Acton Consulting combines technical expertise, investment insight and strategic market intelligence across the data centre sector.
Mark Acton and Venessa Moffat advise investors, operators and technology companies on technical due diligence, market opportunity, operational risk, energy, regulation and long-term strategy.
Mark Acton
Technical and Operational Assurance
Data centre decisions rarely divide neatly between engineering, investment, energy, regulation and market demand. Acton Consulting brings these perspectives together, helping clients understand whether a project or proposition is technically credible, commercially viable and positioned for the market ahead.
Mark established Acton Consulting in 2019 as an independent engineering consultancy specialising in data centre engineering, operations, energy efficiency, standards, technical due diligence and strategy.
He works with investors, operators and technology providers to de-risk decisions, improve performance and communicate complex topics with precision. His advisory work draws on more than two decades of hands-on industry experience across Europe and beyond. Mark has spent his career at the centre of the data-centre industry as a consultant, advisor and sector commentator. His expertise spans facility design, operational best practice, energy and resilience planning, and the full lifecycle of critical digital infrastructure.
He is regularly engaged to support acquisition decisions, evaluate operational risk, advise boards and translate detailed technical information into clear, actionable guidance. Mark has held senior positions within global organisations and brings extensive international experience in technical operations. He now works as a consultant and technical advisor, supporting all aspects of the data-centre lifecycle. His work includes operational assessments, energy-efficiency strategies and technical due diligence for investors and operators looking to understand risk, resilience and long-term performance.
He is a recognised industry contributor and a regular public speaker, presenter and conference host at international data-centre events. Mark plays an active role on several technical and advisory boards and has been closely involved in the development of international data-centre standards.
Since 2013, he has served as the Technical Editor and Committee Chair of the European Commission’s Code of Conduct on Data Centre Energy Efficiency. His contributions also extend to the EU Taxonomy and CSRD reporting frameworks, where he continues to help shape the guidelines that influence data-centre sustainability and regulatory compliance.
Venessa Moffat
Strategy, Investment and Market Intelligence
Venessa works across the boundaries between data centre facilities, IT infrastructure, operational software, AI workloads, energy systems and commercial strategy.
Her perspective extends from power and cooling infrastructure through operational technology and data centre software to the IT workloads the facility ultimately exists to support. This enables her to assess the data centre as an interconnected system, rather than as separate facilities, technology and commercial workstreams.
She advises investors, operators and technology companies on:
- data centre and AI infrastructure strategy;
- alignment between facilities and IT requirements;
- power, cooling and workload dependencies;
- AI-ready infrastructure and deployment models;
- operational software and data architecture;
- market opportunity and competitive positioning;
- policy, regulation and investment risk.
Venessa combines this full-stack perspective with detailed sector research and a practical understanding of investment decision-making. Her work helps clients understand not only whether individual components are credible, but whether the complete data centre system will work together.
Venessa is Managing Director of The DCA – Data Centre Alliance and has held senior roles across the data centre technology, research and advisory sectors. She regularly contributes to industry and government discussions concerning power, planning, sustainability and digital infrastructure.
She is also an experienced conference chair, speaker and commentator, translating complex technical and market developments into clear commercial implications.
Disclaimer: Venessa’s work for Acton Consulting is undertaken independently of her role with The DCA – Data Centre Alliance.