- Kao Data is appointed as The Founder Partner for the iMasons UK Local Chapter
- Paul Finch joins iMasons Advisory Council
- Kao Data acknowledges the need for greater industry collaboration in the quest to drive data centre sustainability.
2 July, 2020 – London, United Kingdom - Kao Data, the specialist developer and operator of advanced data centres for high performance computing, cloud, AI and enterprise, has today announced it has become a Foundation Partner of Infrastructure Masons (iMasons). The iMasons are a global, non-profit association that unites industry professionals and business leaders who represent over $150 billion in digital infrastructure projects in over 130 countries.
“I’m delighted to welcome Kao Data as an iMason Foundation Partner,” said Dean Nelson, iMasons Founder and Chairman. “Kao Data is closely aligned with the social investment values of iMasons, including promoting and driving sustainable digital infrastructure.”
Additionally Paul Finch, COO, Kao Data, has joined the iMasons Advisory Council, contributing his insight and experience into data centre cooling, energy efficiency and sustainability, which have become an increasingly important focus in the sector over the last decade.
Paul Finch stated, “It is a privilege to be appointed to the iMasons Advisory Council. Now more than ever, our industry provides the foundations that ensure global businesses can continue to operate without interruption. As the world becomes more dependent on connected technologies, demands for digital services will only increase and with them, so will energy usage. Through technical excellence and innovation, our sector must work together and ensure that we design, build and operate data centres with greater energy efficiency, doing our part to minimise the impact of their emissions.”
During his extensive career, Paul has played key roles at Fortune 500 corporations and publicly traded REIT’s including CBRE and Digital Realty Trust. Through these roles he has overseen the creation and execution of global developments exceeding £1bn in capital deployment and supporting over 200MW of technical space. A Chartered engineer, Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and former voting executive committee member of ASHRAE’s Technical Committee 9.9 He holds a BSc (Hons) in Building Services Engineering, PgDip in Engineering Management and is a graduate of the General Management Programme at the University of Cambridge, Judge Business School.
Dean Nelson, iMasons Founder and Chairman, continued, “Paul Finch has been a highly respected member of the iMasons community and we welcome him onto our Advisory Council. Paul’s contribution to the industry spans many years and his insights and expertise will add value on many levels.”
The iMasons’ vision is to ‘Unite the Builders of the Digital Age’ by enabling the global membership to connect, grow, and give back. Members leave their companies at the door to connect as individuals in order to progress the iMasons’ four strategic priorities – increase awareness, enhance education opportunities, champion diversity and inclusion and promote sustainability, through meaningful member engagement.
In recognition of alignment to iMasons social investment values, Kao Data has been appointed Founder Partner of the iMasons UK Local Chapter, continuing the iMasons overarching aim to “Connect, Grow and Give Back”. The next UK Local Chapter (virtual) meeting is planned for Thursday July 30th, and invitations will be distributed in early July.
About Kao Data
Launched in 2018, Kao Data develop and operate advanced data centres for high performance computing. From our hyperscale inspired campus in the heart of the UK’s Innovation Corridor between London and Cambridge - we provide HPC, cloud, AI and enterprise customers with a world-class home for their compute.
Our Harlow campus - built on the site of Sir Charles Kao’s pioneering discovery of fibre optic cable in 1966 - is a development of four state-of the-art, OCP-Ready™, carrier neutral data centres. When fully completed the 15 acre, +£230m campus will support an ITE load of over 40MW, across 150,000sq ft of technical space – all powered by 100% renewable energy.
Backed by Legal & General and Goldacre - Noé Group, Kao Data is one of the largest campus developments in the UK and represents the future in sustainable, efficient and scalable computing - providing an industry blueprint to develop further best-in-class data centres.
About Infrastructure Masons
The Advisory Council was established to provide guidance to the organisation. The Infrastructure Masons Advisory Council includes a combination of End User Infrastructure Masons who are responsible for some of the largest and progressive infrastructure portfolios in the world and Partner Infrastructure Masons who provide a complete view of the industry, with the goal to foster effective collaboration between Partners and End Users.