Leading Hyperscaler Yondr Appoints John Shingler as COO

Yondr Group (Yondr) has appointed John Shingler as its new COO, with responsibility for all global data centre operations. 

The move strengthens the company’s leadership at a time of accelerating demand for hyperscale capacity driven by AI adoption.

John, who joins Yondr’s executive leadership team, brings more than two decades of experience in the data centre and infrastructure sector. 

His appointment follows the arrival of Aaron Wangenheim as CEO and Sandip Mahajan as CFO after Yondr was acquired by DigitalBridge and La Caisse in July.

A proven track record in data centre operations

Prior to joining Yondr, John served as Executive Vice President of Data Center Operations at T5 Data Centers. In that role, he oversaw operations of more than 2.5GW of capacity across 60 data centres in the United States and Europe. His tenure at T5 also saw the operational team triple in size and expand from its US base into the European market.

Before T5, John held leadership roles at CBRE and earlier served as a Surface Warfare Officer in the United States Navy. He holds an MBA with a concentration in Global Energy from the University of Houston and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Notre Dame.

Reflecting on his appointment, John says: “I am thrilled to be joining Yondr at such a pivotal moment in its journey. My mission is to empower and enable our operations team while fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement. I look forward to supporting Yondr's continued growth ambitions.”

Meeting the demands of hyperscale and AI

Aaron Wangenheim, Yondr’s CEO, welcomes the appointment and emphasises the importance of operational expertise as the industry scales to meet new challenges.

“John brings deep operational expertise and a track record of scaling world-class teams,” Aaron says. “His experience aligns perfectly with our strategic growth plans as we continue to support our clients' increasing capacity needs – particularly in light of surging demand driven by AI adoption. We're delighted to welcome him to the team.”

Yondr’s business model is centred on delivering and operating hyperscale data centres worldwide. With AI workloads driving up demand for processing power and connectivity, the company is expanding its leadership to ensure its facilities continue to provide reliability and performance at scale.

Leadership transition

John’s appointment comes as Paul Hood steps down after five years as COO. Paul played a central role in scaling Yondr’s operations and helping establish its reputation for high-quality data centre delivery and management.

Aaron acknowledges Paul’s contribution, saying: “Paul has made a tremendous contribution to Yondr's growth since its early days. In the time I've worked with him, I've come to appreciate his dedication, leadership and support for those around him. He leaves with our sincere thanks and best wishes for the future.”

With John stepping into the role, Yondr aims to build on this foundation, accelerating its growth strategy and continuing to meet rising global demand for hyperscale infrastructure.

Strengthening Yondr’s operational future

The appointment highlights the importance of experienced operational leadership in a sector where performance, scalability and sustainability are critical. 

By adding John to its senior team, Yondr is positioning itself to expand its portfolio and deliver the resilient, efficient and AI-ready facilities required by its clients.

As demand for digital infrastructure intensifies, Yondr’s expanded leadership team underscores its commitment to both growth and operational excellence in the data centre market.