We ‘Deep Dive’ with Svenja de Vos, CTO Leaseweb Global, who tells us more about life inside and outside the office.
What would you describe as your most memorable achievement in the data centre industry?
There are a few highlights in recent years. If I focus on just one, this would be the design and implementation of our public cloud offering, which started as a discussion about how we could better match our product range to our customers’ needs. The process of brainstorming what a public cloud offering should look like and building this within Leaseweb to meet what our customers were asking for was an incredibly rewarding project. I feel proud of the entire team that saw the vision of our public cloud through to its launch. I believe it is something that offers our customers optimal versatility in how they use Leaseweb for their hybrid infrastructures.
What first made you think of a career in technology/data centres?
It was the moment my parents bought a home computer when I was eight years old. I remember I was intrigued by how this worked and what it enabled us to do, and I have been fascinated by technology ever since. The IT industry is one that never stands still; you never stop learning and that is something which I find inspiring. Data centres and cloud are extremely interesting. The technology is complex, so there are always challenges, but you can also see and measure tangible results.
What style of management philosophy do you employ in your current position?
I firmly believe in transparency – and I don’t like surprises – so I encourage open and honest discussion about any topic that needs to be addressed. This is a key contributor to innovation and results that our wider team buys into. By collaborating and listening to different viewpoints, every individual hopefully feels they’ve had the chance to contribute. We’ve found that many new ideas for internal transformation and customer offerings have come from these open – and sometimes spontaneous – discussions. For example, our product managers and the engineering team work closely together to generate and implement new ideas.
What do you think is the current hot talking point within the data centre space?
Without a doubt, sustainability is the hot focus for the data centre space in Europe – and across the globe. Leaseweb is actively signed up to industry initiatives, including agreements like the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact, to harness green energy and reduce carbon footprints. It has always been an inherent part of the way that we work, but we have placed more emphasis on this in recent years. The data centre space has made huge steps forward, but we still have many challenges ahead to achieve what is needed for the environment.
How do you deal with stress and unwind outside the office?
I am an ardent Formula 1 supporter, and I love spending some of my holiday time going to F1 events. For me, these are full of excitement and it’s lovely to spend time with people who share this passion. I fully relax when I have time with family and friends, and this is something that I truly value.
What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in your industry?
We absolutely need to continue investing in sustainability – including finding new and more effective ways of using energy. For example, research into renewable energy sources must be a priority and one that we are committed to for the long term.
In addition, sovereignty is a major investment area and Leaseweb is doing this through the EU Cloud Campus. With the security landscape so complex, we see an increasing demand for data to be protected in the cloud but strictly within national borders. These sovereign trusted environments are a further extension of what we see today but necessitate time and money to develop.
What changes to your job role have you seen in the last year and how do you see these developing in the coming months?
A key focus of my role in the last year has been Leaseweb’s Digital Transformation, particularly around internal structure and processes. We have achieved many of our targets, including rolling out new systems that enable a more effective commerce model through the company. This means our customers have a more integrated and smooth experience to pick the right locations for their services, and we have built a solid base from which we can introduce further customer-focused services. Looking forward, I now expect my role to increasingly focus externally.
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