DEEP DIVE
WE ‘ DEEP DIVE ’ WITH MARILOU VAN DOORN , COO AT LEASEWEB GLOBAL , WHO TELLS US ABOUT LIFE
INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE OFFICE .
Leaseweb is a global hosting provider . Marilou van Doorn is Chief Operations Officer ( COO ) of Leaseweb Global and she helps drive operations across Leaseweb ’ s product portfolio and continues to support customers throughout these highly unusual times and beyond .
What would you describe as your most memorable achievement in the data centre industry ?
It ’ s not necessarily a personal achievement but it ’ s the way in which we ’ ve created a global presence with a local feel at Leaseweb . It ’ s also about the balance between the product focus , high-quality network and data centre operational excellence .
What first made you think of a career in technology / data centres ?
I come from a creative background , having attended art school and studied Modern Art at university , and was always convinced I would only find passion and creativity in art . It wasn ’ t until I came into contact with the tech scene in Amsterdam , where I met some of the most passionate people , that my perception changed . Now , every day I have an opportunity to work on things that weren ’ t possible the day before . Creating new things in technology constantly pushes the boundaries of what ’ s imaginable , and that in itself is amazing .
What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position ?
My management philosophy focuses on a few key principles . My primary focus is about putting people first . As a servant leader , it ’ s important to enable , empower and encourage teams to do their best . Secondly , I strongly believe it ’ s crucial to have a solid structure . For example , having a good routine and automation can be really empowering , not to mention it makes your day easier and less stressful . Thirdly , it ’ s about removing human error by learning from one ’ s mistakes and fixing them at the core . Finally , what I ’ m especially passionate about is making use of your data .
As an industry , there is an incredible amount of data available , which is increasing by the day . Now we need to learn to use it better for all different perspectives , from understanding our people to how our customers work .
Beneath all of this and not perse a management philosophy is something which I always stress to all my teams – keep the customer perspective top of the mind in decision-making .
What do you think is the current hot talking point within the data centre space ?
One hot topic that will always remain current is the environmental impact . It has been a topic for years already , but regulation is becoming more and more restricted . As an industry , we still have a long way to go , especially with computing power increasing and with high-density demand constantly developing . This only leaves the data centre industry in a position to find better solutions that are more energy efficient and kinder to the environment .
Furthermore , I am excited to see the next steps in hybrid cloud and Edge Computing . With data consumption increasing , the industry needs to make the most of the right solutions at the right place and the right time .
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