Jonathan BerneyCOO, Chayora Limited
Jonathan Berney had more than 30 years of international business experience in technology, finance, and property before creating Chayora along with his two fellow founders. He worked as an analyst with Cazenove in London, was CEO of .com, head of implementation of an early mobile commerce platform, and more recently was a regional managing partner with EC Harris helping organizations with business-critical assets transform and outsource including the development of mission-critical data centers across Asia. Jonathan also spent three years with Gemini Consulting as part of the Capgemini Group focusing on helping organizations transform their people, technology, and physical assets.
What technology breakthrough would pave the way for the ICT industry?
I think the wholesale adoption of AI will mean that the ICT industry will adapt faster and also develop new ways of enhancing user experiences with greater efficiency. AI becoming pervasive in applications, in ICT management, and in customer interfaces will mean that the industry transforms.
If one thing should be redeveloped within the telecom and related industries, what should it be?
I think inevitably, as a result of telecoms and associated industries becoming more pervasive, the regulatory environment will undoubtedly need to be redeveloped and made for purpose. If you were to ask me about the physical elements of telecoms then, clearly there is a need to align geographical standards of performance as always on, everywhere, means that we expect the same infrastructure performance everywhere. I wish we didn’t have WiFi on planes though!
What network-related development will have the greatest impact in our industry?
Clearly, 5G will be a huge development and will enable the consistency of performance of the core infrastructure, and as long as we have one standard globally, this will have a huge impact. In addition, because of the significant capital requirements, the non-network investment requirements may well open up new and interesting investment opportunities.
What value does PTC hold for you/your company?
It provides an effective networking, communication, and learning platform.
What would you share with those interested in becoming a PTC Member?
I would say that being a member and in particular attending the PTC Annual Conference in January in Hawaii, is one of the best routes to engaging with the telecoms community that we have come across.
What advice would you share with current and future graduates interested in this field?
I would say that the industry is at the heart of the technology revolution and being part of this means that you are contributing to a new age of economic development, the likes of which was last seen when the railways were being built. It welcomes all skills from strategy to engineering to marketing to legal to PR as it is a complete and pervasive industry.
What industry mogul or up-and-coming leader have you followed or are currently following, and why?
Bevan Slattery, who I think has proven that entrepreneurship and innovation should not only be respected but welcomed by our industry. Elon Musk, who proves having a forthright goal and drive without compromise gets you to some extraordinary places in our industry.
About Chayora:
Chayora is a world-class infrastructure developer based in Hong Kong with a primary focus on building data center platforms in China. Chayora is developing a series of hyperscale, fully-licensed data center campuses in key locations across China: initially in Tianjin to serve the greater Beijing and northern provinces; and in Shanghai to serve the eastern provinces. Each campus will involve over USD 1BN investment when complete and have c.300MW power and deliver 20,000 to 30,000 racks.
Chayora enables international online companies to effectively access the vast and rapidly developing Chinese market. We provide the fastest, most reliable, and assured route to your business engagement in China.
