Claire Perry O'Neill joins AVK as Chair after deal

AVK has appointed former UK Energy Minister Claire Perry O'Neill as Chair of the Board following the completion of a majority investment by Partners Group.

The investment includes an initial commitment of more than USD $1 billion to support AVK's next phase of growth. AVK plans to expand AVK Capital, its funding arm for on-site power systems, and extend its Energy as a Service model for data centre developers in the UK and Europe.

Perry O'Neill joins as access to electricity becomes a major bottleneck for data centre construction, particularly as demand rises from artificial intelligence workloads. AVK focuses on on-site generation systems designed to bring power online before grid connections are available.

Some UK and European markets face grid connection delays that can stretch for years. AVK has built an Energy as a Service pipeline of more than 2GW and employs more than 400 people across ten hubs in the UK and Europe, alongside a modular manufacturing facility in Haydock.

Perry O'Neill brings experience across banking, consulting, government, and corporate boards. Early in her career, she held roles at Bank of America, McKinsey & Company, and Credit Suisse First Boston before entering Parliament as Member of Parliament for Devizes in 2010.

In government, she served in several ministerial posts, including Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth. She also led the UK's bid to host COP26 and became its first President-Designate.

Since leaving government, she has held senior roles including Managing Director at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and Board Director at Scottish Power. She also serves as Operating Director at Gren Group, Non-Executive Director of Occidental Petroleum and SGX Group, Board Chair of Climate Impact X, and Global Advisor to McKinsey & Company and Climate Investments.

At AVK, she will work with Chief Executive Officer Ben Pritchard, the board, and the leadership team as the company expands its financing and delivery model. Under that model, customers buy power through a power purchase agreement rather than funding equipment upfront or owning the asset directly.

Power constraint

The model targets a market where developers are seeking faster ways to secure electricity for new facilities. Across Europe, data centre operators have faced tightening power availability, with utilities and transmission networks struggling to keep pace with demand in some major locations.

AVK argues that on-site, flexible generation can help fill that gap. Earlier this year, the company energised what it described as Europe's first large-scale data centre microgrid at PureDC in Dublin, where energy constraints have affected development activity.

Perry O'Neill said the combination of fresh capital and pressure on grid access had created an opening for alternative energy supply models.

"I'm delighted to join AVK as Chair at such an important moment. The completion of Partners Group's investment gives AVK the backing to grow faster, and the timing could not be better. Grid capacity has become one of the biggest barriers to economic growth and the energy transition in the UK and Europe, and all of my previous experience suggests that no matter how ambitious the policies, grid expansion faces real constraints. On-site, flexible power generation has a real role to play, as the UK Government's new Data Centre Covenant makes clear, and AVK has the expertise and ambition to deliver this capability. My priority is to help AVK's team turn that potential into growth, working closely with Partners Group to scale AVK Capital and bring speed to power to more customers," said Claire Perry O'Neill, Chair, AVK.

Pritchard said the appointment adds policy and infrastructure experience as the company pushes ahead with expansion.

"Claire's appointment is an exciting moment for everyone at AVK. She has shaped energy policy at the highest level, led the UK's early work on COP26, and advised some of the world's largest businesses on the energy transition. With Partners Group's investment now complete, we have the capital to deliver speed to power at scale. Claire's understanding of how policy, investment, and infrastructure fit together will be invaluable as we grow AVK Capital and help our customers bring new capacity online faster," said Ben Pritchard, Chief Executive Officer, AVK.

Partners Group said the board appointment comes as it begins work with management on its plan for the business.

"AVK is well-positioned to address the data centre industry's critical power needs. Claire joins us at a pivotal time, and her industry experience and track record will be highly valuable as we look to scale AVK. We see a really exciting growth opportunity and will work with the board and the wider management team in executing our value creation plan. The closing of our majority investment in AVK marks the start of this journey together," said Nicholas Pepper, Managing Director, Partners Group; Member of the Board, AVK.