This panel event will be the first of a series of events to discuss the issues affecting data centre construction and management in the UK.

Dame Dawn Childs DBE FREng, CEO Pure Data Centres Group will discuss the growth of data centres and how they can mitigate environmental impact.

Dawn is the CEO of Pure Data Centres Group building and operating hyperscale data centres. Before joining Pure she led a multi-billion transformation programme for National Grid across both the gas and electricity transmission businesses. This followed several senior engineering appointments as: the Group Engineering Director for Merlin Entertainments with responsibility for engineering delivery and standards across the worldwide portfolio of theme parks; and the Head of Engineering at Gatwick Airport. She joined Gatwick after 23 years as an Engineering Officer in the Royal Air Force.

She is a Trustee of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Chairs the Audit & Risk Committee and a Trustee of the Air League. She was the longest serving President of the Women’s Engineering Society, turning it around over a 5 year tenure, and is currently the Chair of the iMasons People Committee.

She was honoured with a Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering in October 2020 in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the engineering profession and was appointed a Dame Commander of the British Empire (DBE) for services to engineering in the King’s New Years Honours 2023

Helen Kinsman,  Senior Vice-President, Commercial and Regulatory Affairs, VIRTUS Data Centres will discuss the barriers for growth in the UK and how they can be overcome.

Helen has more than 30 years’ experience in property development in both Asia and Europe. Her main area of expertise is in property acquisition, management and development of data centre sites. Helen has been involved in all VIRTUS' site acquisitions to date (both leasehold and freehold) including legal negotiations, overseeing technical due diligence, securing power including PPAs, negotiating connectivity agreements and working with local authorities on planning applications and permitting. She is also involved with key customer contract negotiations and heads up the company’s compliance function which includes ESG. Helen chairs VIRTUS’ sustainability steering committee.

Paul Wakely,  Head of Strategic Network Development National Energy System Operator (NESO) will discuss the energy requirements for data centre growth and the context that NESO is working in to enable this.

Paul is accountable for the strategic planning of the future GB electricity Transmission Network. His teams undertakes complex, multi-criteria analysis to make recommendations about what network investment is needed, where and when, to ensure the transmission system facilitates the transition to Net Zero through connecting low carbon generation to future demand as a stimulus for economic development. 

Rob Cooper, Head of Data Centre Advisory EMEA, CBRE will discuss the future of data centre design and location given the pace of increased demand.

As Head of Data Centre Advisory for CBRE, Rob Cooper guides some of the world's leading financial, technology, and AI organisations in shaping and executing their critical infrastructure strategies.

With a distinguished 20-year career spanning both major data centre operators and consultancies across EMEA and the US, Rob brings a unique 360-degree perspective to colocation advisory, selection, and complex negotiations.

Crucially, Rob spearheads CBRE’s global relationship with Nvidia, a role in which he is instrumental in enabling the next generation of AI and Necloud innovators to secure essential, AI-Ready Data Centre capacity at scale.