From securing key worker status during the pandemic to helping achieve Critical National Infrastructure designation, CyrusOne's Director, Emma Fryer, has played a central role in raising the data centre sector’s political profile.
Emma Fryer entered public affairs almost by accident. In 2010, while working in sustainability, she was asked to help the data centre sector explain to government why “consolidating activity into large facilities is more energy efficient than leaving it distributed in cupboards and server rooms.” Fifteen years later, she has become one of the sector’s most recognisable policy voices.
At CyrusOne, that role now spans advocacy, regulation and community engagement across Europe.
CyrusOne is one of the world’s leading data centre operators and developers, providing the digital infrastructure underpinning cloud computing, AI and online services. As governments grapple with energy demand, resilience and planning reform, data centres have become increasingly politically significant — despite remaining poorly understood outside the sector.
For Fryer, that gap between perception and reality is central to her work. Environmental permitting remains the issue that concerns her most. “The policies weren’t designed with data centres in mind,” she says, meaning that regulations are often “a poor fit for this industry” despite the “very serious” consequences of getting them wrong.
“I’ve learned more since I’ve been In-House than in any other job.”
Her experience gives her unusual authority in the field. Before joining CyrusOne in 2024, she spent more than a decade at techUK representing data centre operators collectively, helping secure major policy wins including a Climate Change Agreement for the sector in 2013 and key worker status during the pandemic — advocacy that ultimately contributed to the sector being recognised as Critical National Infrastructure in 2024.
That technical grounding shapes her approach to in-house advocacy. “I have the privilege of working with the people who design, build and operate our extraordinary facilities,” she says, giving her direct access to “an incredible range of technical expertise.” In a fast-moving sector, she adds, “I’ve learned more since I’ve been in-house than in any other job.”
One piece of advice has remained constant throughout her career: “Speak truth to power.”
Her leadership philosophy is similarly practical. “Would your Granny/Aunt/Mum understand what you’re trying to say?” she asks when reviewing advocacy work — a test designed to ensure clarity in an industry often dominated by technical jargon. She also believes “the best is the enemy of the good,” warning against perfectionism that slows delivery.
Outside work, her interests reveal the same mixture of curiosity and precision that characterises her advocacy. She maintains a large garden with “22 raised beds,” enjoys “angry weeding” as stress relief, and describes herself as “a bit of a closet vexillologist” with a love of flags and cryptic crosswords.
Her wider intellectual influences are equally distinctive — from Cicero to polar explorers such as Ernest Shackleton and Roald Amundsen, admired for leadership, rigour and resilience under pressure.
Quick-fire Q&A
How did you start in public affairs?
“By accident… helping the sector explain itself to government.”
What policy issue keeps you up at night?
“Environmental permitting.”
What’s the appeal of in-house advocacy?
“Access to extraordinary technical expertise.”
Proudest achievement?
“Securing key worker status and a Climate Change Agreement.”
Best piece of advice?
“Speak truth to power.”
Leadership philosophy?
“Would your Granny understand what you’re trying to say?”
Best Westminster experience?
“Lying on the floor of Westminster Hall looking at the roof.”
How do you unwind?
“Gardening, flags and cryptic crosswords.”
Favourite film?
“Some Like It Hot.”
Which historical figures inspire you?
“Cicero, Shackleton, Amundsen and John Rae.”
Book that shaped your thinking?
“The Hitch-hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.”
Song that sums up your approach to life?
“Bach’s Coffee Cantata.”
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