Zayo Europe appoints Jennifer Smith as CFO amid expansion plans

Zayo Europe has announced the appointment of Jennifer Smith as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). This role was effective as of 16 September 2024 and is part of the strategic development of Zayo Europe as a standalone entity, focusing on its European expansion plans.

Jennifer Smith brings substantial experience to the position. She has previously served on Zayo Europe's advisory board and occupied CFO and other senior finance roles at euNetworks. These experiences have afforded her significant insight into the specific requirements of high-bandwidth customers, which aligns well with Zayo Europe's operational focus.

The company has also expanded its board with the addition of two new members, Simone Bonannini and Pascale Labrecque. Bonannini is an experienced board member with a rich background in the European B2B market, having held positions at Open Fiber and Interoute. Labrecque, a principal at DigitalBridge, has extensive experience in the digital sector across Europe and has also been an observer on Zayo Europe's advisory board.

These new appointments join a board that already includes Jens Schulte-Bockum, Gavin Patterson, William Lindström, Jonathan Friesel, and Per Morten Torvildsen. The strengthening of the board is seen as a way to bolster the company's capabilities as it pursues its growth objectives.

Colman Deegan, CEO of Zayo Europe, commented on the appointments. "I am very excited to welcome Jennifer to the team," he said. "She has a wealth of experience that will be invaluable to me and the rest of the leadership team as we look to maximise the opportunities ahead. I'm also delighted to welcome Simone and Pascale to our board. These leadership appointments reflect our commitment to investing in our world-class team, and growing our state-of-the-art infrastructure in Europe."

Jennifer Smith echoed Deegan's sentiments about her new role. "I'm excited to return to the fast-evolving ecosystem of high-bandwidth infrastructure and to be a part of Zayo Europe's story at this pivotal moment in our growth," Smith stated. "With the recent restructure of our business, Zayo Europe has an incredible opportunity to leverage its European assets and the energy of our European organisation to meet trends like AI and cloud convergence head-on."

Simone Bonannini and Pascale Labrecque are also expected to contribute significantly to Zayo Europe's strategic direction. Bonannini's extensive board experience in the European market, coupled with Labrecque's digital sector expertise, are viewed as valuable assets that will support the company's endeavours to enhance its service offerings and further develop its infrastructure.

The company aims to connect more than 600 data centres via a network that spans over 2.3 million kilometres of fibre, including seven subsea cables and links across 17 metro markets in eight European countries. As the demand for reliable and high-capacity bandwidth continues to grow, Zayo Europe positions itself to meet this demand with innovative solutions for telecom providers, cloud services, data centres, system integrators, and enterprises.

The recent organisational changes, which include the appointment of Jennifer Smith as CFO and the addition of Simone Bonannini and Pascale Labrecque to the board, illustrate Zayo Europe's dedication to expanding its market presence in Europe and enhancing the quality of its infrastructure services.