CyrusOne has appointed former Equinix executive as its new CEO.
CyrusOne’s Board of Directors announced this week that it has elected Eric Schwartz as chief executive officer effective from October 1, 2022. He succeeds founder Dave Ferdman after his second stint as CEO.
Schwartz spent more than 16 years at Equinix, rising to the role of Chief Strategy and Development Officer.
Schwartz said: “I am thrilled to join CyrusOne to help accelerate the Company’s growth and strengthen our partnerships with our customers. Since the acquisition, Dave and the leadership team have done a great job growing CyrusOne with an ambitious investment program and focused execution, and I look forward to joining the Company and helping our team continue to achieve success.”
Ferdman, who will remain a Board Member, added: “It has been my honor to help lead CyrusOne during the past year and through the acquisition, I am proud of what we have achieved, and I am excited for Eric and our entire CyrusOne team as we embark on a new era of expansion.”
As well as leading the EMEA region for nearly a decade, Schwartz led the company’s xScale program and joint ventures focused on developing data centers for large-scale customers
Waldemar Szlezak, partner at KKR, said: “Eric brings tremendous experience as a leader to CyrusOne, having served as an executive at Equinix for 16 years, including leading the EMEA region for over a decade, leading the development of data centers for large-scale customers, and playing an integral role as a member of the company’s global leadership team. We are thrilled he has joined to help lead the CyrusOne team as the business continues to scale.”
Will Brilliant, partner at Global Infrastructure Partners, added: “We greatly appreciate Dave’s contribution in coming back to the CEO role to guide the Company through the recent acquisition and growth and are confident that he will continue to support the Company in the future as a member of the Board.”
Schwartz’s appointment comes after a period of rapid turnover at the helm of CyrusOne. Gary Wojtaszek stepped down as CEO in February 2020 "by mutual agreement with the Board" and saw a rotating cast of execs take over in his wake.
Tesh Durvasula initially stepped in as interim CEO, before Bruce Duncan took on the role. Duncan then left just over a year later, with company co-founder and former CEO David Ferdman taking over as interim CEO.
Wojtaszek remains a board member for Chinese firm GDS Data Centers, Interprivate InfraTech Partners IV (a technology-focused SPAC), investment firm Poema Global, and US data center firm Quantum Loophole, Inc. He is also purchasing R.V. storage facilities as part of his new business venture, Recreational Realty.
