Appoints Robert Dunn as Interim CEO following resignations of Afonso Salema and Rui Oliveira Neves
Sines, November 15th 2023 – Start Campus, a company developing one of Europe’s largest data center ecosystems (495 MW) powered by 100% green energy in Sines, Portugal, today announced that the Board of Directors has appointed Robert Dunn as Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Mr. Dunn’s appointment is effective immediately.
Mr. Dunn brings a wealth of experience in delivering data center solutions, having previously held key leadership roles in the data center industry. Since joining Start Campus in April 2022, Mr. Dunn has been in charge of overseeing all aspects of the project as Head of Design and Delivery. In his new capacity, he will continue supporting his team to ensure the project can reach its soon-to-be operational phase.
Today’s appointment follows the resignations of Afonso Salema, who held the role of Chief Executive Officer, and Rui Oliveira Neves, who held the role of Chief Legal and Sustainability Officer.
Start Campus strives for the highest standards in all areas of business and in every stage of the project in Sines. The company remains committed to its operations and investment in Portugal. It is taking all necessary measures to ensure business continuity and that its team, customers and business partners continue to receive the same level of high-quality service. Start Campus continues to fully cooperate with the Portuguese authorities and provide all requested information to ensure a thorough and impartial investigation of all facts.
Both shareholders of Start Campus, Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP, and Pioneer Point Partners LLP, are committed to the continued development of the project, one of the largest data centers in Europe. We believe the project will significantly contribute to Portugal’s energy transition, digital transformation and address the growing demand from international technology companies.
About Start Campus
Start Campus is responsible for the development of the SINES project, a Hyperscaler data center campus with a capacity of up to 495 MW in Sines, an investment of up to €3.5 billion. It will be one of the largest data center campuses in Europe and meets the growing demand from large international technology companies. It will create up to 1,200 direct highly skilled jobs and 8,000 indirect jobs by 2028. It is located in Sines and will benefit from all the strategic advantages such as sea water cooling systems, access to the high voltage electrical grid, connectivity through the connection to high capacity international networks of fiber optic cables with Europe, Americas and Africa. The SINES Project will be one of the largest data center ecosystems with 100% green energy at competitive prices in a premium location in Europe, which is the perfect gateway to Europe and the world.
