JLL (NYSE: JLL) has tapped Chris Street for the newly-created role of Managing Director of Data Centres, Asia Pacific. His appointment strengthens JLL’s existing team of data centre experts serving investor and occupier clients and reinforces the firm’s commitment to creating an integrated platform to meet the changing real estate and capital requirements of this asset class.

Based in Singapore, Street will be responsible for business development and client management across all data centre products and services for JLL in Asia Pacific.

“Through our interactions with clients regionally and globally, it’s clear that demand for data centre expertise is increasing and requires a platform offering advice and solutions that cater to both investors and occupiers. This continued growth – driven by technology, consumption and business operating shifts in Asia Pacific – means it’s the right time to provide an integrated offering under Chris’s leadership and to expand our range of services in this sector regionally,” says Anthony Couse, CEO, Asia Pacific, JLL.

This strategic expansion of JLL’s data centre business responds to the significant growth in the data centre market across Asia Pacific, reflecting client appetite for creative real estate and capital solutions for this asset class. Asia Pacific data centre investment transactions reached US$5.4 billion in 2021, up 30% year- on-year and more than double 2019 levels. About 85% of the investment volume is attributed to Greater China, India, Japan and Australia. JLL expects strong growth to continue across the region, driven by under- served and large domestic markets.

Street brings over 20 years of data centre and digital infrastructure experience across Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas. Prior to joining JLL, he was responsible for strategic sales, marketing and environment, social and governance (ESG) activities at Princeton Digital Group, a global data centre operator. At ST Telemedia Global Data Centres, he led the company’s Singapore launch and helped drive their worldwide expansion in various markets such as the UK, China, India and Thailand. He also brings experience from Amazon Web Services (AWS) and product management and business development expertise from Equinix, Switch and Data, AT&T and CERFnet.

Throughout his career, Street has worked with various not-for-profit organisations and industry associations. Currently, he is the Co-Chair of the Data Centre Committee at SGtech, the industry association that collaborates with various Singapore government agencies to address issues relevant to the wider Singapore technology industry.

Street was named one of the Top 50 Influential Marketers in the Data Economy (2020) and was recognized as one of the Top 50 Data Centre and Cloud Influencers in the Asia Pacific region (2018).

JLL provides clients with a range of data centre solutions including capital markets and financing solutions, portfolio and data centre location strategy advice, leasing, facilities management, project and development management, and energy and sustainability programmes.