Data Centre Engineering Leadership Strengthened with Senior Technology Appointments

As the business continues to scale across global markets, the move reflects growing demand for more integrated engineering approaches in the data centre sector, where both scale and complexity are increasing.

Strengthening leadership for a changing sector

The appointments support Black & White’s continued growth across international markets, where the business now operates across 24 locations with a team of more than 1,000 people globally, and reflect increasing demand for more integrated, data-led approaches to engineering across complex data centre and critical infrastructure projects. 

This reflects a broader shift in the data centre sector, where increasing complexity and demand are driving the need for more integrated, data led approaches from design through to operation.  

Charlie Bater appointed Chief Technical Officer

Charlie Bater takes on the newly created Chief Technical Officer role, having joined the business eight years ago and most recently serving as Global Data Centre Director.

During that time, he has played a key role in regional expansion, strengthening technical standards and supporting a consistent approach to delivery across projects. His progression reflects both his experience in the sector and the company’s focus on developing leadership from within.

The creation of the CTO role forms part of a broader evolution of the technical leadership structure, designed to support continued growth, strengthen innovation and ensure consistency across global teams.

Charlie Bater on the new CTO function

Charlie Bater, Chief Technical Officer at Black & White Engineering, said: “Stepping into the CTO role is an incredible opportunity, and I’m grateful for the trust placed in me. Having grown with the business over the past eight years, I’ve seen firsthand the strength of our people and the ambition that drives Black & White. 

“My focus is to build on our position as a leading data centre design consultancy by further enabling a technical function that drives innovation, supports our teams and ensures we continue delivering high-quality solutions for our clients across global markets.” 

Paul Cook joins as Global Director of Technology & Innovation

Working within this structure, Paul Cook has been appointed Global Director of Technology & Innovation. He joins the firm’s senior leadership team and will work closely with Bater to further develop a more structured approach to technology and innovation that compliments engineering expertise and strengthens how projects perform beyond handover 

Cook brings experience spanning critical infrastructure, hyperscale data centres and complex integrated environments, having worked internationally across sectors including utilities, ports, pharmaceutical R&D and healthcare. He joins from Yondr Group, where he led technology, R&D and innovation for next-generation intelligent data centre platforms enabling greater operational insight, optimisation and performance and previously held senior roles at ISG focused on digital integration within complex built environments. 

Paul Cook on technology, innovation and project performance

Cook added: “A consistent theme throughout my career has been understanding how complex environments operate in practice and how better integration of infrastructure, digital capability and operational processes can improve performance and resilience. 

“At Black & White, the opportunity is to build a Technology and Innovation capability that is practical and supports how projects are delivered day to day, while also ensuring that buildings are designed to provide operational insight and enable effective performance over their lifecycle, supported by a structured research and development framework that ensures innovation is captured and applied in a measurable way. That means being clear about where technology adds value, improving how data is used and strengthening decision-making from the earliest stages of a project.” 

Supporting long-term consistency, efficiency and performance

The appointments form part of the continued development of Black & White’s Global Engineering Team (GET), a central function designed to support project teams, strengthen technical direction from the outset and improve consistency in delivery across regions. 

The CTO will lead the continued development of this capability, focusing on improving consistency, efficiency and long-term performance as demand increases across data centre and critical infrastructure projects globally. 

Explore Our Approach to Data Centre Engineering

To learn more about Black & White Engineering’s approach to data centre design and delivery, get in touch with our team to discuss your next project.

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