LL strengthens data centres team with strategic appointments in EMEA

Senior hires to drive major growth in data centre facilities management and transactional services.

  • Wednesday, 10th February 2021 Posted 3 years ago in by Phil Alsop

JLL has appointed Mike Harrington as Head of Data Centre Facilities Management, EMEA and Tom Glover as Head of Data Centre Transactions, EMEA. These newly created strategic roles reflect the growing demand for data centre services in the region.

 

As Head of Data Centre Facilities Management, Mike Harrington will be responsible for overseeing the delivery of facilities management (FM) operations for corporates, specialist data centre operators and cloud providers in EMEA. Mike joins JLL after an extensive career in the FM industry having worked in the US, Europe and APAC. Previously, he was Head of Facilities Management at CBRE in Asia Pacific.

 

In his role as Head of Data Centre Transactions, EMEA, Tom Glover will lead JLL’s transactional services for occupier, operator and developer clients in the date centre sector. Tom joins from CBRE where he was Director responsible for sourcing suitable sites for data centres across Europe and providing strategic advice to landlords, investors, and occupiers active in the data centre market.

 

The pandemic has shown the resiliency of the data centre industry and its importance to the global economy. With millions of people working from home, attending school online, shopping online, and gaming, demand for data centre capacity is only accelerating. Colocation demand in Europe had a record year with a substantial 22% increase in take-up from 2019. London and Frankfurt drove much of the demand, with London recording a 72% increase yoy. Increased appetite for colocation demand is projected for 2021.

 

Jonathan Kinsey, Head of Data Centre Services, EMEA, JLL said: “The march to increased digitisation, adoption of cloud and hybrid IT strategies, shifts in global business models, data sovereignty and security, and numerous other factors, are fuelling growth in the data centre sector globally. With the surge in activity in the market, we’re seeing an increase in clients seeking advisory, transactional, and operational support relating to their data centre assets and strategies.  

 

With Mike and Tom’s appointments, we’re strengthening our ability to provide expert advice to data centre occupiers, operators, developers and investors. They are both recognized experts in the industry and add further depth to JLLs global market and technical capabilities. I am excited to welcome them to the team.”

 

Mike Harrington, Head of Data Centre Facilities Management, EMEA, JLL, commented: “The increase in activity in the data centre market we are experiencing will continue with the global digitisation of our economies only accelerating. There has never been a more important time for us to help our clients manage their critical data centre facilities, and I look forward to taking on this new role at such an unprecedented time for our business.”

 

Tom Glover, Head of Data Centre Transactions, EMEA, JLL, added: “The data centre asset class is growing just as rapidly as the data volumes used worldwide. With continued rise in demand for new data centre sites, changing IT infrastructure strategies and technologies, and investment capital increasing, I am looking forward to working with the wider JLL team to support our clients’ requirements as this dynamic part of the economy continues to grow and mature.”