LCL is continuously growing: welcoming new customers, making sustainable investments, and expanding our sites such as LCL Brussels-West and LCL Brussels-North. To keep pace, LCL recently restructured its organisation, creating an independent IT & Energy Management department to sharpen their focus on their respective expertise. But growth comes with a challenge: how do you expand while preserving the personal, customer-first approach that has always defined LCL?
For Abdellah Mahlous, newly appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO), success lies in each department being able to focus on its core tasks. This creates space to innovate and deepen their focus on customer intimacy. Strong communication and collaboration between these newly structured departments remain essential to achieving this.
LCL's Operations department was once a melting pot of Facilities management, IT, Service Delivery, and Project management, where everyone took on diverse responsibilities. As the company expanded, this approach limited efficiency and scalability, prompting a shift to more specialised teams. Now that IT & Energy management operates as a distinct but closely aligned department, each team has the space to sharpen its focus and expertise while maintaining strong collaboration. For Operations, this means focusing on critical infrastructure management and service delivery.
"Before, Operations covered everything, and I was deeply involved in projects, customer support, and critical infrastructure on a daily basis," Abdellah says. "Now, I still visit the sites regularly, but my focus has shifted. Instead of handling everything hands-on, I work on strategy with the management team while leading and coordinating the newly restructured Operations team. My role is to strengthen collaboration between departments, streamline processes, and ensure that every team member has the tools and support they need to keep delivering exceptional service."
After 13 years as Operations Manager, Abdellah takes on the title of COO. This decision reflects LCL’s growing international profile. "For global customers and auditors, having a clear C-level structure makes our organisation more transparent and professional. But at the end of the day, what matters most is how we operate and how we serve our customers," Abdellah says.
As LCL scales, maintaining smooth collaboration across departments remains important. The Operations department used to be a close-knit team, where everything was managed under one umbrella, and communication was swift and direct. Now, with IT and OT operating as separate departments, keeping teams aligned demands a more deliberate approach.
To reinforce collaboration, the new teams have monthly coordination meetings. This is the moment where they establish clear responsibilities, encourage open communication, and enhance transparency across teams. "The goal is clear: to prevent silos and encourage open, transparent communication that strengthens the entire organization," says Abdellah.
"Every data center provides power, cooling, and connectivity. That is not what sets us apart," says Abdellah. "The real question is how we can make our customers’ lives easier. What can we offer beyond what they expect?"
With the reorganisation, new opportunities have emerged to enhance both operations and customer experience. One of the key areas where LCL is adding value is compliance. As regulatory requirements increase, customers face growing administrative and reporting challenges. "We do not just provide infrastructure, we support our customers in compliance, sustainability reporting, and operational efficiency. In the future, our LCL Service Hub will even offer real-time insights into energy consumption and carbon footprint, allowing customers to be part of our sustainability story."
Another key innovation is predictive maintenance. “As we continue to grow, we are managing more and more assets. To stay ahead, we are making significant investments in asset-based maintenance management software. This will allow us to move beyond reactive and planned maintenance to a predictive approach, ensuring we can track the full lifecycle of every asset,” says Abdellah. This new software enhances continuity for LCL’s customers by resolving potential issues before they arise. At the same time, optimised maintenance extends the lifespan of LCL’s assets, boosting both sustainability and reliability.
Looking ahead, LCL’s growth strategy is all about flexibility. The rise of AI and evolving IT demands make long-term planning more complex than ever. "The biggest unknown isn’t just how much capacity customers will need, but how they will need it," Abdellah explains. "Liquid cooling (whether immersive or direct-to-chip) will reshape the industry, but there’s no universal standard yet. That’s why our expansion of LCL Brussels-North follows a modular approach. Not all floors will be fully equipped from the start. We aim to co-invest with customers and partners to build exactly what they need, when they need it."
LCL’s growth is not just about expanding facilities; it is about future-proofing the company while preserving its core values. "We are growing, but we will not let that dilute our personal approach," Abdellah says. "Customers must continue to feel that they can pick up the phone and talk to the same familiar people. That is what sets us apart, and that is what will continue to drive us forward."
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