• • • APPOINTMENTS • • •
ertiv announced Frieda He has joined the company as Chief Procurement Officer (CPO). She will lead Vertiv’s global procurement organisation, with a focus on further strengthening supply chain resilience, enabling growth, optimising cost and value and driving supplier quality across the company’s portfolio, including end to end power and thermal management solutions for data centres, communications networks and commercial & industrial applications. Frieda brings nearly two decades of global procurement and supply chain leadership experience across the automotive and electrification businesses. In her most recent role, from December 2023 to March 2026, Frieda served as Chief Procurement Officer and a member of the Group Management Team at Polestar. She oversaw more than $3 billion in annual global spend across direct and indirect materials, supplier quality, R&D industrial programs, cost management and global real estate, while leading cross-functional global teams and driving cost savings, governance and enterprise transformation during periods of industry disruption.
VERTIV APPOINTS FRIEDA HE AS CHIEF PROCUREMENT OFFICER V
“Frieda He is a proven global leader with deep experience building and scaling resilient, sustainable supply chains,” said Gio Albertazzi, Chief Executive Officer, Vertiv. “Her expertise in complex, multinational procurement environments and her track record of driving operational discipline and value creation will be critical as Vertiv continues to scale to meet accelerating demand from AI driven and high density digital infrastructure.” Prior to Polestar, Frieda held a series of senior leadership roles at Volvo Cars, including Vice President, Head of Global Propulsion & Sustainability Procurement, where she led a more than $9 billion annual spend organisation and played a key role in the company’s electrification transformation. Her experience includes managing supply chains through global disruptions, strengthening supplier quality and capability, advancing sustainability and regulatory compliance, and supporting major structural transactions and joint ventures. Earlier in her career, she held procurement and supply chain roles in China and across the Asia Pacific region, building deep expertise in global sourcing, cost engineering, and supplier development.
“I’m excited to join Vertiv at such a transformative moment for the digital infrastructure industry,” said Frieda He. “Vertiv’s role at the centre of the global data centre and critical infrastructure ecosystem presents a unique opportunity to create value through strong partnerships, operational excellence and responsible, resilient supply chains.” Frieda holds bachelor’s degrees in general studies and business/commerce from Northeast Normal University in China, and an Executive MBA from the University of Oxford in England.
https://www.vertiv.com/en-emea
SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC APPOINTS MATTHEW BAYNES AS VICE PRESIDENT OF THE SECURE POWER AND DATA CENTRE DIVISION FOR THE UK AND IRELAND
S
chneider Electric, this year, announced the appointment of Matthew Baynes as Vice
President for the Secure Power and Data Centre division in the UK and Ireland.
As a well-respected figure in the data centre
industry for over two decades, Matthew brings extensive experience across global and regional leadership roles, including global ecosystem management, colocation strategy, multi-country account development and data centre focused commercial growth.
His appointment comes as the UK enters a pivotal phase of accelerated digital infrastructure expansion, driven by rising AI demand, unprecedented data centre construction and government-backed investment in the sector catalysed by the AI Opportunities Action Plan.
A vision aligned to an AI-driven future In his role, Matthew will be responsible for leading Schneider Electric’s Secure Power and Data Centre business across the UK and Ireland, working closely with Schneider Electric’s EcoXpert partners, the IT channel, local authorities and ecosystem stakeholders to ensure the zone is strategically positioned to meet the rapidly increasing requirements for a sustainable, resilient and AI-ready data centre infrastructure. Matthew has spent nearly 20 years driving transformational growth across Schneider
8 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • MAY 2026
Electric’s data centre business. Most recently as Global Vice President for Strategic Partners and Cloud and Service Providers, he led a worldwide team supporting the ecosystem surrounding
major cloud, colocation and hyperscale customers, helping scale the organisation from a small early-stage function into a globally significant operation serving the industry’s largest players. Previously, as Global Colocation Segment
Director, he launched Schneider Electric’s first multi-country targeted account programme, which has since grown into a core pillar of the company’s global strategy. Earlier in his career, Matthew also held senior data centre leadership roles across the UK and Ireland following the APC acquisition in 2007 and spent several years in the Netherlands supporting European operations. He has also contributed to major industry bodies and councils, including techUK and the European Data Centre Association (EUDCA), helping shape policy and encouraging sustainability initiatives alongside long-term industry development. In his new role, Matthew will guide the UK and Irish business through an era defined by AI-driven workloads, sustainability requirements and accelerating infrastructure demand. He will ensure Schneider Electric continues to deliver end-to-end, AI-ready solutions for customers spanning data centres, energy management, power systems, software, services and lifecycle support.
https://www.se.com/uk/en
electricalengieneeringmagazine.co.uk
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