Kao Data has appointed Spencer Lamb as its Chief Executive Officer, with the move designed to support the company’s next phase of growth across the UK.
Lamb, who joined Kao Data in January 2020, steps up from his previous role as Managing Director and CCO. His appointment is effective immediately.
In his new role, he will lead the company’s day-to-day operations and growth strategy, with a focus on expanding Kao Data’s AI-ready data centre capacity and ensuring its facilities can support the growing demands of high-density compute.
Founder David Bloom will continue as Executive Chairman, remaining focused on areas such as financing, capital partnerships, M&A, and the company’s engagement with the Government on the UK’s AI infrastructure agenda.
The appointment comes at a time when the UK’s data centre sector is facing growing demand from AI, cloud, enterprise and research workloads, while also coming under greater scrutiny over power availability, grid connections and the role digital infrastructure will play in the wider economy.
Lamb has spent the last six years leading Kao Data’s go-to-market strategy, helping secure new customers. He has also played a role in the development of the company’s Harlow campus, which has seen significant development in recent years, and will include a private wire solar farm to reduce its environmental impact.
While Harlow is the company’s flagship project, during Lamb’s time with the company, Kao Data has expanded into a multi-site portfolio spanning the aforementioned Harlow campus, Slough, Northolt, Park Royal in West London, Greater Manchester and further sites currently under development.
More recently, Lamb has become a regular voice in discussions around the UK’s need for homegrown AI infrastructure, including the relationship between data centre development, the national grid and future energy planning.
Spencer Lamb, Chief Executive Officer at Kao Data, noted, “I have loved my time at Kao Data, and I am excited to step up and lead the company as its CEO. One of the biggest strengths of Kao Data is our ‘player-manager’ mentality, recruiting from within to develop and grow our people, which is exactly what this role calls for. I am looking forward to ensuring Kao Data continues to play a strong and defining role in the UK’s AI infrastructure story, and that we keep delivering for our customers, our people and the communities we operate in.”
David Bloom, Executive Chairman at Kao Data, added, “Spencer’s appointment formalises what has been an increasingly natural evolution in how we lead this business. He has the DNA of this company and is, quite simply, a ‘Kao person’ through and through and an outstanding leader in this industry. As CEO, Spencer will drive Kao Data’s operations and day-to-day growth strategy, while I remain directly focused on the strategic priorities that will shape our next chapter: major financing, capital partnerships, M&A, and our ongoing engagement with the Government on the UK’s AI infrastructure agenda. This is a leadership structure built deliberately for scale, and I am excited about what we will build together.”
