Kao Data Appoints Kalay Moodley as its New Chief People Officer

• Kalay Moodley joins Kao Data from Digital Realty, following a long-standing and rewarding career leading human resources and HR operations for a host of technology, global data centres, and healthcare businesses.

• Kalay has established an outstanding reputation for building high-performance, multi-disciplined teams, which have delivered consistent, strategic growth across the UK and EMEA.

• As Kao Data’s new Chief People Officer, Kalay will now lead the new talent acquisition, development, and retention processes at Kao Data, and will create the operational framework to support the organisation as it scales into the next-tier markets across the UK and continental Europe.

London, United Kingdom, 7th March 2024 – Kao Data, the specialist developer and operator of data centres engineered for AI and advanced computing, has today announced it has appointed Kalay Moodley as its new Chief People Officer (CPO).

A highly experienced human resources (HR) Director, with an outstanding track record for developing and executing strategic initiatives to accelerate commercial success, Kalay joins Kao Data following a long-standing career in the technology, digital infrastructure, and healthcare sectors, and at a point of exponential growth as Kao Data executes its strategic plans to scale into next-tier hubs across the United Kingdom and Europe.

Born and raised in South Africa – and with HR qualifications from both the University of London and the University of South Africa – Kalay joins Kao Data most recently from Digital Realty, where she led a high-performing team responsible for spearheading the organisation’s recruitment strategy, which resulted in the onboarding of top-tier data centre professionals across the United Kingdom and Europe (EMEA).

As Kao Data’s new Chief People Officer, Kalay will now be responsible for leading Kao Data’s human resources function, embedding new operational frameworks and change management strategies, and harmonising both the company’s talent acquisition and recruitment processes to underpin its strategic growth ambitions.

Further, she will continue to deliver Kao Data’s mission to build a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce in line with its environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments – working with local and national education establishments, for example, to create and nurture new pathways for female engineers to join the data centre sector.

“In just a short space of time, Kao Data has developed an exceptional reputation for sustainability leadership, and its culture, its vision, and the strength of its people, were all integral in my decision to join the organisation,” said Kalay Moodley, Chief People Officer, Kao Data. “I’m delighted to join Kao Data as its new Chief People Officer, and to work with its senior leadership team as we embark on a new phase of growth, where diverse talent, industry leadership and sustainable innovation remain at the heart of the business.”

“At Kao Data, our greatest asset has always been our people, and while we are renowned for both cutting-edge innovation and providing advanced infrastructure that supports next-generation AI workloads, attracting diverse talent, nurturing our existing staff, and inspiring some of the industry’s finest minds is vital to our future,” said Doug Loewe, CEO, Kao Data. “Kalay’s appointment to the senior management team, and her passion for working with high-performance teams to realise their full potential will be integral to our success, and I’m glad to welcome her to Kao Data as our new Chief People Officer.”

Kalay Moodley joins Kao Data as Chief People Officer with immediate effect. To learn more about Kao Data and its teams visit the website.