atNorth – a leading Nordic colocation, high-performance computing and Artificial Intelligence service provider – has announced the appointment of Erling Gudmundsson as Chief Operating Officer (COO). The hire supports atNorth’s commitment to building a world-class leadership team to guide its extensive growth plans in response to the increasing demand for cost-efficient and sustainable digital infrastructure. Benedikt Gröndal, atNorth’s founder and original COO, remains at the business and atNorth continues to benefit from his expertise in a new capacity.
“Erling Gudmundsson is an infrastructure veteran”, says Eyjólfur Magnús Kristinsson, CEO of atNorth. “The combination of his technical expertise alongside his commercial acumen makes him ideally suited to supporting our ongoing growth strategy. Erling’s passion for customer service and professional standards align to our core values and we are delighted to gain the expertise of this award-winning and inspirational leader as we continue to scale”.
With over 25 years’ experience in building and operating fibre networks, Erling has lived and worked in several European countries. His most recent position was as the CEO of Reykjavik Fiber Network, a 1G true open-access fibre network in Iceland. Erling led the business’s extensive expansion resulting in 80% fibre penetration in Iceland. Prior to this co-founded Industria, a specialist in fibre-optic/mobile networks and digital services and solutions company and also spent two years at Iceland’s largest media company, 365. Winner of both the Red Herring 100 Europe Awards, the Broadband World Forum’s Annual People’s Choice Award, Erling is a versatile and high achieving, multi-award-winning leader, with a track record of doubling EBITDA, delivering market-leading expertise and a forte for delivering exceptional shareholder value.
“I am thrilled to join atNorth to support its continued expansion,” added Gudmundsson. “The substantial increase in the use of AI has led to a surge in demand for sustainable high-performance infrastructure. This coupled with atNorth’s perfect Nordic locations, best-in-class technology and strong team backed by strong owners makes for an exciting future ahead. I’m delighted to be part of the journey.”
atNorth credits it’s collaborative and transformational team for its continued expansion – a team that has been recently bolstered by the appointment of further high-profile professionals including Stephen Donovan as Chief Development Officer; Fredrik Jansson as Chief Strategy and Marketing and Communications Officer; Mardís Heimisdóttir as Director of Strategy Implementation; Tracey Pewtner as Marketing Director; Elísabet Árnadóttir as Director of Security and Compliance; David Sandars as Sales Director for the UK; Pekka Järveläinen as Sales Director for Finland; Michael Endres as Sales Director for the DACH Region; and Wayne Allen as Sales Director for the US.
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