A Conversation with BCS Consultancy’s New COO

Executive Summary

• BCS Consultancy’s new COO, Chris Coward, speaks with Data Centre Insight about his passion for the industry, the milestones that have shaped his career and his plans to drive growth at BCS Consultancy while keeping the business human-led.
• Chris speaks about how having a unique, human-led approach in the industry can bring balance back into the equation, since the data centre industry can sometimes feel driven by speed and scale.
• He also explores what excites him most about the future of the data centre industry, including the potential of AI-driven infrastructure, while highlighting caution around the risks of prioritising speed over long-term energy availability and grid resilience.

 

Newly appointed COO of BCS Consultancy, Chris Coward, sat down for a Q&A with the Chief Editor of Data Centre Insight, Lauren Raybould, to talk about Chris’s remarkable achievements in the data centre industry as well as periods of growth, challenges and success with his years at BCS  Consultancy before he was appointed COO a few weeks ago.

How did you get into the data centre industry?

My background is in building and construction, and I’ve now spent around 15 years in the data centre industry. Like a lot of people in this area, I didn’t set out with a clear plan to work in the sector. I genuinely fell into it by accident, just after the dot-com boom.

At the time, I was searching for a Building Surveying role and was offered the opportunity to go to Amsterdam to help deliver a data centre project. I’ll be honest, I didn’t fully understand what a data centre was at that point, but the complexity, pace and responsibility of the environment immediately stood out. From there, I went on to deliver data centres across Europe and further afield, working on projects that were technically demanding and truly business critical.

That combination of engineering and long-term thinking really suited me. If you get things wrong in this industry, the consequences are immediate, so it demands clarity, accountability and strong teamwork.

I joined BCS Consultancy nearly nine years ago as a Senior Consultant, with a clear remit from the founders: build and develop the project management capability and help grow the business. Since then, the journey has been one of consistent, year-on-year growth, evolving from a small consultancy into a global business. That evolution, and the opportunity to help shape it from the inside, is what has kept me engaged in the industry and at BCS ever since.

What excites you about this industry?

The pace and relevance of the data centre industry are what excite me most. Few sectors sit so squarely at the heart of digital transformation, economic growth and societal change. Whether it’s cloud adoption, AI workloads, edge computing or national resilience, data centres are the foundation that makes it all possible.

What’s particularly exciting right now is the shift in expectations. Clients are no longer just asking for capacity; they’re asking for clarity. Clarity on cost, energy, risk and long-term value. That plays directly to what we do at BCS, helping organisations navigate complexity with confidence.

At the same time, the industry is being challenged to grow more responsibly. Energy efficiency, decarbonisation, heat reuse and better integration with communities are no longer ‘nice to haves’. Being able to work at the intersection of performance, sustainability and commercial reality is incredibly rewarding, and it’s an area where consultancy can genuinely make a difference.

Looking back to when you first joined BCS Consultancy, how have the company and its culture evolved, and what major shifts have shaped it into what it is today?

When I joined BCS in 2017, the business was a small, UK-based consultancy with big ambition, deep technical credibility and a very strong sense of purpose. From the outset, I worked closely with the founders James Hart and Scott Shearer, and what’s defined the journey since then is how deliberately we’ve scaled – building capability, structure and reach without losing what made the business work in the first place.

Over the past nine years, BCS has grown from a six-figure consultancy into a global data centre consultancy, operating across multiple regions with more than 165 specialists, delivering hundreds of complex projects and advising on significant levels of investment across Europe and beyond. That growth hasn’t happened by accident. It’s been driven by a clear focus on delivery, trust and doing what we say we’re going to do.

A major shift has been the evolution from a start-up mindset into a multi-region, operationally mature business. I played a central role in building out our project management capability, which became a foundation for that growth, and in parallel we’ve invested heavily in our people. Establishing apprenticeship and development programmes was a conscious response to the industry’s skills shortage, but also a reflection of our belief that long-term capability is built, not bought.

Culturally, we’ve worked hard to remain human-led and customer-first as the business has scaled. As we enter the next phase of international growth, the focus is on strengthening operational foundations and accelerating digital adoption, while protecting the people-first culture that defines BCS and underpins our ability to deliver long-term value.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in scaling the company, and how did you overcome them?

One of the biggest challenges in scaling any consultancy is maintaining quality and consistency as you grow. In our world, reputation is everything, and there’s no room for dilution of standards.

We addressed that by being very clear about what BCS stands for and what we don’t compromise on. That meant investing early in governance, knowledge sharing and repeatable ways of working, even when it felt uncomfortable or slowed us down in the short term.

Another challenge was growth across multiple European markets, each with different regulatory, cultural and commercial dynamics. The key there was building strong local teams, rather than trying to impose a one-size-fits-all model. Trusting people on the ground, while aligning them around a common purpose and framework, has been critical to our success.

In your new role, how will you ensure that the consultancy remains human-led and customer-first?

For me, being human-led starts with listening – to our clients and to our people. No amount of process or technology replaces genuine understanding of what a client is trying to achieve and the pressures they’re under.

In practical terms, that means ensuring our leadership remains visible and engaged in projects, not removed from them. It also means empowering teams to make decisions in the best interests of the client, rather than defaulting to rigid structures.

We’re also continuing to invest in how we communicate, being clear, honest and pragmatic, even when the message is challenging. Clients value transparency, and that trust is built person by person, project by project.

How will a human-led approach make a difference in the industry?

The data centre industry can sometimes feel overly transactional or driven purely by speed and scale. A human-led approach brings balance back into that equation.

By focusing on relationships, we help clients make better long-term decisions, not just faster short-term ones. We understand their risk appetite, their organisational constraints and their strategic objectives, and that leads to outcomes that work in the real world.

It also creates more resilient projects. When challenges arise strong relationships and trust make it far easier to resolve issues collaboratively rather than defensively.

Where do you see BCS Consultancy in the next 5–10 years, and what steps are being taken to get there?

In the next 5–10 years, I see BCS firmly established as the leading global data centre consultancy, known not just for data centre expertise, but for helping clients manage critical infrastructure throughout its entire lifecycle.

We’re already taking steps towards that by expanding our strategic advisory capability, strengthening our Land Intelligence offering, and deepening our expertise around sustainability and operational performance. Geographic expansion is important, but it will always be led by client demand and delivery quality, not growth for growth’s sake.

Most importantly, we’re investing in people, ensuring the next generation has the skills, support and confidence to lead the industry forward.

What emerging trends in the industry are you most excited or cautious about?

AI-driven infrastructure is one of the most exciting developments we’re seeing, particularly in how it’s reshaping power density, cooling strategies and site selection. It presents a huge opportunity, but also a significant risk if not approached with clear-eyed realism.

I’m cautious about the tendency to chase speed without fully understanding long-term implications, particularly around energy availability and grid resilience. There’s a danger of solving today’s problem by creating tomorrow’s constraint.

That’s why a measured, advisory-led approach is so important. The most successful organisations will be those that combine innovation with discipline, and ambition with responsibility.

Head to their website to find out more about BCS Consulting.