Harris's appointment was announced as Kao continues to build its reputation in high-performance data centres for enterprise, cloud, HPC and AI.
Deeply involved in the firm's finances for a number of years, Harris is credited with securing Kao's investment from Legal & General Capital in 2019 and overseeing the £130 million cash injection from Infratil Limited last month in return for a 40% stake in the business.
As CFO, He will work directly alongside CEO Lee Myall, CTO Gérard Thibault, COO Paul Finch and Vice President, Spencer Lamb.
He said of his new role: “Having been firmly engaged with the company’s vision and its growth strategy from inception, I’m delighted to have joined Kao Data formally, as its CFO.
“Kao Data is truly on the cutting-edge of tech, working with some of the industry’s foremost thought leaders and engineers to push the boundaries of design and innovation. Our facilities have been engineered to support the UK government’s National AI Strategy and have created a blueprint for the future of high-performance data centres,” Harris continued.
Harris joins the business as Kao Data moves from operating a single-site campus to becoming a 55MW multi-site operator, having recently acquired two new data centres with a long-term anchor lease from a large financial services business in the UK.
Harris concluded: “As our company transitions into a multi-site operator, there has never been a better time to join. And with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investments on the rise, I’m proud to be able to oversee the next phase of the company’s growth in an economical and environmentally responsible way.”
Harris holds a Masters’ degree from the University of Cambridge, a fellowship from the Institute of Chartered Accountants and has more than 15 years of experience in the financial sector.
