Chris Adams

As President and CEO of Park Place Technologies, Chris Adams is an architect of leadership, innovation and change. Park Place is the world’s largest post-warranty data center organization, with operations in 150 countries, supporting 17,000 customers. Since becoming CEO in 2019, Chris has set a new path for growth and customer excellence. He is committed to extending the traditional strengths of Park Place in maintenance and support to meet the changing needs of customers in an era of digital transformation. To that end, Chris is leading the category development of DMSO (Discover, Monitor, Support, Optimize), a new approach to bringing order to managing an organization’s critical infrastructure while eliminating chaos and accelerating business transformation.

Prior to becoming CEO, Chris’s most recent role was Chief Operating Officer for Park Place, where he oversaw global operations, Information & Technology, new product development, international expansion, finance and all Mergers & Acquisitions activity.

During his 15 years at Park Place, Chris has served in a wide range of leadership positions across operations and finance, impacting all areas of Park Place. Chris drove the M&A strategy, orchestrating 13 acquisitions and growing Park Place from a North American organization to a Global organization. He spearheaded expansion into the EMEA, APAC and LATAM regions. Under his stewardship, Park Place has grown from fewer than 100 employees to a global employer that counts over 1,300 people.

Chris is an active thought leader in the tech industry, contributing bylines to many publications, and speaking at conferences around the world such as Gartner. Additionally, Chris serves as executive sponsor of the international Park Place Women in STEM (WINS) initiative as well as other community-based programs focused on teaching computer skills in underserved schools. Chris’s goal is to foster a culture of partnerships that makes Park Place a destination work environment focused on career growth for all associates.

Chris received his BBA in Accounting from the University of Toledo and his MBA in Entrepreneurship from Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. He was a winner of the Crain’s Cleveland 40 Under Forty award in 2011, the Crain’s COO of the Year award in 2016 and the Smart Business Dealmakers Award in 2018.

Chris is an active community member and serves on multiple boards including United Way of Greater Cleveland and Breakthrough Schools. Chris is a member of the Cleveland chapter of Young Professionals Organization (YPO) and an active instructor in Junior Achievement.

With two daughters, Chris spends much of his free time at their extracurricular activities. He also enjoys playing golf and skiing.