Henry Sutton is the Founder of the Gulf Data Centre Association (GDCA) and the Director at data centre specialists, TechRE Middle East Consulting, based in Bahrain. Henry has extensive experience working across the data centre EMEA market, including delivering and managing projects across the Middle East. These projects include hyperscale site selection, market intelligence reporting, joint venture sourcing and negotiations and renewables-powered data centre schemes.
Prior to establishing TechRE Middle East Consulting in early 2021, Henry was Associate Director at TechRE UK where he delivered and led projects across the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, East Africa, and all countries across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in the Middle East. Henry launched the GDCA in September 2022, a trade organisation designed to promote the data centre sector for associated businesses operating across the GCC.
Henry is a frequent speaker at data centre events, including Data Cloud Global Congress in Monaco, and has published leading data centre market reports for the Middle East. Henry graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a master’s degree in Arabic and was born and raised in the UAE.
GDCA Founder’s Message 2023
“The GDCA was established to create a region-wide forum to support the growth of the data centre industry in the GCC – to offer a platform for collaboration and transparency in a region that has become a rapidly growing emerging market and a front-runner in digitalisation.
“The first year of the GDCA has been exhilarating as we chase this goal. Since we opened our doors in September 2022, we’ve welcomed over 1,000 members, including 400 companies; have hosted 18 individual events across the GCC and taken part in industry conferences across the world to spread the word of the GCC’s market potential, including Data Centre World 2023 in London and Data Cloud Global Congress 2023 in Monaco; we’ve opened our Publications Library and got our News function up and running; and we’ve welcomed five new team members on board.
“The launch of Touchdown Middle East in partnership with Kickstart Europe also marked a huge milestone for the GDCA this year. As the GCC’s first region-wide data centre industry conference, Touchdown Middle East reinforces the GDCA’s foundational pillar of bringing the GCC data centre market together, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to get it off the ground.
“None of this would have been possible without our sponsors, so a massive thank you to stc Bahrain, Charles Russell Speechlys, Vertiv, Sudlows Consulting, Duke McCaffery, PTS, DPI, RED, Johnson Controls and Eaton for their ongoing support. And a huge thank you to the support from all our attendees at our events, which has truly propelled the growth of the association.
“As we look forward to 2024, our mission will be to focus on key trends affecting the sector, including data regulation and standards, sustainability, and the industry’s preparedness for AI. Above all, we’re excited to continue gaining momentum and strengthening our goal of regional success.”
Henry Sutton, Founder, GDCA.