Portsmouth, N.H., April 7, 2025 – Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM), an information management and data center service provider, is pleased to confirm the recruitment of Gary Aitkenhead as the EVP and GM of its Data Centers line of business. In his new appointment as the MD for data centres, Aitkenhead will oversee the commercial and operational aspects of the business based on the company’s data centre growth strategy. He will be a subordinate of Mark Kidd, the EVP & GM of Asset Lifecycle Management &Data Centers at Vertiv.
A Strategic Leadership Transition
Iron Mountain’s decision to appoint Aitkenhead was arrived at when the company was at a transformative period. Thus, the continued growth of the need for large, secure, and highly reliable digital infrastructure makes the company ready for the further development of the market for data centers. Iron Mountain’s President and CEO, William L. Meaney, also warmly received Aitkenhead in regards to his addition to the executive team, noting that he will be instrumental in the development of the company’s innovation and the delivery of customer solutions. Mark Kidd also highlighted the fact that operational success coupled with strong leadership skills of its the Aitkenhead make him best suited for the task of steering the Data Centers division into its future.
Aitkenhead’s Background and Experience
Gary Aitkenhead has the flexibility that can be associated with both the public sector and the private sector. Before joining Iron Mountain, Jo applied for several executive leadership jobs at both Equinix and STL, which is the UK’s Ministry of Defence Science & Technology Laboratory and Motorola Solutions. He has a lot of experience in data centers, strategic business management, leadership, and technology management. He is also a chartered engineer, member of the Royal Academy of Engineering, and Fellow of Institution of Engineering and Technology, which proves his technical and management capabilities in the organization.
During the interview, Aitkenhead shared his view about his new job and his perspective to become a part of Iron Mountain during what he referred to as the most dynamically growing industrial sector – data centers. He noted that the company is well-positioned for expansion to address increasing demand worldwide. The candidate expressed eagerness to assist his new customers in accomplishing their digital infrastructures as well as assisting Iron Mountain in reaching subsequent levels of achievement.
Expanding Global Footprint in the Data Center Market
Iron Mountain has initiated measures to make sure that it improves its data center capacity. Presently, the company has over 240000 clients in 61 countries and operates with almost all the companies in the list of the Fortune 1000. Data center services are one of the solutions provided in a range of services namely digital enabling, content storage and management, asset management or information management.
A strategic deal was concluded where Iron Mountain bought Web Werks Data Centers India to become part of it. Hence, Web Werks has been acting as a division of the Iron Mountain Data Center since April 1, 2025, which is a step toward the development of the company in the Asia-Pacific market. It is in this regard that this has been considered a strategic undertaking in the execution of the company’s strategy of making investments in strategic markets that run high demand for data centers.
Further, the company is in the process for constructing its first plant in Miami known as MIA -1 whose construction is expected to be completed by 2026. The particular site contributes to the solid 11 Iron Mountain sites in the United States and other 25 around the world, which strengthen its market positions in the developed and developing countries.
Market Performance and Strategic Focus
Despite recent market volatility, including a 32.86% dip in share value over the past six months, Iron Mountain remains financially strong, with a market capitalization of $22.7 billion and annual revenues of $6.15 billion. The company has consistently delivered shareholder value, maintaining dividend payments for 16 consecutive years, and currently offers a 4.07% yield.
Its strategic focus on expanding data center services is seen as a key growth driver moving forward. Industry analysts point to Iron Mountain’s long-term investment in infrastructure and leadership talent as a clear signal of its commitment to evolving alongside the fastly changing needs of the digital economy.
A Vision for the Future
The incorporation of Gary Aitkenhead is viewed as being a significant figure towards the direction of Iron Mountain that will place the company in a competitive and innovation-driven industry. His big practical experience in operation as well as technical operations of a multinational organization is well in line with the goals of the company, which is to provide high quality, secure, and efficient IT infrastructure services that cut across the world.
Challenges as a result of data demand by cloud computing, AI, and overall digital business transformation are well addressed by Iron Mountain’s expansion plan and leadership investments. These qualities are expected to impact positively on Iron Mountain resulting in increased growth of the data centre business while at the same time Aitkenhead is expected to inject new ideas and energy for managing this business line.
Conclusion
To summarize, appointing Gary Aitkenhead to serve in the office of Executive Vice President and General Manager of Data Centers will translate to a new chapter in the growth of Iron Mountain in the infrastructure business. The experience he has accumulated in overseeing the company’s operations in key geographies and the current focus on data center expansion will be exceptionally valuable for Iron Mountain as it continues to build on the success of this business segment. Handling the factors of innovation,security, and customer satisfaction Aitkenhead’s vision is quite in harmony with long-term company strategies while the company moves into an ever-changing digital environment.
