At AVK, we’re thrilled to have appointed Paul Hood as our new Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Renowned throughout the data centre industry as a skilled engineering manager, Paul brings to the role extensive experience as Managing Director then COO of Yondr Group, now recognised as a significant player within the data centre sector. He has also been Global Operations Director/MD (Africa Region) at Pure Data Centres Group.
In addition, Paul worked at Barclays as Head of Engineering Europe and at JP Morgan as Head of Engineering Operations EMEA. In the 13 years he was at JP Morgan, Paul ran the company’s entire infrastructure of data centres across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He was also responsible for managing an operating budget of $90,000,000.
Paul’s experience has mainly focused on systems/control engineering of building services, which has more recently diversified into the management of all aspects of building electrical systems. Sound judgement, common sense and initiative are Paul’s three key traits that have seen him achieve significant success as a team member and a safety conscious leader in a demanding industry sector.
As well as the planning and administration of multi-million pound engineering budgets, Paul’s skills include carrying out inspections relating to environmental, health and safety, and fire and loss prevention. He was also one of the founders of the Universal Technical College (UTC), a network of free-to-attend schools for 14-19 year olds with a STEM focus.
“I am genuinely excited about Paul joining our team,” says our CEO, Ben Pritchard. “He has a superb engineering brain, he is a very logical thinker and he has a real passion for working hard. Essentially, he believes in what he does. Paul doesn’t just bring vast global experience to AVK, he is a leader who has done it all. With Paul on board, AVK is going to be well placed to play a frontrunning role in the critical infrastructure power space in the UK and Europe.”
Paul says: “I’ve known AVK for 30 years and I understand exactly where the company has come from and where it is going in this incredibly competitive industry. I am delighted to be working with some of the most committed infrastructure engineers in the world. I told Yondr I would build them a global business that they could be proud of and that’s exactly what I did. I leave that company with fond memories having been there from the start but it’s time to move on and I’m now incredibly excited about what’s in store for me at AVK.”
He adds: “I have a reputation for bringing the whole ‘boots to boardroom’ element of being a COO; I’ve worked as an engineer and I want to be an enabler for our engineers and take their viewpoint to the board. I’m also known for investing in people, getting decisions done and getting things over the line and I’m truly excited about my forthcoming journey at AVK.”
Paul’s appointment also comes at a pivotal time for us, as we are advancing plans to expand our integrated power solutions. Over the coming months, we will strengthen our full power chain offering, from prime power and microgrids through to standby and modular energy solutions, with new capabilities that will further differentiate us in the data centre market.
Paul will play a key role in elevating our Service & Maintenance operations, strengthening client relationships, and shaping long-term partnerships built on trust and performance. By aligning these areas with our expanding full power chain capabilities, he will help AVK deliver a seamless, end-to-end experience for customers.
His leadership will guide these developments and reinforce our position at the forefront of energy solutions for data centres.