meet me room
Ian Holford – GCHQ
Currently data centre regional operations manager at GCHQ, Ian has held many and varied positions, in a
career spanning over 25 years with the company. Outside of work, Ian is a member of the BCS as well as
both Future Computing Systems Specialist Group and the Data Centre Specialist Group. He has also recently
stepped into the world of speaking/industry presenting and has delivered at several conferences and
private industry events both in UK and abroad.
What is the main motivation in
the work that you do?
For me, the data centre industry
is a fascinating, evolving,
dynamic space. We are faced
with constant change, from a
technology perspective, process
perspective and, from a people
one too.
16 | September 2017
There are more data centre
related jobs for folks these
days than when we simply ran
‘computer halls’ due to the
changes in technology and the
demand for data. It is this that
captivates me. I love learning and
have a real enthusiasm for sharing
that new knowledge with my team,
my colleagues and eventually
end up in a position where I’m
able to give back to the industry
itself. Every year I’m reminded of
how little I know and I hope that
the urge to learn will continue.
I love learning new things and
within our industry there’s such an
abundance to learn.