AVK, the largest and fastest-growing supplier of innovative power solutions for data centres and leading organisations in the UK and Europe, has announced the appointment of Wayne Searle as Chief People Officer to accelerate its growth trajectory and strengthen its position as a market leader in sustainable power solutions for business critical applications.
Wayne brings nearly two decades of senior HR leadership experience across the data centre and technology sectors, including roles at Vertiv, where he led HR for EMEA and global M&A activities, most notably the £2.8 billion acquisition and integration of E&I Engineering. His international career has spanned multiple sectors and regions, including senior positions with Cable and Wireless across Asia Pacific, Vodafone, and Abdul Latif Jameel in Saudi Arabia.
Beginning his career in financial services after studying actuarial science, Wayne transitioned into recruitment and talent management, spending eight years at Page Group before moving into senior HR leadership roles.
The appointment comes as AVK continues its rapid expansion beyond traditional standby power solutions, having recently launched Microgrid capabilities and preparing to introduce additional innovative product solutions to the market.
“Having worked across the data centre supply chain, I’m excited about joining an organisation that wants to address the real sustainability challenges facing the industry rather than simply building more without consideration of environmental impact,” said Wayne Searle, Chief People Officer at AVK. “The data centre industry is booming, but being part of a supply chain that can help solve the sustainability and environmental challenges is one of the big appeals about joining AVK. Ben’s passion for tackling these issues head-on, combined with AVK’s aspiration to drive meaningful industry change, makes this an incredibly exciting opportunity.”
The appointment reflects AVK’s strong commitment to building a people-centric organisation that can deliver innovative power solutions while maintaining its focus on sustainability and ethical business practices. Wayne will focus on internal communications, talent development, and creating clear career progression pathways, recognising that AVK’s talent represents the primary value and asset in the organisation.
“There’s a massive consumer shift coming in the data centre space around sustainability and ethics,” Wayne noted. “It’s imperative to have a sustainable and ethical supply chain. Having somebody who’s passionate about it, vocal about it, in an organisation that has an aspiration to start to change that industry approach – what’s not to like?”
AVK CEO Ben Pritchard commented: “Wayne represents the calibre of leadership we need as we enter our next phase of growth. His expertise in talent development, international experience, and understanding of the sustainability challenges facing our industry will be critical as we expand our power solutions offerings and continue to challenge traditional approaches to power in the data centre industry.”
