DEEP DIVE
WE ‘DEEP DIVE’ WITH JUSTIN JENKINS, CEO OF UK
DATA CENTRE OPERATOR NGD, WHO TELLS US
ABOUT LIFE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE OFFICE.
Justin Jenkins was appointed CEO of UK data centre
operator NGD in 2018. He brings a wealth of IT
and data centre industry experience including
over the past 10 years at NGD where, as part of
the senior management team, he previously
served as Data Centre Director, CTO and
latterly COO. Prior to joining NGD, Justin held
posts with a number of entrepreneurial
technology businesses and was previously
with Sony Computer Entertainment
for several years in a variety of IT and
infrastructure roles.
What would you describe as your
most memorable achievement in
the data centre industry?
NGD’s 10th anniversary last year
which coincided with commencing
the development of the next 250,000
sq ft of operational space on the top
floor of our facility which is located
in South Wales – this is our biggest
expansion phase so far which will
accommodate multiple data halls,
catering for hyperscale, mid-
range and co-location customers.
The 250,000 sq ft ground floor
had reached full occupancy,
comprising 31 data halls (32MW
of built space).
Overall, NGD’s facility is 750,000
sq ft over three floors, making it
the largest data centre in Europe.
What first made you think
of a career in technology/
data centres?
For me it was a natural
evolution from IT into data
centres. I spent the early
90s in IT and facilities
management and realised IT
and data storage wouldn’t
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remain on-premise forever but
in an increasingly wired world
would move online.
The data centre business operates in a
dynamic and interesting marketplace
with day to day challenges to resolve.
It’s not yet a fully mature industry as it
continually develops so there are always
plenty of opportunities for figuring
things out and innovating, which is
always fun. threat and an opportunity in
terms of possible impact on
customers. However, NGD’s
business is growing strongly,
driven by digital growth and the
digital drivers are stronger than
Brexit, so we will continue to
grow with or without it.
What style of management
philosophy do you employ with
your current position? Another is keeping pace with
the insatiable demand for both
hyperscale and enterprise compute
and storage requirements, which
necessitates a facility having
sufficient space, power, cooling and
of course diverse connectivity. The
cloud too, where it begins and ends
– there’s a huge growth in public/
private ‘hybrid’ cloud environments
which places particular emphasis on
low latency, scalability and security,
while at the same time being able to
accommodate customer legacy IT
equipment and systems.
As CEO I take a facilitative and inclusive
management approach, realising when
you have good people they should be
given the authority and space to do
their jobs and make things happen.
This is borne out of my having held
various roles during my career and
not expecting anyone to do anything I
wouldn’t do myself.
What do you think is the current
hot talking point within the data
centre space?
There are several. Clearly Brexit, which
for many represents both a potential
Other hot topics include rack
densities and efficiency and whether
it’s better to concentrate or spread
assets. And of course, the green
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