At Black & White, we believe that our corporate success is deeply intertwined with the well-being of the communities we serve. As part of our culture, we actively seek and encourage employee feedback to help us grow our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives and make meaningful contributions to local communities.

Newcastle Office’s Volunteering Program

In our Newcastle Office, Marxileni Macasaet-Lapuz, Senior Sustainability Consultant has taken the lead in launching a volunteering program, embodying our commitment to community engagement. Supported by the business, this program has seen our dedicated employees contribute their time and effort in various impactful ways, including:

• Working in local charity shops
• Mentoring students to prepare them for interviews and full-time employment

We’re incredibly proud of our team members who go above and beyond to make a difference. Their dedication and enthusiasm are truly inspiring and set a standard for community involvement.

Catherine Allen’s Workshop at St Columba’s Hospice Care

This week, Caff Allen, Global L&D Director exemplified our CSR values by taking the initiative to run a facilitation workshop with the wonderful volunteers at St Columba’s Hospice Care. The workshop, titled ‘Making Choices for the Future,’ is an informative, compassionate, and human approach to empowering individuals to understand their future care planning options.

Caff’s efforts not only reflect our company’s values but also highlight the significant impact our employees can make. We are grateful for Caff’s contribution and look forward to hearing about the positive outcomes from this workshop as it is shared with local businesses and organisations.

Our Commitment to Making a Difference

At Black & White, our team are supported in seeking opportunities to make a difference in the local communities where we operate. It was a real privilege this week to see our values in action through the facilitation workshop at St Columba’s Hospice Care.

We remain committed to fostering a culture of giving back and making a positive impact, driven by the passion and dedication of our incredible team members.

Thank you, Caff, Xye, Ram and all our volunteers, for being part of this meaningful journey. Your efforts are a testament to the strength of our community spirit and our collective ability to create a better future for all.

Black & White is excited to announce its strategic partnership with Waterland Private Equity, a world-leading independent investment group.  Waterland is an independent private equity investment company that supports entrepreneurs and family businesses with their growth ambitions and is a key ally for successful companies in dynamic markets, assisting with growth through acquisitions, financing, and organisational support. Waterland operates in 11 countries across Europe, including the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Ireland, France, Spain and Poland.

The Black & White business today employs over 500 people and works with 110 clients across 23 countries. Waterland’s investment represents an exciting opportunity to further enhance our already impressive track record and accelerate on the timelines set for our strategic growth targets. With Waterland as a strategic partner, we aim to broaden support for customers across both new geographies and through widening our engineering offering with new specialisms. This will be delivered through a combination of organically broadening our footprint into new territories and pursuing strategic acquisitions across Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa.

Mick Cairns, our CEO and founder of Black & White, will remain integral to the business, continuing as CEO alongside the Black & White leadership team. A cornerstone of our success lies in the culture the leadership team have fostered within the business and the calibre of talent this has attracted. This culture of excellence will be preserved. The Black & White leadership team will all be remaining with the businesses following the partnership with Waterland, underpinning the importance of loyalty and continuity.

Commenting on the acquisition, Mick Cairns, Founder of Black & White said: “Black & White has grown hugely since the business was founded and I could not be prouder of our team, who have helped us to reach this huge milestone in our journey. We are delighted to be partnering with Waterland and leveraging their track record of international growth and acquisition experience. We are looking forward to supercharging the momentum we have built with Waterland acting as a hands-on partner, which supports our vision and ambitions.”

Wendy McMillan, Partner at Waterland Private Equity, commented: “Mick Cairns is an impressive entrepreneur who has built an outstanding business. We look forward to supporting Mick and the senior team in this next chapter and will continue to back their philosophy of investing in people and working together with the best talent to create a global leader in engineering for the data centre market. We will be leveraging our network and expertise in acquisitions and international expansion to help Black & White reach the next level and we are looking forward to seeing what the future holds for the business.”

We are thrilled to announce Wyn Turnbull’s promotion to Global Technical Director. Over the past six years, Wyn has been instrumental in enhancing our Technical Authority, significantly improving quality and efficiency through knowledge sharing mechanisms, technical research, documentation, technical tools, and standardisation of the Black & White product.

The Technical Authority, under Wyn’s leadership, has adeptly managed our business’s technical challenges, providing a robust platform to elevate our capabilities. Maintaining our high standards of technical expertise enables Black & White to continue to meet our clients’ needs and support our growth.

Congratulations, Wyn, on this well-deserved promotion!

We are thrilled to share a remarkable achievement from one of our own graduates, Omran Alawadhi, who recently clinched his first gold medal at the Emirates Junior Powerlifting Championships 2024 and shattered a national record in the process. This incredible feat not only highlights his dedication and perseverance but also serves as a source of inspiration for us all.

In his own words, he reflected on the journey that led him to this momentous achievement: “Out of the many times I competed, I ended up last place more than once. It was crushing, it would’ve been very easy to just stop, find something else because this is clearly not working out, right? Wrong! I decided to not be satisfied with mediocrity, and push through that mental block that absolutely loves the comfort zone. The comfort zone is just another name for the graveyard of dreams and aspirations, and it was too early for me to visit that cemetery. It’s disgraceful for the soul to give up when the body is still going strong.”

His words resonate deeply with the essence of resilience and determination. Despite facing setbacks and challenges along the way, he refused to succumb to mediocrity and instead chose to push beyond his limits, ultimately emerging victorious.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Omran on this remarkable achievement. His triumph not only brings honour to himself but also fills us with immense pride as members of the Black & White family.

His journey reminds us that success is not always immediate, and setbacks are simply stepping stones on the path to greatness.

Congratulations once again to Omran on his outstanding achievement. Here’s to continued success and countless more victories in the future!

 

We are thrilled to announce that we have welcomed our 500th team member to the Black & White family!

We’re proud to have such a diverse and dedicated team, and we look forward to achieving new milestones together.

Join us in welcoming our newest team member, Abhishek Kumar, Revit/Cad Technician in our New Delhi team, and celebrating this incredible achievement!

 

Black & White Engineering’s recent expansion to Paris signifies a major step forward in the Data Centre industry. This move showcases our dedication to strategic growth and delivering excellence. Established officially in September 2020, the Paris office is now firmly entrenched in the Western European market, focusing on business development in France and French-speaking regions while supporting new regional projects.

Opportunities

Black & White Engineering SAS, our Paris stronghold, strategically positions itself within the business landscape of the French capital. Stemming from our UK presence, this expansion has led to six Data Centre projects in the Paris region and nurtured partnerships with local engineering companies in France.

Broadening partnerships and reinforcing existing relationships are pivotal for our agility and design reputation. This initiative opens doors for engaging new clients seeking innovative Data Centre solutions. Our commitment to international development underscores our alignment with local culture and regulations, allowing us to tap into the rapidly increasing local market.

Team and Operations

Combining local insights with global expertise, Black & White Paris focuses on daily operational support, business development, networking, and service delivery. Participation in industry events and networking engagements amplifies our presence. Meanwhile, legal processes and local service contracts streamline our operations.

Future plans involve recruiting a Project Manager/Project Director to bolster operations and support the UK team. Leveraging local partnerships remains crucial in delivering tailored engineering solutions meeting market needs.

Future Plans

With support from leadership and global teams, the Paris office has achieved significant milestones. Plans include securing a strategic co-working space and recruiting project management and MEP Engineer roles by 2024. Our presence in France also paves the way for potential expansion into other European countries and Africa.

Black & White’s expansion into Paris highlights our strategic planning and commitment to client success. This milestone marks the beginning of our journey to expand, achieve project management independence in France, discover new clients, and explore the vibrant French and European markets.

We extend our gratitude to our clients, partners, and colleagues, as we announce the opening of our new Black & White office in the West End area of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. 

The data centre markets in both Frankfurt and Berlin have seen significant growth for Black & White in the past few years, and our data centre business continues to go from strength to strength in the region. To enable us to continue supporting our clients and partners in Germany even more effectively, our new office in Frankfurt will assist in our continued expansion and future growth strategies. 

Steven Horn, Director, UK/Europe, stated: 

“Thanks to the continued support of our clients, partners, and Black & White one global team, the data centre sector in Germany continues to be one of our largest markets so strategically, it made perfect sense for us to open our first office in Germany in Frankfurt. The aim is to continue to grow the Black & White business in country and further enhance our offering and service to our clients and partners.” 

Charlie Bater, Director, Data Centres, added: 

“With Germany soon becoming the first European country with two major data centre regions, Frankfurt and Berlin continue to be key markets for Black & White with projects under construction and on Black & White’s drawing board approaching a total planned capacity of 1GWIT. Our clients and partners have been instrumental in this success over the last few years and our new office location in Frankfurt enables us to be closer to them, the projects we’re delivering and allows us to continue to support the large demand for data centre capacity in Germany.” 

As we expand our global presence, this strategic move underscores our commitment to delivering innovative engineering solutions and advancing meaningful collaborations in the heart of Europe. We look forward to forging new partnerships and contributing to the region’s built environment.