nLighten eyes fresh growth under new CEO and CFO
Dame Dawn Childs and Matthew Harris join the data center provider’s executive team as it looks to meet growing edge infrastructure demand
Edge data center provider nLighten has announced the appointments of Dame Dawn Childs as chief executive officer (CEO) and Matthew Harris as chief financial officer (CFO).
Childs and Harris will help lead the company’s next phase of growth as it looks to expand through organic growth, strategic acquisitions, as well as continued investment in sustainable infrastructure solutions.
The firm’s pan-European platform currently consists of 34 data centers across seven countries.
The double appointment comes as enterprises, hyperscalers, and AI providers increasingly invest in edge infrastructure to support high-bandwidth applications, cloud connectivity, and latency-sensitive workloads across Europe.
In an announcement, nLighten chairman Nick Read said the pair bring the operational and financial expertise needed to support the company’s continued growth ambitions.
“Dawn’s deep experience leading complex, mission-critical infrastructure businesses makes her exceptionally well suited to guide the company’s continued growth, while Matthew’s strong financial and strategic expertise will be invaluable as we scale the platform,” he commented.
“As AI drives unprecedented demand for digital infrastructure and edge capacity across Europe, nLighten is uniquely positioned to capture this opportunity.”
Childs joins nLighten from Pure Data Centres Group, where she spent nearly five years, initially as chief operating officer (COO) and most recently as CEO.
Prior to that, she led a multi-billion-pound transformation programme at National Grid and previously held senior engineering leadership roles at Merlin Entertainments and Gatwick Airport, following a 23-year career as an engineering officer in the Royal Air Force.
Commenting on her appointment, Childs said the company is entering a pivotal period for both the business and the wider digital infrastructure sector.
"The opportunity for nLighten to play a meaningful role in supporting Europe’s growing need for digital sovereignty is significant, particularly as demand for secure, high-performance and sustainable infrastructure continues to accelerate,” she added.
Meanwhile, Harris brings more than 15 years’ financial and strategic expertise across digital infrastructure, technology, and investment sectors.
He joins the business from Kao Data, where he served as CFO, alongside being a founding board member and investor director. He also previously held the CFO role at Goldacre Ventures, where he oversaw funding and growth initiatives across the investment firm’s portfolio companies.
"I am excited to join nLighten as it continues to build momentum across Europe,” he said.
“The company has a clear strategy and strong platform on which to build from. I look forward to working with the team to support its continued expansion and deliver long-term value for customers and stakeholders."
nLighten co-founder and outgoing CEO Harro Beusker will remain on the company’s board as a non-executive director to support the leadership transition, while also serving as a senior advisor to I Squared Capital.
Dame Dawn Childs will formally assume the position of CEO on June 1 and will also move into a non-executive position at Pure Data Centres Group. Matthew Harris will join the business as CFO on July 1.
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