Mark Pont appointed CEO to drive ADC national growth in AI era

Australian Data Centres has appointed former global Microsoft Cloud and AI executive Mark Pont as its Chief Executive Officer to oversee the company's expansion beyond Canberra and into other Australian markets.

Mark Pont brings significant international experience to the role, particularly in data centre development and the management of large-scale cloud infrastructure projects. With his appointment, the company aims to attract new global customers and industry partners as part of an ambitious national growth strategy.

ADC's Executive Chairman, Rob Kelly, highlighted Pont's qualifications for the position and anticipated impact on the company's future direction.

"Mark's international and Australian credentials make him an ideal candidate to lead ADC's next growth phase. He, supported by other yet to be announced highly credentialed members of his senior leadership team, will provide the industry capability and experience required to position ADC as a leader in specialised technical infrastructure and sovereign capability,"

Kelly said.

Prior to joining ADC, Pont held global responsibility at Microsoft for site selection, design, delivery, and expansion of Microsoft Azure cloud region infrastructure. His work included managing multi-billion dollar programmes entailing the deployment of both hyperscale and edge data centres across multiple regions.

Pont was notably involved in overseeing Microsoft's USD $5 billion two-year investment to expand its hyperscale cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure in Australia. This project was designed to enable greater adoption of cloud and AI services in both government and business sectors across the country.

Pont also brings further executive leadership experience from both international and local technology organisations. His expertise spans hyperscale cloud environments, artificial intelligence, and highly specialised data centre infrastructure. According to the company, this background equips him to lead multi-billion dollar infrastructure projects that align with ADC's business objectives.

On accepting the role, Pont reflected on ADC's standing in the Australian market and its future opportunities.

"I saw an opportunity to join an agile, Australian organisation - one that is well positioned to respond to the rapidly evolving needs of AI and Hyperscale cloud technology providers. With ADC's deep industry expertise and focus on sovereign ownership, it is positioned to deliver next-generation data centre services at scale to meet the significant market demand. As for what is next, it really is a matter of watching this space,"

Pont said.

The company noted Pont will be supported by a senior leadership team, with several appointments yet to be announced. ADC is aiming to leverage the collective experience of this team to strengthen its market presence and address increasing demand for specialised and sovereign technical infrastructure.

Australian Data Centres remains headquartered in Canberra and describes itself as the only fully Australian-owned and operated organisation in its sector. With growing emphasis on domestic ownership and control of data infrastructure, the appointment of Pont is intended to further position the company to meet requirements for sovereignty, security, and advanced technology capability in the Australian market.

Pont's leadership is set to guide ADC through its next phase, focusing on expanding the company's geographical and customer footprint and addressing the increasing needs of customers seeking large-scale data centre, cloud computing, and AI support within Australia's borders.