Data Centre World Asia 2024

Jon Meier is ERM's Regional Commercial Director for Asia and Managing Partner for Asset Retirement Services.  Mr. Meier has been an environmental consultant for over 30 years, the last 22 years based in Japan.  He is focused on providing integrated solutions to safely manage industrial asset conversion and repurposing or retirement of assets depending on client business drivers.  With the fast pace emerging client needs in Asia for additional cloud-based capacity, technology service providers are frenetically seeking to construct Data Centers across the region but are facing challenges in the availability of land assets that meet their strategic development requirements: access to power, water, fibre and geography.  Data Center developers are increasingly looking to pivot away from preferred low-risk green field sites and are increasingly purchasing and then converting industrial assets for future Data Center construction.  Jon has worked on industrial asset conversion and repurposing of manufacturing facilities throughout Asia including Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mainland China, Macao, South Korea, Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, India, and Indonesia. In the past 3 years Mr. Meier has converted 5 industrial assets in Asia specifically for Data Centers.   

Steve is a Senior Partner for ERM in Asia Pacific (based in Bangkok) and has over 30- years experience in Project Management, Waste Engineering and Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) management in Europe and Asia.  He is a Chartered Waste Manager with the United Kingdom’s Institute of Wastes Management.  Mr Duckworth has Project Directed or Managed the delivery of ERM’s EHS/Sustainability services including Site Due-diligence in key sectors including Technology (Data Centres, Real Estate, Logistic Warehouses, Submarine Cables), Power (Onshore and Offshore Wind, Solar, Hydro and Conventional Thermal Plants), Real Estate (Commercial Buildings, Hotels, Logistic Warehouses, Retail Malls, Leisure Parks).  He has led numerous projects for Data Center developments including ERA (Environmental Regulatory Assessment), Site Due-diligence, City-Assessments, and Permitting Support for technology companies in multiple countries including Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Vietnam. 

Rutuja is a Partner at ERM based out of Mumbai. She is the APAC Social Performance Lead. She specializes in social impact assessments, planning and implementation of resettlement and livelihood restoration projects, sustainable finance transactions and labour/human rights due diligence. Rutuja has been involved in the planning and implementation of major capital projects and has interpreted IFC, AIIB, World Bank, ADB, JBIC, EBRD and OPIC environmental and social safeguards requirements (particularly related to land acquisition, community-based impacts, stakeholder engagement and labour) for projects across their lifecycle. Rutuja also leads sustainable finance transactions that pertain to project finance and multilateral investment (direct and through financial intermediaries). Her experience at ERM has given her an exposure to geographies in South Asia; Africa; South-east Asia; East Asia; and CIS countries. 

Seena Dabral is an Associate Partner at ERM, leading Corporate Sustainability and Climate Change Services in Singapore. She has 15 years’ experience advising clients on sustainability, climate change, environmental and social advisory services, drawing on regional and global experience. She’s passionate about creating awareness within the leadership, investors, and developers to integrate climate change within the business as a duty of care. Seena has guided a range of clients in Singapore and within the region on climate change risks spanning across sectors and specifically within energy, transportation, and finance, including working with multi-sectoral clients on international standards including the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and other environmental guidelines and standards.