Shirley Parsons helped a leading European data center developer expand its operations into North America.
Shirley Parsons helped a leading European data center developer expand its operations into North America.
A leading European data center developer was seeking to expand its operations globally, with a strategic focus on entering the North American market.
While the company had successfully delivered large-scale projects across Europe and Asia-Pacific, it faced several barriers to entry in North America, particularly around talent acquisition and regulatory expertise.
The client lacked an established candidate network in the region and had limited internal knowledge of OSHA regulations in the United States and provincial safety standards in Canada. These gaps created challenges in pursuing new project bids and securing qualified professionals to oversee EHS compliance across new build sites.
Additionally, the client’s early opportunities were located in highly competitive labor markets, notably the Greater Toronto Area and the D.C.–Maryland–Virginia (DMV) corridor, where attracting experienced EHS professionals with data center experience posed a significant challenge.
As a long-standing global partner to this developer, Shirley Parsons leveraged its international EHS talent network and regional expertise to support the client’s North American expansion. While the engagement was led from a talent acquisition perspective, our Project Delivery and EHS Consultancy teams worked collaboratively to ensure that recruitment aligned with the client’s operational and compliance objectives.
Our first step was to advise the client on North American EHS frameworks, including OSHA and Canadian provincial safety requirements, to help shape their internal safety strategy and bid readiness. This consultative approach provided the client with a clearer understanding of the regional expectations around environmental, health, and safety standards for data center construction.
Simultaneously, our talent acquisition specialists utilized market intelligence and regional salary benchmarking to design an effective sourcing strategy. We identified and engaged three experienced EHS consultants based in the Toronto area, all of whom possessed prior data center project experience and the necessary local regulatory knowledge.
Throughout the process, Shirley Parsons maintained close communication with both the client’s European and North American leadership teams to ensure cultural alignment and consistent project delivery standards across regions.
By combining local expertise with a global project delivery framework, Shirley Parsons successfully enabled the client to establish a strong EHS foundation in the North American market.
The three consultants provided immediate on-the-ground support, contributing to:
Through this engagement, the client not only filled key technical roles but also gained the strategic guidance required to operate confidently within the North American regulatory landscape. This partnership continues to evolve, supporting the developer’s global mission to deliver world-class data center projects safely, efficiently, and compliantly.
Whether you’re delivering data centres, energy infrastructure, or industrial projects, our team can help you design and implement a tailored safety staffing solution that ensures compliance, consistency, and performance. Get in touch with our team to discuss your requirements.
