Top 10: Construction Leaders in the Data Centre Industry

During a time of increased technological development and change, data centre construction is happening at a much faster rate. Those that are building these new facilities, and expanding existing sites, are having to consider new and innovative ways.

Now more than ever, it is important for data centre developers and operators to build and maintain facilities that not only meet rising technology demands, but are also sustainable and use green technologies.

With this in mind, Data Centre Magazine considers some of the leading figures in data centre construction as they work to advance sector expansion and digital transformation efforts.

10. Dave Bell, Senior Vice President of Construction at STACK Infrastructure

Dave Bell has been working with STACK Infrastructure since July 2022 as Senior Vice President of Construction. Based in California, United States, Bell oversees the company’s continuous development programme in critical data centre markets across the US and beyond, as well as expanding its industry-leading construction team.

Bell has been working in project management and construction sectors for more than 25 years. Prior to STACK, he worked in senior leadership positions for San Jose Construction, Trestle Construction Management and Turner and Townsend.

9. Toni Qorri, Vice President of Construction at DataBank

Having joined DataBank as VP of Construction in December 2020, Toni Qorri’s responsibility is to oversee construction efforts on large construction projects, as well as customer fit-out projects. He came to DataBank as part of the company’s acquisition of Zayo’s colocation division, zColo, where he had served as Director of Construction for seven years.

Prior to working at Zayo, Qorri worked in New York City for seven years as a Senior Vice President of Operations. He has worked in the mission-critical industry for 15 years and built multiple enterprise data centres for many financial institutions and top colocation companies.

8. Laramie Dorris, Executive VP of Global Design and Construction at Yondr Group

Having first entered this role at Yondr Group in 2022, Laramie Dorris is responsible for the safe delivery of the company’s data centre products. In addition, Dorris is focused on taking Yondr into its next phase of project execution as the company focuses on developing a framework that enables consistency in the delivery of its digital infrastructure products.

Prior to joining Yondr Group, Dorris has worked in other leading construction roles in Texas. Notably, Dorris worked for data centre company CyrusOne from 2012 to 2019 in a range of roles, including as Vice President of Global Data Centre Design and Construction.

7. Nicholas Kouvaris, Head of Construction at AirTrunk

As Head of Construction at AirTrunk, Nicholas Kouvaris is responsible for all construction delivery at the company. He does this by ensuring the sustainable and safe delivery of complying work within proposed time and cost requirements. 

AirTrunk is a technology company in the Asia Pacific and aims to scale and sustain the relentless growth of the region's digital future, operating in Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan.

Prior to joining AirTrunk in 2020, Kouvaris has previously worked as a project manager and construction director for companies such as Roberts Pizzarotti Pty Limited, CPB Contractors and Thiess.

6. Chris Nesbit, Director of Construction at CyrusOne

Chris Nesbit has been CyrusOne’s Director of Construction since September 2020, having previously been the company’s Senior Project Manager. He has held a variety of senior management and construction roles across the data centre industry across Europe, including Istanbul.

With a wide-ranging skill set including electrics, management, value engineering, construction management and subcontracting, Nesbit continues to contribute valuable insights to the data centre industry. Based in London, United Kingdom, he has previously worked for Zenium Data Centers (acquired by CyrusOne in 2017) as a project manager.

5. Robbie Mcghie, SVP Construction (Europe) at Vantage Data Centers

A driven and dedicated professional with plenty of experience within the European data centre industry, Robbie Mcghie has worked with Vantage Data Centers as Senior Vice President of Construction since 2020. In his role, he is responsible for delivering new data centres across all active European markets on time, within budget and without compromising quality and safety.

Prior to his current role, Mcghie worked as Chief Technical Officer for VIRTUS Data Centres and Operations Director for CE Colo/GTS Central Europe.

4. Anthony Caracino, Senior Vice President of Global Construction at Digital Realty

Anthony Caracino is the current Senior Vice President of Global Construction at Digital Realty, having held the position since 2016. He joined the company in 2013 as the Vice President of Global Construction and construction in North America.

Caracino is globally responsible for overseeing all data centre construction activities, which includes new campus builds and existing data centre refresh and custom solutions for customers. He also coordinates across internal stakeholders and external vendors to ensure project success across the company’s global portfolio.

3. Paul Wright, Senior Director, Construction Project Management at Equinix

Having worked in project management, expansion efforts and infrastructure upgrades within the data centre sector for nearly 20 years, Paul Wright is well-versed in data centre construction. He has worked in his current role at Equinix since August 2022, but has been at Equinix since 2020, where he was previously a Construction Project Management Director.

Prior to working at Equinix, Wright has worked in data centre construction leadership roles for UBS, Santander and Morgan Stanley. He has been responsible for a wide range of project developments, including expansion programmes and upgrades within live facilities.

2. Alex Sharp, Global Head of Design and Construction at Iron Mountain

Specialised in data centre delivery and commissioning, Alex Sharp works at Iron Mountain in site selection, data centre delivery, mergers and acquisitions and sale and leaseback transactions to enhance the company’s reputation, secure new business and expand its offering and market share.

Sharp has been in data centre construction for more than 25 years and is a chartered electrical and electronic engineer. He has continued to build data centres for major hosting organisations, financial organisations and insurance market makers, including CBRE Global Workplace Solutions, Mace Group and Wates.

1. Brittany Miller, Global Senior Vice President Construction, Engineering & Supply Chain at NTT

Brittany Miller is an experienced executive leader with more than 15 years of experience in the technology industry. Her expertise is in construction, engineering, supply chain and capital cost management. 

Miller first joined NTT Global Data Centers in 2020, working in supply chain construction, before transitioning to Global Senior Vice President in December 2023. Under Miller's leadership, the company’s delivery organisation has experienced significant growth, quadrupling in size over the past three years. This expansion has been accompanied by the opening of new markets and the establishment of build-to-suit capabilities – solidifying NTT's position in the Americas.

Miller has also worked in construction leadership roles for notable companies Intel and Microsoft, the latter of which she was the Director of Data Centre Lease and Programme Management in 2020.

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