Avenga Taps Atos Vet Clay Van Doren as CEO for Global AI Push

PRAGUE, Jan. 05, 2026 – Avenga, the global digital engineering specialist, has appointed veteran technology executive Clay Van Doren as its new Chief Executive Officer, a strategic move signaling an aggressive push toward global leadership in the AI-driven transformation market. Effective January 12, Van Doren steps in to lead the company's 6,000+ experts as it enters a new phase of growth, backed by its owner, the European investment group KKCG.

Van Doren succeeds Ludovic Gaudé, who is credited with navigating Avenga through a complex five-year integration process that unified multiple entities into a cohesive global platform. This leadership transition marks a pivotal moment for the company, shifting its focus from internal consolidation to accelerated external expansion and market penetration.

A New Chapter of Global Ambition

The appointment is the latest and most significant step in a strategic overhaul orchestrated by KKCG, which acquired Avenga in late 2023. The acquisition was a cornerstone of KKCG's plan to build a formidable technology pillar within its diverse investment portfolio. This strategy gained significant momentum in 2025 when Avenga joined forces with Qinshift, another KKCG-owned tech firm, creating a unified digital powerhouse with nearly 7,000 professionals and revenues approaching €400 million.

Karel Komárek, Chair of KKCG, framed the appointment as a critical milestone. “Clay’s appointment comes at an important moment for Avenga as it pursues its goal of becoming a global category leader,” Komárek stated. “His experience leading complex technology organizations and passion for supporting customers will be key as Avenga enters this next chapter.”

The groundwork laid by the outgoing CEO, Ludovic Gaudé, has been instrumental in preparing Avenga for this next stage. Under his leadership, the company successfully integrated disparate operations, creating a scalable platform with a strong global footprint across Europe, the Americas, and Asia.

Michal Tománek, Deputy Chief Investment Director at KKCG and Chair of the Avenga Board, acknowledged this crucial contribution. “On behalf of KKCG and the Avenga Board, I would like to thank Ludovic for his commitment and leadership,” said Tománek. “In a remarkably short time, the company achieved a level of integration that typically takes many years... We are grateful for Ludovic’s contribution and the strong foundation he has helped put in place.”

The Van Doren Playbook: From Atos to Avenga

Clay Van Doren brings to Avenga over 25 years of experience steering large-scale international technology and digital transformation initiatives. His career is highlighted by a lengthy tenure at Atos, a global IT services giant, where he held several senior leadership positions. Most recently, as Group Chief Growth Officer, he was instrumental in navigating the company's growth agenda and strengthening key customer relationships during a challenging period.

His operational and leadership credentials are extensive. At Atos, Van Doren also served as Deputy CEO for the 50,000-person Tech Foundations business and held CEO roles across a wide array of regions, including the UK and Ireland, Central Europe, Northern Europe, and Asia-Pacific. This experience managing large, geographically diverse teams and transforming services for major public and private-sector clients aligns directly with Avenga’s global structure and its strategic reliance on nearshoring talent from hubs in Poland, Ukraine, and Argentina.

In his new role, Van Doren will be responsible for harnessing Avenga’s deep technical expertise to deliver tangible business outcomes for clients. He inherits a company that has already built a reputation for its AI-first approach and a broad service portfolio spanning business advisory, custom software development, and managed services.

“I’m honored to step into the role of CEO at Avenga,” Van Doren said in a statement. “Avenga has strong capabilities, long-standing customer relationships, and highly experienced experts. My priority is to strengthen partnerships and keep our focus firmly on our customers’ success, while making Avenga a great place to work, with excellent development opportunities.”

Sharpening the AI-First Transformation Edge

Van Doren's leadership is expected to sharpen Avenga's focus on its three core pillars: application transformation, data and AI, and next-generation cybersecurity. This comes at a time when demand in these areas is exploding. The global application transformation market, for instance, is projected to surge from approximately USD 12 billion in 2024 to over USD 34 billion by 2030, driven by the urgent need to modernize legacy systems and adopt cloud-native architectures.

Avenga’s “AI-first” strategy is particularly well-timed. As businesses move beyond experimental AI projects, the demand for enterprise-ready AI solutions that drive automation, enhance decision-making, and create personalized experiences is intensifying. Worldwide spending on AI-enabling technology is on track to exceed USD 300 billion by 2025. Van Doren's task will be to ensure Avenga’s offerings not only leverage cutting-edge technologies like generative AI but also address the growing importance of AI governance and ethics, especially with regulations like the EU AI Act coming into force.

Cybersecurity is the third critical component of this strategy. The market for next-generation cybersecurity is growing at nearly 20% annually, fueled by increasingly sophisticated threats and the vulnerabilities of hyper-connected business ecosystems. Avenga's focus on proactive defense mechanisms using AI, machine learning, and Zero Trust architectures will be a key differentiator. Van Doren’s experience with large enterprise clients, who prioritize operational resilience, will be invaluable in strengthening and scaling these security offerings.

Navigating a Competitive Digital Landscape

Under Van Doren's leadership, Avenga will navigate a fiercely competitive and fragmented IT services market. The company competes with a diverse range of players, from specialized firms like UST and Happiest Minds to global consulting giants such as Accenture and Deloitte. Avenga's primary advantage, cultivated under KKCG's ownership, is its ability to combine deep engineering talent from cost-effective nearshore locations with high-touch consultancy for demanding Western markets.

This model allows it to offer speed and efficiency in custom software development and system integration, particularly for industries undergoing rapid digital change like healthcare, automotive, and finance. Van Doren’s extensive experience in managing global delivery models and driving growth across multiple continents will be critical for optimizing this strategy.

As businesses worldwide accelerate their digital journeys, the ability to deliver secure, practical, and innovative solutions is paramount. With a new leader known for building results-driven teams and a clear mandate for growth from its parent company, Avenga is positioning itself not just to compete, but to lead the next wave of AI-powered digital transformation.