Veteran dealmaker David Di Pilla has hired one of the key architects of AirTrunk’s success to help run his company’s ASX-listed data centre developer REIT DigiCo Infrastructure, to position it to cash in on booming artificial intelligence-led demand.

Michael Juniper, a founding director of AirTrunk, who was its deputy chief executive under Robin Khuda until its $24 billion sale to private equity giant Blackstone a year ago, will join Di Pilla’s HMC Digital Infrastructure as a proposed director on Thursday. He will take on executive responsibilities at DigiCo, with a remit to speed up its local and international growth.