DataBank Amplifies ESG Strategy with the Appointment of Sr. Director of Sustainability

CIOReview | Friday, November 4, 2022

Jenny Gerson Provides her ESG Expertise to Help DataBank Reach Net Zero Carbon by 2030

Dallas, TX – DataBank, a leading provider of enterprise-class colocation, connectivity, and managed services, announces the appointment of Jenny Gerson as Sr. Director, Sustainability, responsible for creating and implementing DataBank’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategy. A key focus for Ms. Gerson is working closely with the team to reach the company’s goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030 – as directed by DataBank’s parent company DigitalBridge. In addition, Ms. Gerson will oversee areas across ESG, such as diversity, employee engagement, health and safety initiatives, business ethics, cyber security, risk management, and a robust governance structure. Gerson is currently conducting a materiality assessment to engage internal and external stakeholders and determine the high priority ESG topics that impact DataBank.

“I am thrilled to be a part of DataBank’s core team and leading the company’s ESG initiatives and data-driven strategy,” commented Gerson. “With a heightened level of transparency and the full support of the DataBank leadership team, DataBank is strongly positioned to meet our ESG objectives, create an enriching and valuable workplace, and help transition the world to a more sustainable future.”

DataBank affirmed its commitment to addressing climate change by becoming a founding member of the historic Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) Climate Accord earlier this year. DataBank and 70 other organizations, including AWS, Google, Meta, and Microsoft, pledged to accelerate the digital infrastructure industry’s journey to carbon neutrality.

Ms. Gerson continued, “We live in a changing world, with new threats to business and humanity. ESG is a way to identify, mitigate, and turn some of those threats into opportunities in a very transparent and accountable way. It is meant to be a very dynamic and collaborative process - to have a full-fledged view of what is impactful to our company and what we can affect and focus on to improve.”

Gerson and her team recently completed the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) real estate sustainability assessment, which benchmarks publicly available ESG performance data to improve business intelligence, industry engagement, and decision-making.

Before joining DataBank, Gerson was the Director of Sustainability for Maxar Technologies, a global space infrastructure and earth intelligence company, where she ran the company’s ESG strategy and programs. From 2014-2021, Jenny led energy and environmental management, corporate sustainability, and M&A integrations at Zayo Group. Gerson’s background includes cleantech market research, environmental permitting for energy development, and ecological studies for research institutions.