Leaseweb names Jan Willem des Tombe to lead global ties
Leaseweb has appointed industry veteran Jan Willem des Tombe as Global Strategic Relations Director, as the cloud services provider seeks faster growth and a stronger position in sovereign and hybrid cloud markets.
The Netherlands-based company said des Tombe will lead global strategic relations and work across marketing, communications, sales, partnerships and mergers and acquisitions. The role will focus on Leaseweb's market narrative and on raising its profile among customers and partners.
Leaseweb operates infrastructure and cloud services for businesses worldwide. The company has identified sovereign and hybrid cloud as priority areas as customers reassess data residency, compliance and workload placement across public and private environments.
New strategic remit
Des Tombe will concentrate on shaping how Leaseweb presents its services and strategy in global markets. He will also work with commercial and corporate development teams on growth initiatives.
The company said the appointment supports its ambition to expand its share of the hybrid cloud and sovereign infrastructure market. The move comes as regional regulations and customer requirements drive more interest in locally governed infrastructure and mixed cloud models.
Des Tombe brings more than 20 years of experience across telecommunications, media and technology, software as a service, IT managed services, cloud, workspace and eCommerce. He has held leadership roles in commercial strategy and business transformation.
His previous positions include roles at consumer goods group Reckitt Benckiser and marketing automation firm Tripolis Solutions, which now forms part of Spotler. He also worked at IT services provider KPN Interned Services.
Des Tombe founded and chaired two public-private industry platforms, DHPA, now part of Dutch Cloud Community, and DINL. Both initiatives focused on collaboration between digital infrastructure companies and other stakeholders.
Raising visibility
Leaseweb said the appointment reflects a focus on greater industry recognition for its cloud and infrastructure portfolio. The company has expanded internationally in recent years and now operates data centres and network infrastructure in multiple regions.
Des Tombe said he sees scope for Leaseweb to increase its profile in a crowded hybrid cloud market.
"Leaseweb is one of the best kept secrets in the hybrid cloud industry. The company is sovereign by design, technically strong, globally present and highly adaptable, and has everything it takes to become the global reference in sovereign hybrid cloud. I am excited about the opportunity to make Leaseweb's proposition more visible and differentiated, and to help accelerate growth in today's hybrid cloud landscape," said Jan Willem des Tombe, Global Strategic Relations Director, Leaseweb.
The appointment comes as providers of infrastructure and cloud services compete to define their approach to sovereignty and data governance. Many enterprise and mid-market customers now run workloads across a mix of public cloud platforms, private infrastructure and colocation.
Leadership focus
Leaseweb's leadership said des Tombe's background in building and reshaping technology businesses will be central to its expansion plans.
"We are thrilled to welcome Jan Willem to Leaseweb. His deep industry experience, strategic mindset and proven track record in building and transforming technology organisations will play a vital role in our next phase of growth. His ability to turn market opportunities into commercial momentum aligns perfectly with our ambitions. We look forward to working with him as we continue to strengthen our position as a sovereign hybrid cloud leader," said Boost.
Des Tombe's remit spans internal and external stakeholders. He will work with marketing and communications teams on messaging. He will work with sales and partnership teams on customer and channel relationships. He will also engage with the company's M&A efforts as Leaseweb assesses inorganic growth options.
Global footprint
Leaseweb provides infrastructure services including public cloud, private cloud, dedicated servers, colocation, content delivery networks and cyber security services. It serves around 20,000 customers ranging from small and medium-sized businesses to large enterprises.
The company runs more than 80,000 servers and has supplied infrastructure for websites, internet applications, email services, security workloads and storage since the late 1990s. It operates 28 data centres in Europe, Asia, Australia and North America. The facilities connect to a network with total capacity of more than 10 Tbps.
Leaseweb sells services through regional entities in the Netherlands, the United States, Singapore, Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom, Japan, Hong Kong and Canada. It positions this structure as a way for customers to address regional requirements and work with local teams.
The company has not disclosed detailed financial targets linked to des Tombe's appointment. It has indicated that it views sovereign and hybrid cloud as long-term drivers of growth across its regions.
Des Tombe will now work with Leaseweb's senior leadership on strategic relationships as the company seeks a larger role in global discussions on digital infrastructure and cloud sovereignty.
