As Gleeds Americas Vice President, based in Houston, Texas, Ian Farndon focuses on driving growth across the US data centre sector, as well as increasing the size of the team on the ground.
A commercial management specialist, he is also tasked with ensuring the team continues to deliver first-rate service to clients, bringing on board new talent to manage its growing project portfolio. He has spent the past six years developing an in-depth understanding of the US market and brings with him over 35 years’ experience in the global built environment, having worked in the UK, Mainland Europe, and the Middle East over the course of his career. Ian focuses on boosting activity in the data centre sector throughout Gleeds Americas and beyond, applying the knowledge he has accrued while working with some of the largest tech clients in the world over the last decade.
With commercial management at the core of what I do, I want to make sure that we are the 'best in class' and ‘brilliant at the basics' in everything that we do. Gleeds’ proven track record in delivering complex data centre programmes for high-profile clients and ambition to build on that success was a huge draw for me. The prevalence of hyperscale data centres is only going to continue to increase as requirements surge, and I look forward to helping Gleeds cement its presence in this sector while driving growth on the ground here in Houston.
Focusing on what specifically appealed to him about Gleeds, Ian cites the real professionalism and 'family' values that the business has If he hadn’t become a leader for Gleeds Americas, Ian believes he would have loved to become a pilot. In the Air Training Corps (ATC) as a youngster who desperately wanted to learn to fly and join the RAF, he soon realised that without perfect vision, becoming a fighter pilot was not an option. Instead, he found a love for building through his grandfather who was an Architect for GWR.
When he’s not acting as VP to the US business, outside of work he is passionate about rugby, switching to a keen Saracens supporter following the demise of Wasps. He is however hopeful that they will return to top-flight rugby shortly! Alongside reading and visiting the theatre, Ian enjoys working on home improvements, cars, and pinball machines.