Announcing the new techUK Data Centres Council 2026/2028

techUK is delighted to kick off 2026 by sharing the outcome of the Data Centres Council election for the 2026 to 2028 term.

Congratulations to everyone elected to the Council, and sincere thanks to all who submitted applications. The strong number of nominations and the quality of ideas put forward on programme priorities reflect the depth of expertise across the sector. All contributions will help inform the work ahead.

We are pleased to see such a broad mix of industry leadership and perspectives represented through this election.

Council members will help set the strategic direction of the Data Centres Programme, providing a forum for thought leadership and collaboration. They will work closely with Government departments, regulators and the wider tech sector to support the continued transformation of the data centres industry.

techUK's Data Centres Council is the leadership body that works with the Data Centres Programme to:

  1. Steer the Data Centres Programme, agree on priorities for action, engage with the resulting Working Groups;
  2. Define the policy responses required for a given issue – wider programme member views will also be sought;
  3. Bring focus to our data centres policy work and act as the first port of call for engagement with high-profile stakeholders; and 
  4. Represent the interests of the broader membership

 

Find out more about the Council, including Terms of Reference, here.

 

It is with great pleasure; we introduce you to our new Data Centres Council Representatives for 2026/2028:

 

Ben Connolly

Ben Connolly

Infrastructure Policy Manager, UK and Ireland, Amazon Web Services

Allan Bosley

Allan Bosley

Director, Public Affairs, Ark Data Centres

Duncan White

Duncan White

Senior Communications & Marketing Director, AtlasEdge Data Centres

John Booth

John Booth

Managing Director/Principal Consultant, Carbon3IT LTD

Andrew Jay

Andrew Jay

Executive Director EMEA Data Centres, CBRE

Rebecca Roffe

Rebecca Roffe

Partner , CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP

David Knox

David Knox

Global Director of Energy & Sustainability, Colt Data Centre Services

Neil Woollam

Neil Woollam

UK Head of Data Centre Operations, Computacenter

Emma Fryer

Emma Fryer

Director, Public Policy Europe, CyrusOne

Howard Pearson

Howard Pearson

Energy & Sustainability Manager , Digital Realty

James Tyler

James Tyler

Managing Director, UK, Equinix

Derek Allen

Derek Allen

Director Operational Engineering and Technology, Global Switch

Adam Nethersole

Adam Nethersole

VP Marketing, Kao Data

Richard Petrie

Richard Petrie

CTO & Executive Director, London Internet Exchange Limited

Manuel Abellan San Martin

Manuel Abellan San Martin

EMEA - Government Affairs Data Center Strategy Director, Microsoft Ltd

Luke Sheppard

Luke Sheppard

UK Operations Director, nLighten

Steven Campbell-Ferguson

Steven Campbell-Ferguson

Global Product Design Lead, NTT Global Data Centers

Sabine Heine-Bickle

Sabine Heine-Bickle

Head of Risk & Assurance, Pulsant

Dame Dawn Childs

Dame Dawn Childs

CEO, Pure Data Centres Group

Iain MacDougall

Iain MacDougall

Director, Head of Sustainability RED Engineering ltd

Rory Flashman

Rory Flashman

Managing Director, Spa Communications

Alex Read

Alex Read

Senior Manager, Public Policy, Northern Europe, Vantage Data Centers

David Watkins

David Watkins

Solutions Director, VIRTUS Data Centres

 

Data Centres Programme activities

techUK provides a collective voice for UK Data Centre operators working with government to improve the business environment for our members. We keep members up to date with the key technical and regulatory developments that may impact growth and on funding opportunities that may increase commercial competitiveness. Visit the programme page here.

 

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 Meet the team 

Luisa C. Cardani

Luisa C. Cardani

Head of Data Centres Programme, techUK

 Jade van Zuydam

Jade van Zuydam

Junior Programme Manager - Energy and Utilities, techUK

Lucas Banach

Lucas Banach

Programme Assistant, Data Centres, Climate, Environment and Sustainability, Market Access, techUK