Rick Langet, Operations Director, Malaysia
As Malaysia’s data centre sector began gathering momentum, Rick Langet, took a leap of faith, pivoting away from the energy sector where he had worked for around 10 years. He left his home state of Sarawak and moved to Johor as one of BDC’s earliest Process Engineers at the Company’s data centre campus in Sedenak Tech Park.
Rick was 31 years old when he joined BDC in 2022. His willingness to learn, embrace unfamiliar challenges and step beyond his technical remit saw him progress to Operations Director within four years.
“The scale of data centre infrastructure was many times larger than anything I had encountered during my 10 years in the energy sector,” says Rick. “I immediately recognised the opportunity to broaden my experience and grow with a new industry. It has been challenging, exhilarating and highly rewarding.”
Growing with Greater Responsibility
“I watched BDC’s campus at Sedenak Tech Park grow from shipped containers pieced together into a fully operating hyperscale data centre campus within the span of under nine months. BDC used a construction method called PPVC, in which the data centre components were assembled off-site and then installed on location. It is 40% faster than traditional construction and created far less waste and noise on site. I am proud to have been a part of developing one of Malaysia’s first hyperscale data centres. The team, comprising individuals from different sectors including healthcare, manufacturing and more, had to bend quickly together to overcome challenges associated with the fast-paced construction and operations,” says Rick.
A problem-solver by nature, Rick quickly realised he could formalise processes and procedures to improve the site’s operations. Within a few months, he was given more responsibilities and was eventually promoted to Lead Engineer where he oversaw a team of around 60 operation and maintenance engineers.
In this expanded role, he managed the day-to-day operations, which included maintenance and emergency response and upholding SLAs in a mission-critical environment, round the clock.
As part of his professional development, Rick’s managers arranged for him to visit one of BDC’s sister holding company’s data centres in China. There, he studied best practices in operating large, established facilities and considered how they could be adapted to strengthen operational excellence at BDC’s data centres in Malaysia.
Expanding horizons
As Rick’s expertise and operational knowledge grew, he was promoted to Enterprise Command Centre Manager. It marked a significant expansion of his responsibilities, with Rick overseeing the command centre function supporting all buildings across the campus.
The appointment followed a stint as Acting General Manager for BDC’s operations in Mumbai, India. His service and leadership received strong recognition from the customer, with positive feedback conveyed directly to BDC’s CEO.
Rick turned that recognition into motivation. He was subsequently entrusted with overseeing operations for major global customers—another important milestone in his career with BDC.
Not long after, Rick was promoted to Operations Director. His department oversees BDC’s data centre sites across Malaysia, and he spends much of his time coordinating operations, meeting stakeholders and mentoring team members keeping critical infrastructure up and running adhering to industry standards.
Along the way, he has strengthened his leadership, interpersonal and management capabilities while developing relationships with customers, government agencies, investors, and internal stakeholders.
“Some weeks take me between Kuala Lumpur, Johor and India within three or four days,” says Rick. “I value the opportunity to work alongside colleagues with deep specialist experience and to bring what I learn back to our operations in Malaysia.”
More recently, Rick was selected as the only Malaysian for a management programme overseas, alongside only a handful of international strategic leaders. This deepened his perspective on BDC’s direction, mission and vision – and has inspired him to aim higher.
“I progressed from a technical background into management without following a conventional academic route,” Rick says. “None of this wouldn’t have been possible if I had stayed in my comfort zone.”
Helping Others Grow and Adapt
He credits his mentor and supervisor for recognising his potential and encouraging him to pursue new opportunities.
Having benefited from this, Rick’s journey now includes supporting colleagues across BDC as they adapt from other industries to the data centre environment.
He believes Malaysia has the talent to develop a new generation of data centre professionals and wants his journey to show others what is possible in this emerging industry.
“When I relocated from Sarawak to Johor, I never imagined that my career would take this trajectory,” says Rick. “My journey shows what can happen when someone is given the opportunity to learn, take on greater responsibility and step beyond what is familiar.”
“As a Sarawakian, I am especially proud to see Malaysians from different states and backgrounds coming together to build mission-critical infrastructure supporting our country’s digital future. Much of our work happens quietly behind the scenes, but it helps Malaysia compete globally, attract new investments and create skilled careers for our people.”
“Knowing that I am growing professionally while helping to take my own country forward makes the journey even more meaningful.”