Vantage Data Centers has appointed industry veteran Robin Balen as its first chief product officer, strengthening the company’s push to build a unified global product organization as demand for hyperscale and AI-optimized infrastructure accelerates. Balen, who will be based in London and report to Executive Vice President Jeff Tench, is charged with shaping Vantage’s end-to-end product vision and aligning engineering, design and delivery functions across regions.
The creation of a dedicated product organization marks a strategic shift for Vantage as it scales to meet rapidly evolving requirements from cloud giants and AI-focused customers. The company aims to tighten the feedback loop between customer needs and product development while maintaining the agility demanded by large-scale data center operators. The move comes amid surging investment in digital infrastructure, driven by the growth of generative AI, increasing compute density and rising global data traffic.
Balen brings over 25 years of experience in hyperscale infrastructure, long-term technology planning and large-scale platform development. In 2000, he founded Gyron, a UK data center business that expanded into a market leader before being acquired by NTT. He remained with the company for nearly two decades, including seven years in senior leadership roles after the acquisition, helping steer the platform through a period of rapid industry transformation.
In recent years, Balen served as a principal at Asymptote Solutions, advising global operators and investors on next-generation data center architectures, standardization strategies and delivery models for hyperscalers. His work on multi-billion-dollar infrastructure programs and standardized product designs has made him a recognized figure in shaping digital infrastructure for the AI era.
“Robin brings to Vantage a distinguished track record advancing hyperscale infrastructure and leading high-impact innovation across global markets,” Tench said. “His foresight into industry trends and uncommon balance of operational and technical leadership make him the ideal leader to drive the next phase of our global product organization.”
Balen said the role comes at a pivotal moment, as AI adoption resets expectations for scale, performance and sustainability in data center development. “Vantage has an exceptional opportunity to define the next generation of digital infrastructure, especially as AI workloads reshape global demand and the sustainable infrastructure needed to support it,” he said. “I look forward to partnering with teams across the company to build products and standards that lead the industry and deliver meaningful value for our customers worldwide.”
