Hamburg, 12 January 2022: The Sustainable Digital Infrastructure Alliance (SDIA) has appointed Daan Terpstra as new Chief Executive to succeed CEO Max Schulze in January as the organization restructures to focus on accelerating cross industry collaboration within its Steering Groups to drive sustainable solutions in the digital sector.
The SDIA’s new CEO comes with a wealth of knowledge including a Masters degree in political science, and extensive experience gained within the energy sector, including roles at Vattenfall and Board Member at Energy Storage NL.
He is committed to bringing together all digital stakeholders to transform the digital economy, making it future- proof and sustainable, transparently reporting progress, and educating governments and society on realizing members' vision of a Sustainable Digital Economy.
Max Schulze, SDIA's Founder, and outgoing CEO says, “I am delighted to welcome Daan as CEO, as he has shown an excellent capability to distill the needs of the SDIA for future growth of the community. I will be focusing on the success of our Steering Groups, as this will enable me to innovate, connect with members, and work on the goals of the SDIA by unlocking the business case in sustainability.”
Throughout his professional career, Terpstra has dedicated himself to the well-being of people and the planet, and is committed to creating a positive future for the next generation.
“A sustainable digital economy, balancing people, planet and profit, is the only viable path forward to allow our children, and their children’s children, to enjoy a sustained way of living on this planet. The SDIA will continue to work to enable and ensure a sustainable digital infrastructure that underpins a sustainable economy .” Terpstra said in a statement.
Co-based in Germany and the Netherlands, the SDIA started with a bold idea and a few people in the city of Hamburg in 2019. Over the past three years, the SDIA has gained significant traction internationally in creating collaboration across industry boundaries towards achieving environmental and social sustainability targets. To date, 66 members from across all digital sectors have joined the SDIA on this path, committed to working on SDIA Roadmap.
“The SDIA Roadmap captures all the actions that the digital sector must take to reach environmental and social sustainability targets. As a community, the SDIA has set the metrics and targets that demonstrate positive impact.” Terpstra points out.
He also highlights the importance that the Steering Groups will have in 2022 for implementing SDIA’s Roadmap.
Steering Groups advance the Roadmap to a Sustainable Digital Infrastructure by 2030, by overseeing the SDIAs execution of the roadmap activities and providing feedback from industry and research.
Members within each Steering Group come together to focus on specific outcomes addressing key challenges, identifying solutions, initiatives, and areas for further research.
“By bringing Steering Groups to the heart of our organization, we pivot the organization to drive a measurable reduction in the environmental impact of the digital economy whilst creating new economic opportunities.” Terpstra noted.
As a nonprofit organization, SDIA is a platform for accelerating continuous progress to catalyze the transition to a sustainable digital economy. The SDIA brings together stakeholders from across industries and fields, both public and private, to realize its Roadmap to Sustainable Digital Infrastructure by 2030.
About SDIA
Established in 2019, SDIA is a non-profit network of more than 60 organizations working to catalyze the transition to sustainable digital infrastructure. It aligns all actors of the digital ecosystem – from industry to governments to suppliers to consumers – on the mission of decarbonizing the global digital economy and realizing their Roadmap to Sustainable Digital Infrastructure by 2030. Schulze: “We aim to promote an environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable digital economy. At the same time, we highlight the growth of the global digital infrastructure sector, which is on par with the aviation industry when it comes to carbon emissions.”
Media Contact
Julia Trzcińska, Director of Marketing Communications - SDIA [email protected].
