QBE names Jamie Thompson Global Data Centres Chief

QBE has appointed Jamie Thompson as Global Director of Data Centres, a newly created role.

Based in London, Thompson will lead the development of an integrated insurance offering for data centres as the sector faces rising demand and a broader range of risks. He previously led the Financial Lines team for QBE's International Markets.

His remit will bring together teams across underwriting, risk engineering, claims and distribution to create a global approach to the data centre market. The appointment signals a sharper focus on a fast-expanding part of the infrastructure economy as businesses shift more computing workloads to the cloud and adopt artificial intelligence tools.

Industry forecasts cited by QBE show global data centre capacity is expected to double between 2026 and 2030, with nearly 100 gigawatts of power added. The same outlook points to investment of up to USD $3 trillion by 2030 as operators build new sites and expand existing facilities.

That growth is creating a more complex insurance environment. Data centres face a mix of property, power, equipment, cyber and business interruption exposures, while operators and customers increasingly want cover that is consistent across multiple markets.

Thompson's task will be to shape a proposition that considers the full data lifecycle and the wider risk landscape linked to data centre operations. QBE aims to align several product lines under one framework rather than treat data centre risks in isolation.

Before taking the new post, Thompson was responsible for Financial Lines within QBE's International Markets business. His career at the group spans more than 20 years and includes time in the London market, as well as a period as Director for QBE Canada.

QBE highlighted that background as evidence of his experience managing complex books of business across underwriting and portfolio management. The move also gives the insurer a dedicated senior executive for a market where insurers are seeking clearer ways to assess concentration risk, supply chain dependencies and resilience requirements.

Data centre operators have been under pressure to secure enough power, land and cooling capacity as new projects multiply. At the same time, the physical concentration of servers and network assets in a limited number of facilities can amplify the financial impact of outages, fires and equipment failures.

Sector growth

The insurance market has been adjusting to those trends as customers seek broader terms and clearer treatment of interconnected losses. For insurers, the challenge is not only pricing individual risks but also understanding how rapidly changing technology, energy demands and site design affect claims patterns over time.

Cécile Fresneau, Managing Director of QBE's Insurance Division, outlined the company's view of the market.

"The data centre sector is rapidly growing and evolving with the advent of AI. Sheer size and scale, power and redundancy requirements, choice of locations around the world mean that the sector increasingly needs adapted solutions backed by deep expertise and global reach," said Cécile Fresneau, Managing Director, QBE.

Her comments reflect a wider shift in the insurance sector, where data centres are increasingly being treated as a distinct class of business rather than another subset of commercial property or technology risk. The scale of planned investment and the concentration of digital infrastructure have made specialist underwriting more important.

New remit

Thompson said the market was showing signs of strain as operators and their customers face a more fragmented risk landscape. His brief includes building a globally consistent model that brings together multiple products.

"Coverage gaps are emerging and the complex and interconnected risks associated with data centres will need sophisticated solutions. To provide a globally consistent approach, we will develop a proposition incorporating multiple products, looking at the complete data lifecycle and broader risk landscape for businesses and communities," said Thompson.