BCS Consultancy has announced Chris Coward as its new Chief Operating Officer, marking a new era in the company’s long-term leadership and growth strategy.
Following the news that Scott Shearer, one of the first Co-Founders of BCS, has stepped down after a decade of growth and customer-centric operations, Chris begins his tenure as the company’s new COO – supporting customers across the complete data centre lifecycle to deliver unmatched consultancy, expertise, and value at every stage of their developments.
Chris was one of the first employees to join BCS in 2017. Over the past eight years, he has worked closely with founders James Hart and Scott Shearer to help shape and scale the business from a six-figure, UK-based consultancy into a global data centre consultancy with 165+ specialists across five offices worldwide, supporting the delivery of 300+ projects, advising on £20bn+ of investment, and generating £22m+ in annual revenue.
During his time with the company, he has played a central role in building BCS’ project management capability, supporting the company’s evolution from a start-up consultancy into a multi-region business operating across the globe. He has also been instrumental in developing BCS’ people and talent strategy, including the creation of its apprenticeship programme, helping to address the data centre industries skills shortage while building long-term capability within the business.
As BCS enters its next phase of international growth, with a focus on operational maturity and long-term value creation, Chris will play a critical role in strengthening the firm’s operational foundations, accelerating digital adoption, and protecting the human-led, customer-first approach that defines BCS.
“I’ve had the privilege of working closely with James and Scott for much of my career, and want to thank them both for their leadership and trust, which have shaped both my journey and the culture of BCS,” said Chris Coward, Chief Operating Officer, BCS Consultancy. “As BCS becomes an increasingly global business, my primary focus is to ensure we have the right operational structure, technology and support in place to deliver consistently for our clients, while staying true to the ethos that makes BCS different – a people-first, human-led business, backed by deep, technical, data centre expertise.”
Demand and industry momentum
As the global data centre consultancy, BCS supports some of the world’s most demanding digital and critical infrastructure programmes, delivering clarity and confidence across the complete lifecycle of mission-critical systems.
According to BCS Q4 Data Centre Commercial Report, demand for data centre capacity remains strong, with 92% of surveyed professionals expecting growth through 2026. AI, for example, is a key driver, 85% of facilities remain unprepared for AI adoption, and only 14% can deliver AI at scale.
At the same time, the industry faces significant operational and sustainability challenges, including a prolific skills shortage, continued power constraints, supply chain pressures and the need for more resilient infrastructure – issues that make strong operational leadership increasingly crucial.
As the new COO, Chris will focus on strengthening BCS’ operational foundations as it grows, ensuring consistent delivery as customers enter the AI era by investing in digital tools and systems to support its teams globally, while maintaining the human-first approach that has underpinned the company’s success to date.
His appointment follows a period of sustained growth for BCS and reflects the company’s ambition to continue shaping the future of digital infrastructure – combining operational excellence, sustainability and global capability.
For more information about BCS Consultancy, or to download its Q4 Data Centre Commercial Report – visit the website.
