Executive Summary
- Paul Ryan, Vertiv’s President for Europe, Middle East & Africa, chats to Julio about the opportunities and challenges of leading one of the world’s most diverse data centre markets.
- As demand spreads beyond North America, Paul explains why EMEA is gaining momentum and how stronger supply chains are helping the industry keep pace.
- He also shares his thoughts on regulation, energy efficiency and the importance of building data centre infrastructure sustainably and responsibly.
The global data centre market continues to gather pace, and the growth story now stretches well beyond North America. For Paul Ryan, President of Vertiv for Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA), the region has an increasingly important role to play in supporting this next phase of expansion.
In this exclusive interview with DCi, Paul reflects on his first year leading the EMEA business. It’s a role that brings plenty of variety, with Europe, the Middle East and Africa each presenting their own challenges and opportunities. Paul describes the sheer diversity of the region as one of the most enjoyable aspects of the job.
So, how is demand shaping up? Paul believes the growth initially seen in North America is now spreading across the globe. Europe took a little longer to get going, but the momentum is now building. He also sees encouraging growth across the Middle East and parts of Africa, making EMEA an increasingly important part of the global data centre picture.
Paul’s previous experience as Vertiv’s Chief Procurement Officer also gives him an interesting perspective on supply chain pressures. He believes the industry has learned some important lessons since COVID-19, with businesses now better prepared to handle the demands of a rapidly expanding market. Better communication and closer collaboration across the ecosystem have also helped.
Regulation and planning remain important considerations, particularly in Europe, but Paul doesn’t currently see energy efficiency rules or permitting delays as major obstacles to growth. Instead, he highlights the need for continued cooperation between infrastructure providers, data centre operators and policymakers to ensure expansion remains sustainable and responsible.
His outlook is encouraging: EMEA is gaining momentum, and the industry is in a much stronger position to support the next wave of data centre growth.
Watch the full interview to hear Paul Ryan discuss EMEA’s growing role in the global data centre market and the challenges and opportunities shaping its future.
