London Internet Exchange appoints a new CEO

The London Internet Exchange (LINX) has appointed Jennifer Holmes (pictured above) as new Chief Executive Officer following an extensive global search process led by the Board of Directors.

Jennifer will replace Kurtis Lindqvist who shared his resignation with the LINX community earlier this year, as he prepares for his move to new position as President and CEO of ICANN based in Geneva.

She will be taking the role of Incoming CEO, transitioning to the title of CEO on 25th November 2024. Kurtis’ final day at LINX will be on the 5th the December.

Jennifer initially joined LINX back in 2007 as a member of the sales team, soon progressing to leadership roles, Sales Manager and Head of Sales. She was promoted to Chief Commercial Officer in 2019 and then was invited to join the LINX Board of Directors in 2023. She recently completed her Executive MBA which has further enhanced her wider business understanding.

An external recruitment specialist was onboarded to assist with the search. They compiled a shortlist of 89 candidates in the UK and across Europe, 23 were interviewed, and six were then put forward to the LINX Board search committee to interview. A final three candidates were presented to the entire Non-Executive LINX Board before a decision was made.

Pieter Knook, Chair of the LINX Board of Directors commented; “The Board was unanimous in their choice for Jennifer. We appreciated her authenticity, her ability to connect to members, staff and the Board, and felt she provided the best possible leadership for LINX in the future.

I am very much looking forward to working with Jennifer and I also wish to share my thanks and celebrate the great leadership that Kurtis has given LINX over the last five years.”

Jennifer has played a key role in the growth of the LINX membership from circa 200 member networks community when she joined, to over 980 global members as we stand today. Jennifer is extremely passionate about LINX’s role within the interconnectivity ecosystem and about the membership as a whole, with a strong understanding of their needs.

This has enabled her to influence the LINX strategy in recent years in areas such as development of the products and services and ensuring an effective pricing strategy is executed.

Jennifer Holmes commented; “I am truly honoured and proud to be taking over from Kurtis and step into this role, leading a company that has already achieved so much. This is an exciting chapter in LINX’s history as we celebrate 30 years of business, with many opportunities for future growth.

I look forward to working closely with the staff, Board of Directors, and members in the coming years to drive LINX’s continued success within the interconnection community.”

The London Internet Exchange (LINX) is a member owned and not for profit organisation that provides interconnection services in the UK, US and Africa. Celebrating 30 years of pioneering interconnectivity this month, their engineering solutions have shaped the evolution of the Internet up to now and will continue to advance, ensuring they meet the future needs of their membership.

The London Internet Exchange (LINX) is a mutually governed Internet exchange point (IXP) providing peering services and public policy representation to network operators, encompassing over 950 different autonomous systems (ASNs).

Established in 1994 in London, LINX operates IXPs in London, Manchester, Scotland, and Wales in the United Kingdom, as well as in Northern Virginia, United States.

LINX have been pioneers of peering for nearly 30 years and have changed the Internet and connectivity landscape in the UK. They are fully invested in working for the good of the internet in Kenya as they roll out their peering solutions as well as further interconnection services in the future.