Octave KLABA

About Octave KLABA

Octave Klaba is the founder of OVHcloud, one of Europe’s leading cloud providers and a significant global technology player. Born in Poland in 1975, he moved to France at the age of 16 without speaking French. He later studied at ICAM Lille, where he graduated in 1999. That same year, he founded OVH in Roubaix with a clear ambition: to build internet infrastructure that was both high-performing and accessible, while remaining under European control. From the outset, he promoted an open internet model built on customer freedom of choice and strong technological independence. Under his leadership, OVH grew rapidly in France and then internationally. Klaba has consistently emphasized industrial innovation, particularly in server design, data center architecture and energy efficiency. He played a central role in transforming the company from a hosting business into a broader cloud platform serving enterprises, public-sector organizations and developers. This evolution reflected both his technical background and his long-term view of market development. In 2016, he supported a new growth phase by bringing in KKR and TowerBrook to help accelerate the group’s expansion into new markets. In 2020, OVH was rebranded as OVHcloud, a strategic move designed to strengthen its identity in the fast-growing public and private cloud market. On the governance side, Klaba served as Chairman of the Board of Directors from 2018 to 2025, while also chairing the group’s Strategic and CSR Committee. In October 2025, he was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, reunifying strategic oversight and executive leadership. His leadership is defined by recurring priorities: digital sovereignty, transparency, performance and freedom of choice. He is also actively involved in supporting the European tech ecosystem, including startups, artificial intelligence and quantum computing initiatives. Through OVHcloud, Octave Klaba has established himself as a leading industrial and technology executive, combining entrepreneurial drive, operational discipline and a strong European ambition.