Rowan Digital Infrastructure (Rowan) and Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners (Quinbrook) are thrilled to announce the appointment of Charley Daitch as Rowan’s Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Daitch is currently Rowan’s Chief Commercial Officer and he will succeed John Lucas who has served as Rowan’s interim CEO since 2022 in addition to his role as Managing Director and US Regional Leader for Quinbrook. This leadership transition caps off a year of tremendous growth and momentum for Rowan reflected by a team which has rapidly scaled to over 70 people. Rowan achieved a number of major milestones this year, delivering on its mission to develop and build sustainable, best-in-class hyperscale data centers for the world’s biggest technology companies. John Lucas will remain on Rowan’s Board of Directors and will continue advising Rowan in this capacity.
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Since its inception in 2020, Rowan has made excellent progress in building its brand, reputation and market presence as a sustainable infrastructure solutions provider for hyperscaler data center operators. Rowan is partnering with these large technology firms to develop its multi-GW portfolio of strategically positioned data center projects which are diversified across the US.
“Leading Rowan through its foundational growth and quickly scaling the business to become an emerging leader in the digital infrastructure sector in the US has been incredibly rewarding,” said John Lucas, Managing Director at Quinbrook. “Charley has proven his exceptional capabilities as CCO. As CEO, his leadership will be instrumental as Rowan continues to scale and drive meaningful impact for customers and investors. Charley’s familiarity with our strategy, deep connection with our team, and focus on growing Rowan’s proven capability as a trusted partner for hyperscalers align perfectly with where the business is headed. His experience in both power infrastructure and data center development is what sets him apart and equips him well for the CEO role. I am excited to see Rowan’s future under his leadership.”
Charley joined Rowan as Chief Commercial Officer in October 2023, overseeing the data center development, site origination, energy, community engagement and business development teams. Over the past year, he has refined Rowan’s strategic direction, helped secure new hyperscale customer leases and increased the scale and diversity of Rowan’s pipeline of development sites. Prior to Rowan, Charley led teams at Amazon Web Services (AWS) responsible for all facets of infrastructure, energy, water, renewables, and utilities. Under his leadership, AWS launched its ambitious 100% renewable energy goal, announcing over 20 gigawatts of renewable energy to support its commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions. Charley’s work in spearheading the AWS Energy and Water organizations, combined with his leadership of Rowan’s commercial and development functions, position him perfectly to lead Rowan’s continued growth in delivering sustainable, customer-focused data center solutions that reduce time to market and cost.
“I am truly fortunate to step into the CEO role having spent the last 12 months working closely with amazing teams across Rowan and with our growing customer base,” said Charley Daitch. “I am grateful for John’s leadership to date and look forward to guiding Rowan on its future path of growth and innovation. Rowan has developed a compelling product solution for hyperscale operators and built a culture rooted in a commitment to excellence and complete customer focus. With the exponential growth in computing demand coupled with the urgent need to decarbonize construction and operations, Rowan has a tremendous opportunity to deliver impactful, sustainable solutions for our customers who are leading the digital revolution.”
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