At the start of 2024, we asked: ‘Will the incredible success of 2023 be followed by an equally impressive 2024 for LCL Data Centers?’ It sounded like a challenge! Now, just under twelve months later, I can confidently say that we have exceeded all our expectations this year. Across the board, we’ve made tremendous strides. If that sounds like self-praise, let the surveys and awards speak for us – they show that our achievements have been highly regarded by the outside world. I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to all LCL employees, as success like this is never guaranteed.
Making already satisfied customers even more satisfied is no easy feat. Yet, we achieved this – a remarkable accomplishment for a company that swears by customer intimacy. One key highlight was the launch of our new customer portal, the LCL Service Hub, which delivered a significant improvement in the customer experience. Combined with the consistent quality of our services, our progressive sustainability initiatives, and our personal approach to customer relationships, the results were clear: our Net Promoter Score (which measures customer satisfaction and loyalty) rose from 73 to 78.
Vlerick Business School validated this success through its biennial survey on the evolution of our customer intimacy. The findings confirmed that, over the past two years, we have made huge leaps in implementing our strategy, strategy map, and balanced scorecard. This is fantastic news because it shows that our strategy is not merely theoretical but actively present in everything we do at LCL. It demonstrates that our core values are deeply embedded in the DNA of all our employees.
Without indulging in nostalgia, it feels rewarding to look back on a peak year and reflect on where LCL started over 20 years ago. Truthfully, it began quite amateurishly. Year after year, step by step, we have professionalised – even though, back then, we didn’t always know where we were heading or how our sector would evolve. Today, we are reaping the benefits of those efforts. It’s the harvest of planting seeds over a long time. In many ways, we’ve gradually reinvented our company, discovering, expanding, and strengthening our added value along the way. Of course, this requires having a talented and dedicated team.
Over the past decade, we’ve been almost continuously building, always introducing something new to our data centers. This year, however, marked a milestone: for the first time, we are simultaneously executing two mega construction projects. In Aalst, we are doubling our capacity, while in Diegem, we are constructing a five-storey building that can be filled in phases as new clients join us. These significant investments map out our future, creating data centers with enough capacity to remain future-proof and scalable over the next decade.
In parallel, we’re also improving our existing facilities. This is crucial for maintaining customer satisfaction and fulfilling our responsibility as pioneers in sustainability. For example, we are upgrading our installations to enhance performance, particularly by improving our Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE). Our ultimate goal is to further reduce our CO2 emissions to meet Paris Agreement targets – and then to go beyond, achieving net zero. This effort includes converting our existing generators to run on fossil-free HVO100 fuel and installing a new fire suppression system that uses environmentally friendly gases without CO2 emissions, even in the event of accidental activation.
The switch to HVO100 perfectly illustrates how LCL translates sustainability into action: what initially began as a project for one team was later taken up by our critical infrastructure team. Rather than working in silos, our sustainability working group takes a transversal and interdisciplinary approach. There’s even a great term for this kind of cross-departmental collaboration: boundary spanning. Even better is the additional benefit that this approach involves everyone in our journey towards greater sustainability. Together, we’ve set the wheels in motion.
Putting sustainability into action is what matters most. Our ambition has always been to lead in this area within our sector. The way we communicate about our efforts also adds value. This year, we received recognition as winners of the Belfius ESG Ambition Award 2024, the Belgian Award for the Best Sustainability Report in the ‘Other Organisations’ category, and the title of Most Sustainable ICT Company of the Year (DataNews). We were also nominated for IT Person of the Year (Computable Awards), miK Climate Ambassador 2024 and both the Most Original and Most Creative Sustainability Report 2024 (IBR). These accolades are wonderful recognitions, but they result from action – and it’s this action that earned us a well-deserved place in the spotlight.
Our sustainability journey continues, as it is inherently a long-term goal. We are currently mapping all our suppliers to understand their progress and engage with them on their sustainability efforts, ensuring they stay aligned with our ambitions. Ideally, this process will inspire them to pursue leadership in sustainability as well.
Sustainability, alongside proximity and customer intimacy, is also a cornerstone of our international ambitions. We already have an impressive track record with international clients, and we aim to grow further in this area. We are positioning ourselves as the gateway to Europe and the best choice for AI players and other innovators. Thanks to the modular development of our data centers, we are fully equipped to cater to the needs of organisations working on large language models such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and others.
2024 was also the first year in which we benefitted from the input and critical insights of a highly diverse board of directors. Each member brings unique expertise to the table, creating immense value. For instance, this year we conducted an enterprise risk management exercise. The board also adds value by taking a multi-stakeholder perspective – not solely focusing on financial results or shareholder interests but considering the needs of all stakeholders.
Finally, what also gave LCL momentum this year – both figuratively and literally, with our presence at the Leuven Sportkot – was our partnership with the Borlée brothers. This collaboration, leading up to the Paris Olympic Games, revealed remarkable similarities between the athletes and LCL. Not only do we share core values, but we also recognise that success requires continuous effort and unwavering focus.
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