- Zayo Europe appoints Davin Rice, ex-AWS leader, as Chief Business Development and Strategy Officer to drive fibre and connectivity growth.
- The hire reflects rising demand for cloud integration and secure networking as European operators adapt to a fast-changing market.
What happened: Zayo Europe hires Davin Rice to lead fibre and cloud
Zayo Europe has named Davin Rice as its new Chief Business Development and Strategy Officer. Rice worked in senior roles at AWS before this move. He will now lead Zayo’s commercial strategy in Europe. His work will focus on growing the company’s fibre reach and connectivity network. The goal is to strengthen how Zayo meets rising demand for bandwidth. It will also cover cloud interconnection and secure networking across the region. The company said Rice’s background in scaling cloud and infrastructure businesses makes him key for this stage of growth.
Also Read: Zayo Europe accelerates GNM fibre link for AI demand
Also Read: Nokia and Zayo Europe hit 800Gbps milestone
Why it’s important
The appointment matters because it shows how infrastructure providers are changing to face a fast-moving market. Demand for bandwidth is rising as enterprises add hybrid cloud strategies. It is rising as they run heavier AI workloads. It is rising as they manage wider and more distributed workforces. Operators cannot depend only on fibre assets. They need strong leadership to turn these assets into value for customers. Zayo’s choice to bring in an executive with AWS experience shows that cloud knowledge is now vital in telecom leadership. It also shows a broader trend of cloud and network coming closer together. Fibre providers now compete not only on raw capacity. They compete on how well they connect into cloud platforms and ecosystems.
Rice’s arrival comes at a time when European operators face growing pressure to support cross-border connectivity. They must also provide secure interconnection for global platforms. Other players in the sector are making similar moves. Many have hired senior executives from cloud hyperscalers to refresh their strategies. They want to capture new revenue from enterprises. Zayo’s new hire could make it stronger against bigger rivals. It could help the company show that it understands both cloud and carrier needs. For customers, this points to a sharper focus on aligning infrastructure with digital goals. It suggests that networks will be pushed to keep up with the rising demands of the cloud economy.
