Meet Jevgenij Stormur Guls, Project Manager for ICE02

In our Meet the Minds series, we sit down with the people who power atNorth — from engineers and developers to project leaders and strategists — and hear about their journey, their motivations, and what excites them most about working here.

This month, we caught up with Jevgenij Stormur Guls, Project Manager for atNorth’s ICE02 data center in Iceland to talk about his journey from the open seas to the data center and his relentless drive to grow.

Tell us a bit about yourself – when did you join atNorth and what’s your role?

I joined atNorth in early January 2024, so I’ve been here for over a year and a half now. I’m currently the Project Manager for our ICE02 site. During my first year, I was also involved in ICE03, but as our ICE_DEV team has grown, we now have a separate project manager in the north, which means that I am fully focused on ICE02.

Tell us a bit about your career – where did it begin, and how has it evolved?

I started working quite early because I always wanted to be financially independent. My first proper job was at sea as a deckhand when I was 13 or 14 years old. I spent two months on a fishing boat in the North Atlantic off the coast of Canada, and from then on, I set my sights on a career at sea.

After school and the time I spent building up my experience, I became a Chief Engineer on a large fishing vessel. While it was a big achievement, I soon realised there was little room for further growth in that role, so I decided to return to “dry land.”

I stayed close to the fishing industry, taking a position as a mechanical designer for a company specialising in fish processing solutions. One thing led to another, and I was promoted to Project Manager for one of their largest projects: building a turnkey fish processing factory in the Russian Far East. I spent several years in Kamchatka, including during the COVID pandemic, pushing the project forward despite huge cultural and logistical challenges.

Upon returning to Iceland, it felt like the right time to start looking for new opportunities – and that’s when I found atNorth.

What have been the most memorable moments of your career?

There have been many. My first time at sea as a teenager was unforgettable – that moment when the ship pulled away from the pier and I waved goodbye to my family, not knowing what awaited me. Years later, when I became Chief Engineer, I felt that same mix of excitement and uncertainty – only this time with the added weight of responsibility, knowing that if anything went wrong with the ship’s mechanical systems, it was up to me to fix it.

I also remember the incredible team spirit onboard some of the vessels I worked on where there were crews of 30 people all working toward the same goal. atNorth reminds me of a similar camaraderie across our teammates.

And, of course, my project in Kamchatka stands out. It was a huge adventure: working with a 12-hour time difference to headquarters in Iceland, navigating the COVID lockdown, adapting to a very different culture, and building strong friendships. In fact, I even came back married from that experience.

These adventures have taught me about resilience, adaptability and a hunger to succeed – qualities I’ve found very aligned to atNorth.

Fast forward five years — where do you see yourself?

I know I’ll never stop looking for growth opportunities. I don’t know exactly what country I’ll be in but with atNorth’s data center sites across the Nordics, there are plenty of options and opportunities to be one step ahead of where I am now.

What are you most looking forward to this year at atNorth?

Well, this answer is two-fold, but both go hand in hand. We have just launched 24MW at ICE02, with another 6MW coming online in the next few weeks – I’m super excited to see this go live. It’s been such a great experience and with it now fully operational, I’m ready for a vacation to rejuvenate so I can come back strong to take on the next wave of projects that are already on the horizon.

Which atNorth value do you align with most, and why?

Dependable. It’s a value I live by, and one that I see reflected in our development team every day. It also feels true to atNorth’s business – our customers trust us to deliver critical infrastructure, and that trust comes from being consistently reliable.

If you could describe what it’s like to work at atNorth in three words, what would they be?

• Responsibility: we’re trusted with a great deal of ownership here – it pushes us to grow with the freedom and independence to make a real impact on projects.
• Fast-paced: projects shift quickly, and we adapt to changing customer requirements or seize better opportunities for cost and time.
• Growth: both for atNorth and me personally – atNorth’s growth trajectory gives us new opportunities to learn, step up, and take part in shaping our company’s future.