UK data centre bosses take on Arctic trek for hospice

Eighteen senior figures from the UK data centre industry are undertaking a five-day Arctic trek to raise £1 million for Moya Cole Hospice in Manchester. The fundraising drive is described as one of the sector's largest single efforts for a local cause.

The group will cover 66km in northern Finland, inside the Arctic Circle, hauling their own equipment in pulks and camping on snow in temperatures ranging from -40C to 5C. Participants come from across the digital infrastructure sector, including investment, development, operations, technology and professional services.

The team includes six women and 12 men from 10 organisations linked to the data centre market. The aim is to raise money and awareness for the hospice, which supports people and families across Greater Manchester.

The expedition is being led by Gary Watson, Managing Director of Stellanor, alongside executives from businesses including Eversheds, Platform Markets Group, Datalec, Ethos, BGO, DECI and Salute. The wider group includes operators, investors, lawyers, recruiters and advisers.

The challenge

The trek takes senior executives from a sector more often associated with boardrooms and construction sites into one of Europe's harshest operating environments. Over five days, participants are expected to manage their own kit and camp in sub-zero conditions as they make their way through the Finnish Arctic.

With a £1 million target, the team has set an unusually ambitious goal for a sector-led local charity effort. The hospice will receive the proceeds to support care services for local patients and their families.

Watson said the effort also reflects a broader view that digital infrastructure companies should support the areas in which they operate.

"Data centres are playing an increasingly important role in the economy, but we also recognise that the industry has a responsibility to engage with and support the communities around us. We wanted to do something that was genuinely challenging, brought people from across the sector together and, most importantly, made a real difference to an organisation that is very close to my heart. Setting ourselves a £1 million target is deliberately ambitious, but so is the challenge we are taking on," said Gary Watson, Managing Director, Stellanor.

Sector backing

The participant list includes senior figures from across the data centre ecosystem. Among those named are Nicola Hayes, Chief Marketing Officer at Platform Markets Group; Will Couch, Projects Director at Datalec; Gary O'Keefee, Chief Growth Officer at Ethos; Mark Delahunty, Global Account Director at BGO; Colm Phelan, Director at DECI; and Angela Paterson, Senior Vice President - Talent, People & Culture at Salute.

Others taking part include Dan Tenakoon, Founder & CEO at RE24; Garry Connolly, Founder at GConnTec; and Rob Donell, Partner at Eversheds. Several members of the Stellanor leadership team are also involved, including Elaine Humphreys, HR Director; Harpreet Bains, EA Office Manager; Lee Morley, Commercial Finance Director; and Kevan Harrison, Integration Director.

The mix of operators, advisers and service providers underlines the breadth of support from across the industry rather than from a single company.

Hospice support

Moya Cole Hospice said the proceeds would directly affect the care it can provide to patients and families. The organisation serves communities across Greater Manchester, where demand for end-of-life and palliative care remains high.

Rachel McMillan, Chief Executive at Moya Cole Hospice, linked the campaign to the hospice's day-to-day work with local people.

"Every pound raised through this challenge will make a direct difference to the care we're able to provide to local people and their families at what is often the most difficult time in their lives. It means a great deal that a group of senior leaders from across an entire industry have chosen to come together behind Moya Cole Hospice in this way, and we're enormously grateful to each of them for taking on such a demanding challenge on our behalf," said Rachel McMillan, Chief Executive, Moya Cole Hospice.

Centred on a single extreme endurance challenge, the fundraising effort also brings together senior decision-makers from a sector spanning property, energy, finance, construction and digital services. The team's target is £1 million for hospice care in Greater Manchester.