AVK appoints Paul Hood as COO to boost data centre expansion

AVK has appointed Paul Hood as its new Chief Operating Officer as the company continues to expand its presence in the data centre sector.

Paul Hood arrives at AVK following leadership positions including his most recent roles as Chief Operating Officer of Yondr Group and Global Operations Director at Pure Data Centres Group. He also brings significant financial and operational management experience from his time at JP Morgan, where he oversaw the company's entire data centre infrastructure across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, managing an operating budget of USD $90,000,000.

Paul Hood's experience spans systems and control engineering within building services, and in recent years has extended to the management of building electrical systems. His expertise also covers the administration of large engineering budgets and overseeing inspections relating to environmental, health and safety, and fire and loss prevention requirements. Hood was also instrumental in founding the Universal Technical College, which focuses on STEM education for 14-19 year olds.

Ben Pritchard, AVK Chief Executive Officer, commented on the appointment:

"I am genuinely excited about Paul joining our team. He has a superb engineering brain, he is a very logical thinker and he has a real passion for working hard. Essentially, he believes in what he does. Paul doesn't just bring vast global experience to AVK, he is a leader who has done it all. With Paul on board, AVK is going to be well placed to play a frontrunning role in the critical infrastructure power space in the UK and Europe."

Paul Hood shared his perspective on joining AVK and his career to date:

"I've known AVK for 30 years and I understand exactly where the company has come from and where it is going in this incredibly competitive industry. I am delighted to be working with some of the most committed infrastructure engineers in the world. I told Yondr I would build them a global business that they could be proud of and that's exactly what I did. I leave that company with fond memories having been there from the start but it's time to move on and I'm now incredibly excited about what's in store for me at AVK."

He continued:

"I have a reputation for bringing the whole 'boots to boardroom' element of being a COO; I've worked as an engineer and I want to be an enabler for our engineers and take their viewpoint to the board. I'm also known for investing in people, getting decisions done and getting things over the line and I'm truly excited about my forthcoming journey at AVK."

The appointment comes as AVK plans to further broaden its integrated power offerings. Over the coming months, AVK intends to strengthen its full power chain services, which include prime power, microgrids, standby, and modular energy solutions. These developments aim to expand AVK's capabilities and further differentiate its presence in the data centre market.

Paul Hood will be responsible for elevating AVK's service and maintenance operations as well as reinforcing client relationships and long-term partnerships. By aligning service and maintenance with AVK's expanding power chain capabilities, AVK aims to deliver comprehensive, end-to-end support for its data centre and enterprise clients. Hood's leadership is expected to guide these changes and support the company's efforts in the evolving energy landscape for critical infrastructure.

Prior to joining AVK, Paul Hood's career included positions at major financial institutions and data centre operations companies. At JP Morgan, he worked as Head of Engineering Operations for the EMEA region, before senior roles at Barclays and then moving into top leadership positions at Yondr Group and Pure Data Centres Group. His background also covers extensive involvement with inspection, health and safety, and training initiatives through his participation in the Universal Technical College initiative.

AVK describes Paul Hood as an individual with sound judgement, common sense, and initiative, attributes that have contributed to his recognition as a team member and safety-conscious leader in the data centre industry. The company states that Hood will play a key role at a pivotal time as it seeks to reinforce its position within the critical infrastructure and energy solutions space across the UK and Europe.