EXPERT OPINION
Mark Yeeles , Vice President , Secure Power Division , Schneider Electric UK and Ireland
Garner , who were advocates of mine and were prepared to support me in this new challenge . In that respect , I believe you always need a strong advocate or network to help you progress in your career .
Upon being appointed in your new role earlier this year , what have been some of the biggest lessons you ’ ve learned and how does this influence how you lead a team to success ?
Having been in the role for several months , many people have asked what I have learnt . One of the key things that ’ s stood out is that the challenges being experienced in other sectors , like industrial automation , are not too dissimilar to the data centre industry . For example , sustainability and the talent crisis are major issues across tech generally and each industry addresses this universal challenge in a different way . With all industries talking about STEM careers , it would be good to create more open dialogue and find a more uniformed approach whereby we use new channels or identify new ways to communicate to bridge the talent gap .
In terms of how these challenges influence how I lead the team , I believe we must listen to our partners , colleagues and customers and understand their needs . After that , we can find a means to address them . It is only with a greater understanding that we can solve the challenges together and drive success for both our customers and the business . In essence , collaboration is essential .
What were some of the key motivators when switching from Industrial Automation Business to Schneider Electric ’ s Secure Power Division ?
I was very fortunate to have two very strong leaders in Kelly Becker and Marc
I ’ ve always tried to do things differently and try new things in every role . As a professional , I ’ m really interested in roles where I can have impact and apply some of my learnings to new environments . I want to make a difference and in data centres there is an opportunity to change the dial on sustainability , DEI and early talent , and these are all areas I am particularly passionate about .
Can you tell us about some of the key challenges you are experiencing in this space and how you work with your customers to tackle these head-on ?
The energy demands on the sector are already one of the most heavily discussed points in the industry , and the advancements in AI are continuing to create unprecedented demand in growth . Unless we as an industry come together to address the design and build stages in particular , our growth will become limited to the restrictions in the infrastructure and access to power .
Digital twins and profiling the form-factor of data centres around sustainability , www . intelligentdatacentres . com
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