About Digital Realty


We Build and Operate Your Data Center Like You Would


Your decision to engage with a data center provider is a commitment to a long term relationship. Since your new facility will house your company’s core applications, selecting the right data center alternative should be viewed as a strategic business decision. Digital Realty understands the unique obligations of this relationship. That is why we’ve structured our products and operations to align with the needs of your firm.

At Digital Realty our business is built on four customer
focused tenets:

  • A data center is a business solution—not just a technical asset.
  • We align our business to support your business.
  • What happens after the sale is as important as what happens before it. Maybe more.
  • Our expertise enables you to focus on the core requirements of your business.


Mike Foust Chief Executive Officer and Director Play Video


Who We Are

Data Center Solutions

Digital Realty, Inc. focuses on delivering customer driven data center solutions by providing secure, reliable and cost effective facilities that meet each customer's unique data center needs. Digital Realty's customers include domestic and international companies across multiple industry verticals ranging from information technology and Internet enterprises, to manufacturing and financial services. Digital Realty's 102 properties, excluding three properties held as investments in unconsolidated joint ventures, comprise approximately 19.1 million square feet as of February 27, 2012, including 2.4 million square feet of space held for redevelopment. Digital Realty's portfolio is located in 31 markets throughout Europe, North America, Singapore and Australia. Additional information about Digital Realty is included in the Company Overview, which is available on the Investors page of Digital Realty's website at http://investor.digitalrealty.com.

A Financially Secure Partner


Digital Realty is a publically traded company (NYSE: DLR) with investment grade ratings from all three major ratings agencies. What this means to you is the following:



  • An enduring partnership: Our financial strength and stability provide you the assurance that Digital Realty will be your data center partner for your current data center needs and those in the future.

  • We complete what we start: Digital Realty’s robust financial structure enables us to avoid potential pitfalls to complete each every project we start.

  • We have a long-term strategy: We view each of our properties as a long-term investment to ensure that the lease you commence with us concludes with us.

  • A consistent price: Digital Realty provides you with a risk free data center solution through our guaranteed program which ensures that the rates specified in your lease are the only rates you’ll pay.

  • More access to capital for your data center: Our investment credit ratings provide us access to paths for more capital.

Click on the links below to learn more about our investment grade ratings:






Our Data Center Customers


Over 10% of Fortune's Global 200 companies rely on Digital Realty to provide solutions for their data center requirements. Our customers include leading media, financial services, communications and technology-based businesses.




A Common Green Strategy


Sustainability and corporate requirements make the need for a proven green strategy an essential requirement for your data center provider. At Digital Realty, our data centers are built to meet LEED certification standards in the United States and Asia Pacific and the BREEAM standard in Europe. Our commitment to green product development aligns with your own corporate strategy to simplify your data center decision.

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Executive Bios



Dennis E. Singleton


Chairman

Dennis E. Singleton has served as a director since 2004. Mr. Singleton is currently the Chairman of our Board, Chair of our Compensation Committee and a member of our Audit Committee. Mr. Singleton was a founding partner of Spieker Partners, the predecessor of Spieker Properties, Inc., one of the largest owners and operators of commercial property on the west coast prior to its $7.2 billion acquisition by Equity Office Properties Trust in 2001. Mr. Singleton served as Chief Financial Officer and Director of Spieker Properties, Inc. from 1993 to 1995, Chief Investment Officer and Director from 1995 to 1997 and Vice Chairman and Director from 1998 until his retirement in 2001. During his tenure, Mr. Singleton was involved in identifying and analyzing strategic portfolio acquisition and operating opportunities and oversaw the acquisition and development of more than 20 million square feet of commercial property. From 2001 to the present, Mr. Singleton has managed personal investments in real estate. Mr. Singleton is currently a member of the board of directors and serves on the audit and compensation committees of BRE Properties, Inc., which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Mr. Singleton received a Bachelor of Science degree from Lehigh University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School.

Mike Foust

Michael F. Foust


Chief Executive Officer and Director

Michael F. Foust has served as our Chief Executive Officer and as a director since our inception. Mr. Foust is a founder of GI Partners and served as a managing director of GI Partners’ advisor from its inception in February 2001 until our initial public offering. During his tenure at GI Partners, Mr. Foust directed technical property acquisitions and portfolio management. Mr. Foust has over 26 years of experience in institutional real estate investments and portfolio management. Prior to the founding of GI Partners, from 1999 to 2001, he was a senior director at CB Richard Ellis Investors. From 1995 to 1999, Mr. Foust was a Senior Vice President at CB Richard Ellis, where he managed regional asset services operations. During the period from 1985 to 1995, Mr. Foust held senior portfolio management and investment positions at UBS Asset Management, Karsten Realty Advisors and Trammell Crow Company. Prior to his real estate career, from 1979 to 1985, Mr. Foust participated in the origination of two related international telecommunications companies, Consortium Communications International and Progressive Systems Inc. The companies provided message switching and turn-key networks for multinational corporations. Mr. Foust received a Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude from Harvard University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School.

William Stein

A. William Stein


Chief Financial Officer & Chief Investment Officer

A. William Stein joined GI Partners as a consultant in April 2004 and has served as our Chief Financial Officer, Chief Investment Officer and Secretary since July 2004. Mr. Stein has over 30 years of investment, financial and operating management experience in both large company environments and small, rapidly growing companies. Prior to joining our Company, Mr. Stein provided turnaround management advice to both public and private companies. From 2000 to 2001, Mr. Stein served as Co-Head of VentureBank@PNC and Media and Communications Finance at The PNC Financial Services Group where he was responsible for directing the delivery of PNC’s products and services to VentureBank’s high technology and emerging growth client base. Before joining PNC, Mr. Stein was President and Chief Operating Officer of TriNet Corporate Realty Trust, a real estate investment trust, or REIT, that was acquired by Starwood Financial Trust (now called iStar Financial) in late 1999. Prior to being named President of TriNet, Mr. Stein was Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary. TriNet’s portfolio consisted of office, industrial and retail properties throughout the U.S. Before joining TriNet in 1995, Mr. Stein held a number of senior investment and financial management positions with Westinghouse Electric, Westinghouse Financial Services and Duquesne Light Company. Mr. Stein practiced law for eight years, specializing in financial transactions and litigation. Mr. Stein is a member of the board of directors of Wesdome Gold Mines LTD, a public company traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Mr. Stein received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University, a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Science degree with Distinction from the Graduate School of Industrial Administration at Carnegie Mellon University.

Scott Peterson

Scott E. Peterson


Chief Acquisitions Officer

Scott E. Peterson is our Chief Acquisitions Officer responsible for acquisition activities and has served in such role since November 2010. Prior to this role, Mr. Peterson served as our Senior Vice President, Acquisitions since October 2004. Mr. Peterson was a managing director of GI Partners from August 2002 until October 2004. While at GI Partners, Mr. Peterson was responsible for property acquisitions with an emphasis on technical properties. Mr. Peterson has over 24 years of real estate experience and was most recently a Senior Vice President with GIC Real Estate, the real estate investment entity for the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation, from May 1994 to August 2002. Previously, Mr. Peterson was active in investments, development and asset management with LaSalle Partners, a real estate services company, and Trammell Crow Company, a real estate developer. Mr. Peterson received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Northwestern University.


David Caron

David J. Caron


Senior Vice President of Portfolio Management

David J. Caron has served as our Senior Vice President of Portfolio Management since February 2009. Mr. Caron joined our Company in October 2004 as Vice President of portfolio management responsible for the performance of our eastern region. Mr. Caron has over 30 years of experience managing extensive portfolios of commercial properties. From 1992 until joining our Company, Mr. Caron was Vice President of Asset Management at Bank of Boston, where he specialized in the management and disposition of a national portfolio of commercial office and retail properties. Previously, Mr. Caron spent 12 years at John Hancock, where he had various roles in real estate finance for its Tucker Anthony subsidiary and in his last role he was the Vice President of Operations for John Hancock Investment Services. In that role he structured private and public real estate funds and oversaw SEC filings for the funds. Mr. Caron received a Bachelor of Science degree from Northeastern University.

Jim Smith

Jim Smith


Chief Technology Officer

Jim Smith oversees data center development, the company's efficiency & green strategy, and power procurement & energy management. Jim and the Digital Realty team have built and delivered multiple data center projects in North America, Europe and APAC. This portfolio includes the industry's first LEED Gold certified data center and the UK’s first BREEAM certified Excellent data center. Jim has a BSc in Chemistry from Fort Lewis College and an MBA from London Business School. He was named an InfoWorld top 25 CTO of 2008.


Fred Potter

Frederick S. Potter


Head of International Operations

Fred Potter is the head of Digital Realty’s International Operations. In that capacity, he is the senior Digital Realty officer responsible for the management and operations of Digital Realty’s international portfolio. Mr. Potter joined Digital Realty’s Finance team in 2006 at the Company’s corporate headquarters in San Francisco. He transferred to Digital Realty’s London office in 2008 where initially he led the Company’s international financing activities, arranging secured debt financing and overseeing European cash management and administration of International Operations. Prior to joining Digital Realty, Fred was the Director of Commercial Development of the Electric Power Research Institute in Palo Alto, CA. In that capacity, Fred was responsible for negotiating commercialization and licensing agreements, business planning for new initiatives and representing EPRI on the boards of various affiliates. Fred has been a vice president of other corporations listed on the New York Stock Exchange and an investment banker. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Columbia University in New York.
Ellen Jacobs

Ellen Jacobs


Senior Vice President of Corporate Services

Ellen Jacobs is Digital Realty’s Sr. Vice President of Corporate Services, responsible for our Human Resource and Enterprise Technology functions. Prior to joining Digital Realty, Ms. Jacobs served in various Vice President of Human Resource positions at Charles Schwab, Advanced Micro Devices, and Continental Grain Company. Ms. Jacobs spent 15 years as a grain trader with Continental Grain, Central Soya and Cargill, Inc. prior to entering the Human Resource field. Ms. Jacobs received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from the University of Colorado – Boulder and an MBA from Northwestern Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
Joshua A. Mills

Joshua A. Mills


Senior Vice President, General Counsel

Mr. Mills joined Digital Realty as General Counsel in April, 2005. Prior to joining Digital Realty, Mr. Mills was a corporate attorney with Latham & Watkins, LLP where his practice included mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and venture capital financing transactions as well as general company representation. Prior to joining Latham & Watkins, Mr. Mills served as Associate General Counsel for McAfee.com Corporation and as an associate with Shearman & Sterling, LLP. Mr. Mills received a B.A. degree from the University of Washington and a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
Edward F. Sham

Edward F. Sham


Senior Vice President and Controller

Edward F. Sham serves as Senior Vice President & Controller for Digital Realty; he joined the company in September 2005. With more than 20 years experience, his previous positions include Vice President & Controller of Catellus Development Corporation, now part of ProLogis ; Controller of Bay Apartment REIT, now Avalon Bay; and O’Connor Realty Advisors. In addition, Mr. Sham was a practicing CPA for Ernst & Young LLP in their real estate group for seven years. Mr. Sham received a B.S. degree from San Francisco State University and is a member of AICPA and California CPA society.
Kris Kumar

Kris Kumar


Senior Vice President & Regional Head, Asia Pacific

Kris Kumar comes to Digital Realty with 28 years of experience in the IT/data center infrastructure, property and marine industries. Immediately prior to joining the Company, Mr. Kumar was the president and co-founder of a specialized consulting and project implementation business that conceptualized, business-planned and delivered facilities and move-in ready data center projects for major corporate enterprises and international telecom and IT companies across the Asia-Pacific region. Mr. Kumar also served as a Marine Engineer in the Indian, British and American Merchant Navy for 10 years. As a Chief Engineer he developed his extensive experience and expertise in critical engineering systems, planning and design engineering for uptime and reliability as well as maintenance systems, processes and procedures. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Marine Engineering (Distinction) and a Postgraduate degree in Facilities Management & Finance from Sydney University.