The London Internet Exchange (LINX) has appointed
Jennifer Holmes as new Chief Executive Officer following an extensive global
search process led by the Board of Directors. Jennifer will replace Kurtis
Lindqvist who shared his resignation with the LINX community earlier this year,
as he prepares for his move to new position as President and CEO of ICANN based
in Geneva.
She will be taking the role of Incoming CEO,
transitioning to the title of CEO on 25th November 2024. Kurtis’ final day at
LINX will be on 5th December. Jennifer initially joined LINX back in 2007 as a
member of the sales team, soon progressing to leadership roles, Sales Manager
and Head of Sales. She was promoted to Chief Commercial Officer in 2019 and
then was invited to join the LINX Board of Directors in 2023. She recently
completed her Executive MBA which has further enhanced her wider business
understanding.
An external recruitment specialist was onboarded to
assist with the search. They compiled a shortlist of 89 candidates in the UK
and across Europe, 23 were interviewed, and six were then put forward to the
LINX Board search committee to interview. A final three candidates were
presented to the entire Non-Executive LINX Board before a decision was made.
Pieter Knook, Chair of the LINX Board of Directors
commented; “The Board was unanimous in their choice for Jennifer. We
appreciated her authenticity, her ability to connect to members, staff and the
Board, and felt she provided the best possible leadership for LINX in the
future. I am very much looking forward to working with Jennifer and I also wish
to share my thanks and celebrate the great leadership that Kurtis has given
LINX over the last five years.”
Jennifer has played a key role in the growth of the
LINX membership from circa 200 member networks community when she joined, to
over 980 global members as we stand today. Jennifer is extremely passionate
about LINX’s role within the interconnectivity ecosystem and about the
membership as a whole, with a strong understanding of their needs. This has
enabled her to influence the LINX strategy in recent years in areas such as
development of the products and services and ensuring an effective pricing
strategy is executed.
Jennifer Holmes commented; “I am truly honoured and
proud to be taking over from Kurtis and step into this role, leading a company
that has already achieved so much. This is an exciting chapter in LINX's
history as we celebrate 30 years of business, with many opportunities for future
growth. I look forward to working closely with the staff, Board of Directors,
and members in the coming years to drive LINX's continued success within the
interconnection community.”
The London Internet Exchange (LINX) is a member owned
and not for profit organisation that provides interconnection services in the
UK, US and Africa. Celebrating 30 years of pioneering interconnectivity this
month, their engineering solutions have shaped the evolution of the Internet up
to now and will continue to advance, ensuring they meet the future needs of
their membership.
