Q9 Networks co-founder

Paul Sharpe role

President and COO of the Toronto data centre company he started in 2000.

Paul Sharpe co-founded Q9 Networks in Toronto in 2000 with Osama Arafat. Arafat was CEO. Sharpe was president and chief operating officer.

Q9 launched in May 2000, close to the dot-com peak. Its first data centre opened in September 2000 near Bay Street, which attracted banks and finance firms.

In 2002 Q9 bought the Brampton data centre of the bankrupt Exodus Communications. In 2010 it announced a C$125m, 240,000 sq ft facility in Brampton.

A buyout by ABRY Partners at C$361m was announced in 2008 and did not complete. In 2012 an investor group with Bell and Ontario Teachers' agreed to buy Q9 for C$1.1bn.

Read the full Q9 Networks founder story

What was Paul Sharpe's role at Q9 Networks?

Paul Sharpe co-founded Q9 Networks in 2000 with Osama Arafat. He was president and chief operating officer.

How did Q9 Networks start?

Q9 launched in May 2000 and opened its first data centre in downtown Toronto in September 2000. In 2002 it bought the Brampton data centre of bankrupt Exodus Communications.

What was the Q9 Networks deal in 2012?

In 2012 an investor group including Bell and Ontario Teachers' agreed to buy Q9 for C$1.1bn. Q9 then had 11 data centres across Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario.