Ex-Vodafone chief executive Nick Read has been appointed chair of the board at data center company nLighten.

European Edge data center firm nLighten said Read will support the company's strategic plans on the continent and help drive commercial growth for the business.

Founded in 2021, nLighten has grown its footprint to 34 data centers, located in the UK, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and Belgium.

The company acquired seven data centers from sister company Exa Infrastructure last year, where Read also serves as chair of the board, a position he was appointed to in 2023.

"The increasing demand for Edge computing and sustainable data center solutions presents a unique opportunity, and nLighten is well-positioned to lead in this space," said Read. "I look forward to collaborating with the team to drive nLighten’s continued innovation and growth.”

Read spent four years at the helm of Vodafone before departing at the end of 2022.

He has worked in the telecoms industry for more than 20 years, which nLighten highlighted as a massive boost as it attempts to scale to new locations in Europe.

Read also currently serves as senior advisor to Global Infrastructure Partners (now part of BlackRock), is a consultant to I Squared Capital, and non-executive director at Booking Holdings Inc., Radius Global Infrastructure, and Oak Consortium.

“His leadership experience in telecoms and digital infrastructure, combined with his track record in business transformation, will be invaluable as we continue to grow and evolve our platform. We look forward to working with him," added Harro Beusker, CEO and founder, nLighten.

nLighten, owned by I Squared Capital's ISQ Global Infrastructure Fund III, launched in 2023.

The company acquired its 10 initial data centers in Germany from Exa Infrastructure (another I Squared Capital company). The company then took over French operator Euclyde Data Centers, taking over six facilities across the country. After purchasing a Dutch data center in Amsterdam, it then acquired UK Edge firm Proximity in September, taking over a further 10 facilities.