Schneider Electric appoints new data centre head

Schneider Electric Australia has appointed Mark Deguara to lead up its data centre division as it seeks to expand its presence in the fast-growing market.

Deguara has replaced Andrew Kirker as General Manager of the Data Centre division. In his new role, Deguara will be focused on developing speed to market strategies, and working with partners to develop new end-to-end solutions.

Deguara joined Schneider Electric from data centre and critical infrastructure equipment provider Vertiv.

He spent nearly 18 years at Vertiv and its predecessor, Emerson Network Power, serving in roles including Director of Data Centre Solutions, Senior Manager for Technical Services and National Product Manager for Australia.

Deguara started his more than 25-year career in sales engineering at Schneider Electric subsidiary Clipsal.

“We are delighted to have Mark join us in what is an exciting period for Schneider Electric. The data centre market is experiencing accelerated growth within Australia, across the Pacific region, and Schneider Electric continues to support this fast-moving segment,” Schneider Electric VP of IT Business Joe Craparotta said.

Craparotta said developing Schneider Electric's data centre business in Australia is a key focus for the company.

“One of the biggest challenges our clients face is not only building resilient and responsive infrastructure to meet the ever-growing data consumption needs of the digital world, but building them with a velocity not seen before,” he said.

“We feel as if we have only begun to scratch the surface of what is possible in Australia and look forward to having Mark work with our customers to bring a total solution offering to market that encompasses the critical infrastructure and underlying technology from across the business.”