UK firm Stellanor Datacenters has appointed Gary Watson as managing director.

Watson joined Stellanor in February as COO after 10 years at Keppel Data Centres, where he was country manager for Ireland. He also previously held roles at Sungard AS, Hosting 365, Telecity, and Cable & Wireless.

Stellanor said Watson will lead the next phase of the company’s growth strategy, taking responsibility for operational delivery, platform integration, commercial performance, customer engagement, operational delivery, and the expansion of Stellanor’s data center footprint.

Michael Tobin CBE, chairman of the board, Stellanor, said: “With Gary now leading our team, we have the experience and leadership in place to execute at pace while continuing to provide the operational standards our customers rely on. We’ve scaled from two to eleven facilities in nine months, backed by the infrastructure funds managed by DWS Group, and we are firmly positioned to support growing demand for enterprise colocation and AI-ready infrastructure.”

Stellanor was launched last year by German investment firm DWS. The company was seeded with two UK data centers in London, acquired from Colt Technology Services. Colt had acquired the sites when it bought Lumen’s EMEA operations in November 2022, which included a number of former CenturyLink/Level 3 locations.

Stellanor then acquired the data centers of UK managed services provider Redcentric. That portfolio comprised eight facilities totaling 41MW across sites in London (x2 – Shoreditch and Hounslow), Woking, Gatwick, Byfleet, Reading, Cambridge, and Elland in West Yorkshire. That deal recently closed.

The company is also acquiring a facility outside London from semiconductor firm Imagination.

Incoming MD Watson added: “This is an exciting point in Stellanor’s journey. We have a strong portfolio, a clear strategy, and an exceptional team. Our focus now is on integration, ensuring the highest standards across the platform and continuing to deliver operational excellence for our customers. At the same time, we are investing in the platform and building the next phase of growth.”

Founded in 1956 and formerly known as Deutsche Asset Management, DWS is a German asset management company. It previously operated as part of Deutsche Bank until 2018, when it was listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Deutsche Bank retains a majority stake in the firm.

DWS has also invested in Mediterra, a data center firm focused on southern Europe that launched last year. The investment firm recently sold European operator NorthC to Antin Infrastructure Partners.