and that employee groups get what they want from their employment. We’re seeing a heavy emphasis on flexible benefits, on segmented employee offerings and on career development that ensures employee growth and good succession planning.”

With 17,000 Microsoft certifications held by Avanade consultants and 23 employee recognitions as a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional, Avanade offers its people superb working conditions such as career development and training programmes, collaborative culture and a focus on customers. As an example, Avanade also recently launched a global Women in IT initiative, which aims to attract new female recruits and create career opportunities for women within the company with roles that are challenging and highly visible.

For more information about the CRF Institute, the research and Avanade’s scoring in the research, visit www.britainstopemployers.co.uk

For more information about Avanade, go to www.avanade.com

Notes to editors:
• The CRF Institute is the independent organisation behind the Top Employers projects. Since 1991 the CRF Institute has developed its proprietary methodology, research and deliverables.

• With headquarters in Amsterdam, the CRF Institute is active in the UK, Belgium, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, Spain and Switzerland. It has certified more than 2,500 organisations since 1991.


About Avanade
Avanade provides business technology solutions and managed services that connect insight, innovation and expertise in Microsoft® technologies to help customers realize results. Our people have helped thousands of organizations in all industries improve business agility, employee productivity, and customer loyalty. Avanade combines the collective business, technical and industry expertise of its worldwide network of experts with the rigor of an industrialized delivery model to provide high quality solutions using proven and emerging technologies with flexible deployment models–on premises, cloud-based or outsourced. Avanade, which is majority owned by Accenture, was founded in 2000 by Accenture LLP and Microsoft Corporation and has approximately 15,000 professionals in more than 20 countries. Additional information can be found at www.avanade.com.

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