19 Jun MiCiM Managing Director Marc Beattie reflects on MiCiM’s journey so far
What inspired you to start MiCiM, and what was the initial service you wanted to provide?
Marc: “Chris, Dan and I were working on a data centre project in Woking when we learned that our employer of the previous 10 years was ramping up their European operations and winding down in the UK. We decided to set up our own venture together – we reached out to one of our ex-bosses, Richard, who had also recently left the company, and he joined us.
At first, we were going to set up a business to do data hall cleaning, but we changed our mind and forged on with what we knew best – how to build data centres. However, with no financial history, we initially couldn’t make headway – so we started taking on project management opportunities in data centre construction instead.”
What were the biggest challenges you faced in the early stages, and how did you overcome them?
Marc: “Cashflow initially was a challenge – we all had mortgages to pay and it was a struggle for the first few months. We cut our cloth accordingly. We were fortunate that our previous employer wanted Chris to support the project he was working on after he left them, so we had a little income. After two months of being officially available, we got a big break with Gyron, which kept us above water.”
Can you describe a key turning point or milestone that significantly accelerated MiCiM’s growth?
Marc: “Two come to mind – the engagement with Gyron provided stability and a platform to grow from four people to around twelve in a year. Then there was the work with K2 – this relationship grew from a rescue project to a full-blown hyperscale construction management build, which employed 30 people on the account alone.”
Do you see MiCiM expanding into different sectors of construction other than data centres? If so, which?
Marc: “We have already expanded beyond data centre construction for one of our major projects – Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology’s site near Bristol is a state-of-the-art laboratory and manufacturing facility for the semiconductor industry. We’d be keen to further our exposure to laboratories and similar industries like pharmaceuticals.”
What’s your vision for developing the business over the medium to long term?
Marc: “Historically we have followed our clients, and worked where they have new opportunities, which hopefully will continue. We see opportunities in new data centre markets in Italy and surrounding regions for MiCiM Italia & MiCiM International. Perhaps in the future, we’ll establish other mini satellite offices across Europe.
The refit of old data centres is an exciting market which we’ve been working in for the past few years. Many of these will come to the market when the new wave of AI-ready data centres are completed.
The long-term future of the business will be based on steady organic growth year-on-year and, at some point, perhaps some external investment to make the leap to tender higher-value projects. It is important that we only take on challenges that we are confident we can complete.”
Looking back over the last nine years since starting MiCiM, what are you most proud of today?
Marc: “Bringing in friends that I worked with for many years and seeing them grow into the leaders of the business is something I’ve taken great pride in. As we’ve expanded, I’ve also seen new team members significantly develop their careers with us, which I find very inspiring.”
What are your favourite things about being MiCiM’s managing director?
Marc: “I have always enjoyed working under pressure. While my daily responsibilities are not as intense as when I was an MEP project lead, the ongoing pressure of pushing the business forward, winning work, and hiring great people is a strong motivator.”
What sets MiCiM apart from its competitors?
Marc: “We’ve been building data centres for decades as individuals, and nearly 10 years as MiCiM. We’re not new to the sector. We’re highly technical and cover every service in the data centre delivery chain – project management, construction management/PMC, commissioning, planning, commercial management, construction delivery, design peer reviews, feasibility studies, operational efficiency reviews, and training.
So we are very accomplished, and this, combined with our specialist knowledge and comprehensive service offering, presents a real challenge to our competitors.”
