Customer Portal
Contact

Kao Data COO, Paul Finch, wins Infrastructure Masons 2020 Sustainability Champion and iMason100 Awards

Kao Data are delighted to announce that COO, Paul Finch, won two prestigious industry awards at the 2020 Infrastructure Masons awards on Wednesday evening.

The Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) awards are the showpiece event of the iMasons calendar and celebrate the outstanding contributions of individuals who are making an impact in the global digital infrastructure industry.

The vision of iMasons is to unite the builders of the digital age by enabling their global membership to connect, grow, and give back. Their five strategic industry priorities include enhancing education opportunities, championing diversity & inclusion, promoting innovation and technical excellence, and inspiring action on sustainability.

Paul was awarded with the iMasons 2020 Sustainability Champion Award, which highlights individuals who are moving the needle on digital infrastructure sustainability. Fittingly, the award was announced by Patrik Ohlund, CEO of Node Pole and iMasons Sustainability Chair, and presented to Paul by the 2019 Sustainability Champion, Joseph Kava, Vice President – Data Centres at Google.

This award recognises Paul’s considerable work over the last 20+ years to improve sustainability awareness and adoption within the industry. His years of industry stewardship have included representing both the data centre industry (when at Digital Realty Trust) and ASHRAE as a formal representative to the European Commission (2015-2018) on the Eco-design Consultation Forum DG GROW Lot 9 (Servers and Data Storage products) in response to (EU) No 617/2013, the implementing regulation for enterprise servers and data centres.

In more recent years, Paul’s leadership on sustainability has ensured Kao Data is one of the most environmentally friendly data centres in Europe. The company’s first KDL1 data centre is powered by 100% renewable energy, architecture is BREEAM Excellent certified, and data centre operations run at an ultra-energy efficient PUE of 1.2 (even at partial ITE utilisation). In addition, Paul has spearheaded the incorporation of a number of industry ‘firsts’ such as being the first facility in the UK to achieve OCP Ready ™ status outside of North America, as well as being the first wholesale facility in the UK to use Indirect Evaporative Cooling (IEC) with no mechanical refrigeration or environmentally harmful refrigerant.

On winning the iMasons 2020 Sustainability Champion Award, Paul commented: “As an engineer by profession and with sustainability being at the core of our businesses ethos, I’m truly honoured to be presented with this award. Over the last 20 years I have witnessed huge advancements in data centre energy-efficiency and sustainability – often understated by commentators from outside the industry who do not take a holistic view of the digital economy and the value the data centre industry brings.”

“Platforms such as this help raise the profile of our industry by celebrating these collective achievements. Through the innovative application of sound engineering principles, Kao Data have evidenced how sustainability can be complementary to reliability and availability through reduced complexity, whilst reducing short-term CAPEX and longer-term OPEX for the customer and operator, delivering higher returns for the investor. If you choose not to put sustainability front and centre of your strategy the result is your business will be at a commercial disadvantage.”

Paul was joined in the nominations for the 2020 Sustainability Award by an illustrious group of industry leaders and Kao Data would like to also congratulate all of the 2020 Sustainability Award finalists – Aaron Binkley, Sr. Director, Sustainability Programs, Digital Realty; Aidin Aghamiri, CEO, ITRenew; Lars Schedin, CEO EcoDataCenter, and Tor Kristian Gyland, CEO, Green Mountain.


To cap off a very successful evening, Paul was additionally recognised as one of the iMasons 100Award winners, which recognises 100 individuals who have contributed to the digital infrastructure industry through the iMason’s strategic pillars, and have lead by example, creating a pathway for those following in their footsteps. He joins a respected list of thought-leaders who are trailblazing best practice within the digital infrastructure industry.

More details on the iMasons awards can be found here.

Share

Other articles

January 20, 2026

New report reveals the positive contribution data centres have made to Slough, creating 14,000+ jobs and +£30m annual contribution, and recommends the UK follows the town’s lead.

Read More
January 12, 2026

Kao Data Promotes Fraser Clarke to Vice President of Operations

Read More
December 15, 2025

Celebrating Kao Data’s Employees of the Year 2025

Read More
Customer Portal
Contact
X

Test Text

test job title
Click to see full book

Details

X

If your application is successful, Harlow Council will transfer the grant by BACS.  Bank details (account name, number and sort code) will need to be supplied with a summary of accounts. 

Funding conditions:  If your application is successful, your project must be delivered by 31 December 2026. You will have to return any grant funds if the project is not delivered or the organisation receiving the funding stops operating.

A contract agreement will need to be signed between your organisation and Harlow District Council before any funding is granted.

Monitoring and Evaluation: Grant recipients will be required to provide an end of project report to establish whether the project has met its aims and objectives, as well as to assess the overall impact on participants. Funding for the project is provided on the basis that the Project Evaluation form is returned within the agreed project timescale (no later than 31 January 2027).

Risks and Liabilities: In giving grants the ‘Harlow Council’ will require the supported project organisation or groups to accept all risks and liabilities associated with the activity being supported. This will be a condition of the grant.  Copies of relevant documents may need to be provided if the application has been approved.

Data protection statement – how we will use your information

The Council is committed to handling your personal information in line with the data processing principles.  The Data Protection Legislation and the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (GDPR) sets the legal framework for how we collect, handle and process personal data and for your rights as a ‘data subject.’

General Data Protection Regulation:  Personal data provided by you will be processed in accordance with this protocol. For more details, please see https://www.harlow.gov.uk/privacy-notice

Thank you for taking the time to read these guidance notes. If you have any questions, please get in touch with [email protected].

FAQs

X
  1. Who can apply?
    The fund is open to not-for-profit community groups and grassroots initiatives based in Stockport.
     
  2. What types of projects are eligible?
    We encourage projects focused on environmental sustainability, community cohesion, and local economic development.
     
  3. How much funding is available?
    Grants range from £500 to £2,500 for pilot projects or to enhance existing initiatives.
     
  4. Is this the sole funding for this project?
    If not, please expand on the additional match funding that you currently have or are in the process of applying for.
     
  5. Are there any restrictions on grants under £500?
    Yes, please note that grants under £500 may be subject to different guidelines or restrictions, which will be communicated upon application.
     
  6. When will we know if our project was selected?
    Notifications will be sent by March 31, 2025.
     
  7. How can I apply for a grant?
    Applications can be submitted through our online portal, where you will find detailed guidelines and forms.
     
  8. What happens if my application is unsuccessful?
    If your application is not successful, we encourage you to seek feedback and consider reapplying in future funding rounds.
     
  9. When is the application deadline?
    Please check our website for the latest application deadlines and any upcoming funding rounds.