Another executive has departed from Microsoft Azure, this time joining Singapore-based investment manager GLP.
Jennifer Weitzel left her role as Microsoft's vice president of Cloud Infrastructure Lease and M&A this month to become the president of GLP's global data center business. This remit appears to include every market except China.
Weitzel spent a year and five months as the Microsoft VP, but before that was the company's GM of Cloud Infrastructure Acquisitions, Portfolio and M&A for a year and seven months. Ahead of that, she was the GM of Data Center Supply Chain and Cloud Operations & Innovation Strategy for three years and two months.
Prior to her time at Microsoft, she spent nearly eight years at Digital Realty, including as the SVP of Commercial & Global Supply Chain and as the Senior Director of International Design and Construction.
“GLP is one of the most established logistics real estate brands in the market," Jennifer Weitzel said of her new appointment.
"With the benefits of its scale, customer relationships, renewables offerings and a full suite of development and investment capabilities, I believe that we have much to offer and I look forward to working with both customers and colleagues to continue to build up GLP’s Data Center business in the months and years ahead."
GLP has invested in the data center sector since 2018, and claims its existing assets will eventually provide in excess of 2GW of IT load capacity across the APAC region and over 500MW across Europe and the Americas.
Back in early 2021, the investor was believed to be considering cashing out of the sector - selling its business to Chinese cloud & data center firm GDS Holdings for $8-10 billion. But the deal cooled amid a valuation disagreement, with GDS now eyeing ChinData.
Instead, GLP is reportedly looking to raise $500 million to fund further expansion in China, and said it would build 900MW of data center capacity in Japan - but will need $12bn in investment.
"Jennifer’s appointment is an important one as GLP seeks to grow and enhance our international data center footprint, building on our successful platform in China where we have over 20 active IDC projects in operation and development," Ming Mei, co-founder and CEO of GLP, said.
Weitzel's departure comes as a number of Azure employees leave the company for pastures new.
Last month, Azure's corporate VP and head of global infrastructure, Tom Keane, left to "take the next step in my career to build on the world's computer" after 21 years at Microsoft.
A week later, the vice president of global data center construction at Microsoft joined Meta, although he had actually left a year before due to non-compete agreements.
A few days later, Azure's IoT corporate vice president 'retired,' but hinted that he was still open to another job.
