D E E P D I V E

WE ‘ DEEP DIVE ’ WITH

What is your most memorable achievement in the data centre space ?

I ’ ve been extremely fortunate to be part of the growth of such a diverse and interesting sector . Over the last 20 years of being involved in the data centre industry , there have been many highlights , including working with great teams , interesting clients and being involved in acquiring and growing companies across Europe . If I had to pick one thing though , it was my involvement as part of the Tech UK Data Centre Council to secure the Climate Change Agreement for data centres . I think gaining recognition for the role data centres can play in reducing the climate impact of the digital systems we all rely on , and agreement on its inclusion within wider policy at the time , was a real positive for our industry , and still is . Having the chance to make a difference to the standing of the data centre community within wider Government policy was something I was proud to be involved in .

How did you get started in the data centre industry ?

I ' d love to say this was all part of a master plan but it wasn ’ t . I spent the first 12 years of my career at Cable & Wireless and was lucky enough to experience the UK telecoms industry deregulation and the early growth of the Internet . This was also my first exposure to data centres . When I moved on from C & W , I made a speculative approach to Telecity , which was how I came to meet Mike Tobin , who is now our Chairman at Pulsant , and he gave me a job . It was a bit of a left-field decision as the other roles I had applied for were more closely matched to my previous experience , but there was just something that told me I needed to take the risk . And looking back , I am so glad I took that chance as it pushed me on in my career in a way that I feel those other roles may not have . It was completely new ground for me and different to the roles I ’ d had before ; I learned a lot , made mistakes , but it gave me the opportunity to grow in a way that was hugely beneficial .

What style of management do you have ?

Overall , I try to be open and inclusive . Every person in Pulsant has a role to play in our success and I try to engage with people based on their expertise , rather than where they fit into the management structure . We have around 330 people and I like working in a company where it ' s possible to get to know people . I am lucky to work with a leadership team who are diverse in their skills and personalities , which brings different perspectives to what we are doing . I am ambitious for what we can achieve together as a company ; I am sure I can be demanding at times , but I hope people would say I am supportive too .

What do you think are the hot talking points in the data centre space ?

For the data centre community there are a lot of new technologies on the horizon . From the growth of compute and the demand that comes from AI and the heavy compute workloads within that , to the growth of local fibre networks and 5G , that is opening up the possibilities for more distributed applications , which is really where edge comes to the fore ; as well as digital infrastructure and its impact on physical resources , including power grids .

Today the UK , like many countries , has ended up with a concentration of data centres in a small number of urban areas and as data use and apps start to place huge demands on the energy grids , we will need to start to look at more distributed models to alleviate that pressure . I think as cloud strategies mature , and people start to recognise that whilst cloud is a fantastic tool set , hyperscale public cloud isn ’ t the answer for everything , we will start to see the relevance of regional infrastructure , which is what our story is all about .

How do you deal with stress and unwind ?

I cycle . There is something about being in the fresh air under your own steam that I just enjoy . It ’ s often where I do a lot of my thinking . I find a lot of my ideas come to me when I ’ m on my bike .

With stress , I do think age and experience makes it easier to compartmentalise work and get balance . If I I go back to my thirties , I was just naturally more stressed about things . Over the years I have realised you need to enjoy the highs , when things are going well , as there will always be bumps in the road along the way . I ’ ve learned from experience that when

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