Ian Black

Supporter
DISC Type : s

SVP - Global Head of Energy at Digital Realty

San Diego, California, United States

Overview

Ian Black is a seasoned energy executive at Digital Realty, leading the companys global energy strategy. With over 15 years of experience enabling over 5GW in renewable projects, he holds an MBA and an MS in Environmental Policy from the University of Michigan. Colleagues describe him as commercially creative and tenacious.

Originally from Colorado and now based in San Diego, Ian is a father of three with a passion for the outdoors. He is an avid surfer, snowboarder, and cyclist, driven by a personal goal to conserve ocean ecosystems and protect winter environments for future generations.

Unique fact: Ian has been a key driver in the development of more than 5 gigawatts of wind, solar, and energy storage projects throughout his career.

Personality Overview

Calm

Social Proof Driven

Slow To Decisions

They maintain good relationships with everyone, internally and externally.  They are motivated by the potential impact of their decision on the organization. They are unlikely to become strong champions as they don't prefer pushing other people.

Topics They Care About

Datacenter Power Strategy
His current role focuses on global energy strategy for datacenters, including procurement for new and existing projects across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC.
Renewable Energy Development
His career at EDF, ENGIE, and AWS has been dedicated to developing, acquiring, and negotiating contracts for utility-scale solar, wind, and battery storage projects.
Climate & Ocean Conservation
His university profile states his personal goals are to "save winter" and preserve ocean ecosystems and key surf areas, showing a deep commitment to environmental causes.

Media Appearances

Ian has no verified media appearances

Work History

2-2025
SVP - Global Head of Energy at Digital Realty
6-2022 - 2-2025
Chief Development Officer (CDO) at ENGIE North America Inc.
10-2020 - 6-2022
Renewables and Energy Procurement at Amazon Web Services (AWS) at Amazon Web Services (AWS)
4-2019 - 10-2020
Vice President at EDF Renewables North America
3-2018 - 4-2019
Senior Director at EDF Renewables North America

Education

2005 - 2008
Masters from University of Michigan
2005 - 2008
Masters of Science from University of Michigan

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 12 Location : San Diego, California, United States Job Level : Leadership Designation : SVP - Global Head of Energy at Digital Realty
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Insights For Selling To Ian

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Use phrases like ‘others say that’, ‘zero risk in’, ‘seen proof of’ etc.
  • If possible, connect them to existing customers
  • Engage other key stakeholders on their side and leverage if they approve of your product

DONT's

  • Don’t don the salesperson avatar, be the friendly advisor instead
  • Don’t use phrases like ‘there might be’, ‘we haven’t yet’, ‘latest technology’ etc.
  • Don’t keep pushing them for a straight answer, just make your own conclusions

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Ian is

  • Low-risk, go-ahead from other stakeholders and successful evaluation as per process matter the most to them.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Ian

  • They don’t say no very often, and can take you around in circles sometimes.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Ian move?

  • They do not like to rush and can be quite slow in their decision making.

  • Can Ian take some risk or not?

  • They have little risk-appetite and prefer to take decisions that others support.

You And Ian

Personality Compatibility


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