11e January 2023 – Verne Global, a provider of sustainable high-intensity computing data center solutions, today announced the expansion of its leadership team with three key appointments: Mike Allen as Chief Operating Officer; Kate Hennessy as Chief Financial Officer; and Hildegard van Zyl as General Counsel.
As part of Digital 9 Infrastructure plc’s (D9) critical digital infrastructure portfolio, Verne Global’s Northern European data center platform has grown significantly and now includes five data campuses in Iceland, in London and Finland. These new senior leaders will help support the future growth of the company, which sees strong demand for more sustainable data center solutions.
Mike Allen joins Verne Global as the new COO and will be responsible for optimizing the organization’s operational capabilities and implementing business strategies. Allen is a data center industry veteran, primarily in the financial services industry. He spent the last 20 years between Goldman Sachs and most recently JPMorgan Chase, where he was Global Head of Data Center Services.
Kate Hennessy joins the company as its new Chief Financial Officer. She will manage the finances of Verne Global’s expanding data center portfolio, using her experience to leverage synergies and economies of scale across the company’s various sites. Hennessy’s career spans telecommunications and digital infrastructure, having spent the past 15 years working for Liquid Intelligent Technologies as CFO and Head of M&A, where she raised funds and operated fiber networks and data centers on the African continent.
Hildegard van Zyl joins Verne Global as its first General Counsel and will support Verne Global in its commitment to sustainability. Van Zyl brings extensive IT and legal technology experience, having worked for Amazon and later Atos, and having completed a series of multi-million dollar transactions around the world, in both the public and private sectors. She holds a BA in French and Philosophy and an LLB from Stellenbosch University in South Africa and is called to the bar in New York.
“We are delighted to have Mike, Kate and Hildegard join us at such an exciting time, bringing with them considerable experience and diverse skills to the Verne Global team. They will play a pivotal role as we meet the growing demand for sustainable data center solutions at our campuses in Iceland, London and Finland,” said Dominic Ward, CEO of Verne Global.