30572_Kao Data Critical Careers_Pages - Flipbook - Page 40
What has been your journey into the data centre
industry?
y journey into the data centre industry really stemmed from a lifelong interest in
real estate. Since I was very young, I’ve always been drawn to the idea of owning
property - something that began as early as primary school. After secondary
school, I studied to become a broker and eventually worked in a bank where I handled
昀椀nancing, followed by various roles in real estate management companies, including as an
asset manager and portfolio manager.
M
Despite my success, I felt I wasn’t advancing as I wanted, so I returned to school to complete
my post-bachelor and then a master’s degree in real estate. My career pivoted when I joined
an event organization for the high-end furniture industry as CEO, which was a blend of real
estate and international business that I really enjoyed. However, the real estate crisis hit and
it forced some tough decisions.
Elvira van
Bruggen
Regional Director Site Acquisition,
Microsoft
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Wanting to work in a larger, more international context, I discovered a position at Digital
Realty. Despite initially doubting whether I could transition from real estate to data centres,
I became a property manager and quickly moved up to manage larger areas like the
Netherlands and France, and later on, contributed to our efforts in Germany. What this role
helped me discover is that I really enjoy the data centre industry. It is highly commercial and
highly technical. While it is somewhat of a niche industry, it has a good future outlook. It’s
less volatile than other real estate sectors I had worked in.
After several years, I transitioned to Softlayer, now IBM Cloud, which gave me a new
perspective from the customer side of operations. Eventually, I joined Microsoft, where I’ve
been involved in all the detailed aspects of lease agreements, technical global programs
and operations, helping me to see the big picture and strategise effectively for our future
needs in the industry.
For anyone entering this 昀椀eld, I’d say it’s important to see beyond the initial roles and
understand how vast and interconnected the data centre ecosystem is. From negotiating
leases to managing site operations and engaging with global teams, the skills you develop
here are extensive and deeply relevant to the ongoing tech-driven transformation of
business landscapes worldwide.
