Vertiv names former president Giordano Albertazzi as new CEO
Critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions provider Vertiv has announced Giordano Albertazzi has assumed the role of CEO, and was appointed to the Board of Directors.
As CEO, Albertazzi will aim to increase Vertiv’s relentless customer focus as it addresses the infrastructure and business needs of the data centre, communication networks and industrial applications.
“I’m honoured to take the helm of Vertiv as CEO,” said Albertazzi. “I’m looking forward to working closely with our leadership team and employees around the world to continue to increase the value we create for our customers, further strengthen our financial performance and create long-term value for our shareholders.
“As I’ve shared with Vertiv employees, we will work to achieve our full potential by focusing on building a high-performance culture of collaboration and innovation; institutionalising operational excellence and execution; and ultimately delivering profitable growth and improved cash flow.”
Albertazzi assumes the CEO role at a time of continued strong demand across Vertiv’s data centre end markets. The company reported a record order backlog of US$4.7bn as of the end of the third quarter of 2022.
Vertiv announced its CEO succession plan in October 2022 and since then Albertazzi assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer, working closely with former CEO Rob Johnson, ensuring a seamless transition.
In addition to becoming CEO, Albertazzi will also continue in his position as President, Americas, until a successor is named. In connection with Albertazzi transitioning out of the COO role, operational oversight will reside with regional Presidents to further focus on regional performance.
Experience of working in critical infrastructure industry
In August, Albertazzi spoke to Technology Magazine about his 20 years working in the critical infrastructure industry and Vertiv’s plans for the future.
“We’re operating in an exceptionally technologically focused time when innovation is critical, and we’re leading the pack in terms of product engineering excellence, technology innovation and thinking differently about serving our customers, for example with strategic alliances,” he said at the time. “Our customers turn to us for new solutions that can meet their ambitious energy efficiency and carbon neutrality targets.
“We recently launched a new feature for uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems that gives data centre operators the ability to interact with the grid and leverage renewable energy sources. This gives us the chance to be part of a bigger renewable and carbon-neutral value proposition by using UPS management and controls to offer the necessary energy to manage critical IT loads.”
Dave Cote, Executive Chairman at Vertiv, stated: “With more than two decades of operational and business experience at Vertiv and a track record of performance in both Europe and the Americas, Giordano is the right person to drive Vertiv forward. He was instrumental in driving significant operational and financial improvements while leading EMEA, and in the ongoing turnaround of the Americas. He understands how to build and maintain a high-performing culture. Giordano’s operational expertise and deep understanding of Vertiv’s business and customers will be pivotal in driving continued performance improvement while navigating macroeconomic uncertainty.”
