Oxfordshire’s Critical Power Supplies powers up with new hires

Thame-based equipment supplier Critical Power Supplies (CPS) has expanded its team with three new senior members of staff amid growing national demand for backup power.

Ian Bitterlin joins as non-executive director, bringing 35 years’ experience in data centre power and cooling to the firm.

He’s held several senior positions at major original equipment manufacturers, including CTO for Emerson Network Power and, more recently, principal consultant at Critical Facilities Consulting.

Ian is also a fellow and member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

He’ll provide strategic guidance to the leadership team at CPS and support the business in enhancing its data centre resilience and sustainability offering.

Paul Smith steps up as head of service, having spent the last 20 years with the likes of Siemens and Vertiv – where he led the UK service team as a contract manager.

In his new role, Paul S will focus on growing the service and support team to support the strategic growth of CPS across the UK.

Finally, Paul Thomas has joined CPS as northern region account manager.

Paul T has worked in the power and data centre industries for more than a decade, including roles at Keysource, Emerson Network Power and Constant Power Services.

Most recently, he was territory account manager for Panduit, a leading provider of network infrastructure.

Paul T will support Paul S in providing CPS’s power solutions across the North.

CEO Jason Koffler said: “These are hugely exciting times for CPS.

“We’re thrilled to have Ian, Paul and Paul join our team. Their combined knowledge and experience of the power, data centre and infrastructure markets will prove invaluable in our next stage of growth.

“Critical power is climbing up the corporate agenda. Net zero targets, increasing climate risks, ongoing geopolitical volatility, rising prices — together, these factors mean it’s never been more crucial for organisations to ensure they are energy resilient.

“We’ve recently expanded our product portfolio to meet the increasing demand for power protection and renewable energy solutions in the UK.

“Expanding our team is the next step of that journey and we are confident they will help us achieve our goals.”

Founded in 2009, CPS works with a range of customers across healthcare, information technology, maritime, retail, telecommunications and other industries.