Meet Birgir Hauksson, Business Control Specialist, atNorth

Meet the minds: The people of atNorth

Interview conducted by Bylgja Pálsdóttir, Senior Communications Manager 

For this edition of Meet the Minds, we’re back in Iceland to meet one of the key people in Finance helping shape atNorth’s future. Birgir Hauksson is a Business Control Specialist based just a stone’s throw from our ICE01 data center. From analyzing financial data to supporting our rapid expansion across Europe, he’s been part of atNorth’s growth journey since 2022. 

We caught up with him to hear more about his background, his perspective on our exciting trajectory – and his dream of a peaceful cabin in the south of Iceland. 

Welcome to Meet the Minds, Birgir! First off, tell us a bit about yourself and your role at atNorth. 

I joined atNorth in May 2022 as a Business Control Specialist in the finance team. I recently turned 30, and I’m a husband and proud father of one daughter. We live just a two-minute drive from the ICE01 data center – so you could say I have a very easy commute! 

Prior to joining atNorth, where did your career begin and what has your journey been like so far? 

Before atNorth, I was working at a credit card issuing and acquiring firm while completing my master’s degree in finance. I joined atNorth soon after graduating, starting out with a mix of treasury, accounting, and analytical tasks. Pretty quickly, my focus shifted toward FP&A (financial planning and analysis) – and I’ve since been involved in everything from financial planning and management reporting to investment analysis and strategic growth projects. 

With the rapid pace of growth atNorth has experienced, a big part of my role has been ensuring our financial insights and data quality scale alongside the business. Since I joined, we have opened new sites every year, and my work has evolved to support that continued momentum. 

What have been your most memorable moments in your career so far? 

Each time atNorth has expanded into a new region with a new site has been a definite highlight. When I joined, we were a 40-person team mostly based in the southwest of Iceland with a handful of colleagues in Sweden. Now, we have people working across the north of Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Spain. 

Another proud moment has been our successful financing rounds. It’s incredibly rewarding to see how the insights provided by our team have helped secure investment to fund the large-scale projects we’re delivering for our customers. It feels like every few months we’re helping fuel the next step forward. 

If you could forward five years, where do you see yourself? 

Professionally, I hope I’ll still be turning financial and operational data into actionable insight for strategic decision-making – but with a greater focus on outcomes rather than data collection and processing. Thanks to the groundwork we’re doing now, I believe we’ll see big strides in data quality, automation, and efficiency. 

On a personal note, I’d love to have a cabin of my own on my family’s land in the south of Iceland – a peaceful getaway where I can unwind with the people who matter to me most. 

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

I’m especially excited about the opening of our FIN02 and DEN01 sites. Even though I’m not in Operations, the launch of a new data center is always a milestone – and it represents the culmination of a lot of work across multiple teams. It’s incredible to see a near-empty building evolve into a fully functioning data center – one that connects physical infrastructure with the digital world and powers large-scale tech innovation. 

And finally, if you had to describe working at atNorth in just three words? 

Dynamic: atNorth’s growth trajectory is steep, which brings new projects, challenges, and opportunities to the table every day.  

Fast-paced: Our industry is practically travelling at the speed of light – we’re moving so quickly to keep pace with innovation and to build something meaningful.  

Educational: atNorth is constantly presenting opportunities to learn and grow – whether that be from everyday discussions with colleagues across different departments or through organized trainings and opportunities for further growth, we are always encouraged to keep challenging ourselves.