JLL has added two experts to its data center team, strengthening its ability to provide specialized expertise to occupier, investor, and developer clients across Europe. Alex Tilly joins the firm as a director, and Martin Carroll will be joining in April 2016 as lead director of the data center group throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

JLL’s EMEA Data Center team provides a full array of services to meet clients’ requirements from acquisition, investment and IT advisory, to research, valuation, and rating.

“Data centers are now a critical aspect of any occupier portfolio, and we see an increasing level of demand for quality advice in this niche asset class,” said Bo Bond, managing director and regional director for Data Center Solutions, JLL Americas. “The addition of Alex and Martin will allow us to further strengthen our data center solutions business internationally and continue to offer value and expertise that ensures our clients’ success.”

Tilley brings an extensive track record in acquisition and investment across the data center sector in Europe. Previous roles include working on CBRE’s data center acquisition team and, most recently, running his own successful data center advisory business, where he worked with global occupiers and institutional investors within the data center sector.

Carroll will bring more than 20 years of experience that includes prior roles both in consultancy and client-side technical real estate. Most recently, he specialized in global data center strategy advice and acquisitions at CBRE. Previously, Carroll was head of network property acquisition for T-Mobile.

“With the number of connected devices expected to increase globally from 6.4 billion in 2016 to over 20 billion by 2020, the amount of data that needs to be processed and stored, along with the demands on corporate IT teams, have never been greater, and it continues to grow,” said Ollie Saunders, Head of JLL’s Alternatives Group. “We are witnessing an increase in demand for data center expertise from clients who want help navigating the unknowns and complexities of this burgeoning area of the market. Our investment in the expertise of Martin and Alex enables us to respond comprehensively to the growing demands of our clients, and places us in a market-leading position.”

The continued demand for data center and IT advisory services is also being driven by innovation in, and increased spending on, cloud services[1]. With consistent growth predicted by JLL in the colocation segment, the data center market is in a constant state of evolution.

“Martin and Alex’s appointments represent an outstanding team with a combined 30 years of experience advising in the data center space,” said John Duckworth, lead director of UK Occupier Services at JLL. “Our clients stand to benefit from our investment in additional cutting-edge expertise and new services, complementing our existing holistic service offer to corporate occupiers, both in the UK and internationally.”