Global commercial real estate advisor Avison Young has announced the appointment of Oliver Squires as UK & EMEA Data Centre & Mission Critical Sector Lead, based in the firm’s London office.

Oliver joins the business from Gardiner & Theobald, where he spent over eight years and most recently served as a director, with a strategic focus on data centres. In this role, he supported clients to develop, refurbish and run successful data centres, drawing on extensive market intelligence and cross-sector experience.

His arrival at Avison Young marks a strengthening of the firm’s data centre capabilities, bringing leadership and technical expertise to support clients in navigating complex challenges, and helping to deliver new, innovative solutions to the market.

Avison Young’s appointment of a dedicated UK & EMEA Data Centre Lead comes as the sector is set to experience unprecedented growth in the next decade, with the potential to contribute an additional £44 billion to the UK economy by 2035, according to techUK.

The number of data centres in the UK is also set to increase by almost a fifth, according to the BBC, after both Microsoft and Google announced investments of £330m and £740m respectively.

This strategic new hire underscores Avison Young’s commitment to expanding its data centre advisory capabilities and supporting clients through the sector’s next phase of accelerated growth.

Oliver Squires, Director, Data Centres and Mission Critical at Avison Young, said:

“The data centre sector is one of the most exciting and fastest growing in the UK and mainland Europe. The majority of planned sites are due to be built in the next five years, which means there’s no better time to be advising on some of the largest projects in the pipeline.

“I’m very pleased to be joining the Avison Young team to strengthen our data centre offering, helping clients to achieve resilient, high-performance outcomes.”

Steven Mason, Principal and Managing Director, Building and Project Consultancy at Avison Young, added:

“Oliver’s appointment comes at such a pivotal time for the data centre sector, as demand for capacity, sustainability and innovation continues to accelerate. As a global real estate advisor, it’s vital that we remain at the forefront of this evolving landscape, supporting clients as they navigate complex technical and strategic challenges.

“With Oliver onboard, we can now further strengthen and expand our data centre capabilities, offering a best-in-class service to clients across the UK and EMEA, and helping to futureproof the sector for years to come.”