Avolution Appoints Richard Ward as CEO to Accelerate Global Expansion

Avolution Appoints Richard Ward as CEO to Accelerate Global Expansion

Avolution today announced the appointment of Richard Ward as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), marking an important step in the company’s next phase of international expansion and product innovation.

Richard’s appointment follows a rigorous international search and builds on the strong foundations established under Interim CEO Mark Steyn.

Richard assumes the role at a pivotal moment for Enterprise Architecture. As organizations face rising complexity, cost pressures, AI-driven transformation, and increasing regulatory demands, the need for clear architectural insight has never been greater. Avolution’s strategy remains focused on helping organizations align technology investment with business outcomes, reduce risk, and accelerate change with confidence through its Enterprise Architecture platform, ABACUS.

Based at Avolution’s UK headquarters in London, Richard strengthens executive presence across EMEA and the Americas, two of the company’s fastest-growing markets. Australia remains the company’s innovation heartland and continues to play a central role in product development and global operations.

Scaling Global Enterprise Software Businesses

Richard brings extensive experience leading and scaling international SaaS businesses, with a strong track record of building high-performing global teams and delivering measurable outcomes for organizations navigating digital transformation. He has held senior leadership roles at technology companies including THG Ingenuity, 1E, and Eggplant, where he consistently expanded market reach and delivered measurable value for customers.

His appointment coincides with Avolution’s latest release, a major product milestone introducing generative AI capabilities designed to enhance decision intelligence, improve enterprise-wide visibility, and elevate the user experience.

Executive Commentary

“Following a comprehensive international search, we are delighted to appoint Richard Ward as Avolution’s CEO. He brings deep SaaS leadership experience, with a proven ability to scale globally and drive strong product and commercial outcomes that deliver real value to our customers.

Our strategy is clear, our foundations are strong, and the opportunity ahead is significant. Establishing our CEO in the UK places leadership closer to our fastest-growing EMEA markets while strengthening our connection to customers and partners in the United States.”

— Richard Whiteoak, Chair of Avolution

“Avolution is a recognized leader in Enterprise Architecture, delivering operational efficiency and clarity for some of the world’s largest organizations. Its deep expertise, trusted customer relationships, and world-class platform provide a strong foundation, and I’m excited to join at a time when Enterprise Architecture is becoming mission-critical for organizations navigating AI-driven transformation.

Our focus will remain firmly on innovation, customer partnership, and global growth. By continuing to invest in product capability and deepening our customer relationships, we will further strengthen Avolution’s position as the leading Enterprise Architecture platform.”

— Richard Ward, CEO

“It has been a privilege to lead Avolution during this period. The business has strong momentum, a clear strategy, and a highly committed global team. I look forward to supporting Richard to ensure a seamless transition and continued delivery of outstanding outcomes for our customers and partners.”

— Mark Steyn, Interim CEO

With a strengthened leadership team, accelerating product innovation, and a growing international customer base, Avolution enters its next chapter well positioned to expand its leadership in Enterprise Architecture.

About ABACUS

ABACUS is Avolution’s Enterprise Architecture platform, used by organizations worldwide to deliver fast, powerful enterprise architecture and digital business strategy. Supporting both modern and traditional EA standards, ABACUS enables capability and process modeling, cloud architecture design, cybersecurity and AI governance frameworks, analytics, roadmapping, and executive reporting through rich dashboards and visualizations.

With offices globally, Avolution is recognized as a Leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant and in independent Enterprise Architecture tool reviews.