Our team
Our leadership team forms the cornerstone of Vela’s continued success and ambitious growth. Meet the individuals driving our vision forward, alongside our dedicated board members, as they work to shape the future of subsea cable infrastructure with innovation, expertise, and strategic insight.
“Our mission at Vela is to own and operate a platform of cable landing stations that drive both operational excellence and commercial success for the subsea cable systems we serve.”
Management
Vela’s management team has deep expertise in enabling subsea cable development and building and operating interconnection-focused facilities.
Mike Hollands
Chief Executive Officer
Prior to his appointment as CEO of Vela, Mike was part of the Investments and Acquisitions team at Digital Realty (DLR), with responsibility for New Market Development and a focus on DLR’s expansions in the Mediterranean, Africa, and India. With over 25 years’ experience in the communications sector, Mike has also held positions at Interxion, Colt Technology Services, Cable & Wireless and Mercury Communications. Mike received his BSc in Business Studies from Bayes Business School in London with a specialization in Marketing.
Andrej Knir
Chief Financial Officer
Prior to joining Vela, Andrej held senior finance leadership roles at Interxion, where he was Head of FP&A and Treasury, and at EscherCloud, where he served as CFO. With over 20 years of experience in corporate finance, Andrej has also worked with AtlasEdge, Royal Reesink B.V., and in various consulting capacities, focusing on investment assessment, financial planning, and treasury operations. Andrej holds a Master’s degree in Finance from the Prague University of Economics and Business and is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA).
Bertus Rouwenhorst
EVP Design
Prior to joining Vela, Bertus served as Senior Design Manager at NTT Global Data Centers EMEA, where he led multi-disciplinary design processes and implemented cost-saving initiatives. He also held the role of Engineering Manager at Interxion/Digital Realty, where he successfully managed the development of over 30 data center and cable landing station projects across 14 countries. With over 20 years of experience in designing and delivering high-value data center projects throughout Europe and Africa, Bertus has specialized expertise in new market entry, technical due diligence, and driving operational excellence. Holding a strong foundation in electrical engineering, he earned a Master’s degree in Maintenance Engineering Technology from Utrecht University of Applied Sciences and is a Certified Data Centre Design Professional (CDCDP).
David Faour
VP Business Development
Prior to his appointment at Vela, David was Sales Director at EllaLink, where he was responsible for commercializing the first subsea cable directly connecting Europe and Latin America, leading engagement with Tier 1 carriers, OTTs, and infrastructure partners. With over 15 years’ experience in the telecommunications sector, David has also held senior roles at Orange across international wholesale, customer transformation, and retail operations. David received his MSc in Technology Entrepreneurship from University College London and completed telecommunications engineering studies (M.Eng) at IMT Atlantique.
Stephen Hibbert
VP Real Estate
Prior to joining Vela, Stephen was Director of Land Acquisition at GreenScale Data Centres, where he led the origination, underwriting and acquisition of strategic data centre sites across EMEA. He previously held senior investment and asset management roles at St Modwen Logistics, CapitaLand and M&G Real Estate, with experience spanning data centres, logistics and real estate development across the UK and Europe. Stephen holds an MSc in Real Estate from Bayes Business School, is a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS), and holds the CFA UK Investment Management Certificate.
George Neale
Subsea Development Lead
Prior to joining Vela, George was a Subsea Cable Engineer at Pelagian, where he specialised in cable route engineering, landing point selection, shore-end design, site surveys and permitting. With over five years’ experience in the subsea telecommunications industry, George has worked on cable projects across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas, supporting hyperscalers, cable operators, installers and infrastructure owners. George holds a BSc (Hons) in Geology from the University of Portsmouth and has additional qualifications in project management and offshore safety.
Axel Olafsson
Data Analyst
Axel is a Data Analyst at Vela Infrastructure, supporting data-driven decision making across the platform. He brings a strong foundation in computer science and analytics, with experience applying statistical modelling, machine learning, and data visualisation techniques to real-world business challenges. Prior to joining Vela, Axel worked as a Data Analyst Intern at Iceland Ocean Cluster, and as a Junior Data Scientist at BlazeSQL. Axel holds an MSc in Computer Science from the University of Bath and a BSc in Psychology from the University of Exeter.
Board of Directors
Vela’s board of directors provides strategic oversight and guidance, leveraging decades of experience in digital infrastructure to support the company’s vision and long-term growth.
Patrick Hendy
Partner
Jim Fleming
Partner
Greg Wright
CIO
Andrew Alves
SVP Acquisitions
Kevin Dean
Chairman
Bill Cook
Advisor
