Paula Cogan has over 30 years of experience working in the telecom industry and joined Digital Realty in March 2025. She is a seasoned leader with expertise in sales and strategic transformation and has a proven track record of leadership across the digital infrastructure landscape, where she empowers high-performance cultures while delivering top-line revenue results.
Prior to joining Digital Realty, Cogan served as Chief Executive Officer of euNetworks, a role she was promoted to after serving as President. She previously spent six years at COLT, ultimately as Chief Commercial Officer, and led the sales and marketing organizations as a member of the company’s Executive Leadership Team. She also previously held senior leadership positions at British Telecom (BT) and Verizon.
Cogan’s achievements have been underpinned by her ability to foster strong relationships with customers and partners while remaining focused on leading and transforming organizations. She is committed to promoting and driving inclusion and diversity within the telecom industry.
She holds a BA (Hons) in Philosophy from King’s College London.
Since we interviewed you in 2023 as part of our Issue 12, you have transitioned from Chief Executive Officer of euNetworks to your current role at Digital Realty. Can you catch us up on the last few years and how your extensive expertise in sales, operations, and strategic transformation led to this career move?
It’s great to be back in an industry I love. I left euNetworks because I needed a little bit of a pause, and I thought it might be time to retire, but it didn’t quite work out like that. I am passionate about my work and passionate about this industry, and on a more personal front, I enjoy learning new things. So, after some time off, I began to reach out to a number of organizations about non-executive roles—just to test the waters and see what might be out there. Then, out of the blue, I got a call from Digital Realty about this role. It sounded like a great opportunity. I knew the company well, both from a customer perspective (several organizations I’ve worked in have been Digital Realty customers) and a supplier perspective, and it felt like a perfect next step for my career—moving from connectivity to being part of a data center company, right at the heart of the digital economy. I also felt that the skills I developed over the last 30+ years—scaling organizations, navigating transformation, building high-performing teams—all fit nicely into this company and this opportunity. It was truly an opportunity I couldn’t refuse. We’ve got a great global platform and fantastic talent, and it’s refreshing to have joined an industry where demand outstrips supply in a lot of our markets.
