DEEP DIVE

ABOUT LIFE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE OFFICE .

What would you describe as your most memorable achievement in the data centre industry ?

There have been quite a few significant milestones as Equinix is and has been doing exceptionally well . Apart from the uninterrupted strong performance of the region , one that comes to mind is successfully landing in a new and most promising continent – Africa . We closed the acquisition of MainOne in April 2022 which covers Nigeria , Ghana and Cote d ’ Ivoire and recently announced our US $ 160 million investment to enter South Africa . The MainOne team are an indispensable and invaluable factor in this success . They are and have been making a difference for us in developing the opportunity of the acceleration of a digital Africa . For me personally , meeting new teams and people that are fascinating and rich in culture like MainOne is the best part of my role and I love it .

What first made you think of a career in technology / data centres ?

Ultimately , I am a big believer that technology and digital infrastructure are providing the basis to enable people to communicate and collaborate in a much more powerful way . It is a critical factor in overcoming the challenges we are facing in several areas on our planet . The power of that has drawn me to this sector and as said , more specifically to Equinix . If we look alone at the part we played throughout the pandemic , technology has been a lifeline to survival – how we managed the crisis , connecting people and enabling society to continue to function by providing the digital workplace alternative at scale , for government and enterprises alike . The digital platform really has held the key to recovery .

As for my decision to join the data centre industry , it solely was a decision based on getting to know Equinix , its amazing people , culture and performance . I met several of the then-leaders that are and have been building our company and curating its vision – I was sold right there .

What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position ?

Really it comes down to my four guiding principles :

1 . Hire the very best person for every role and give them the mandate to run their business .

2 . Hire the very best people who together represent a high level of diversity in order to create an environment where highly diverse backgrounds and opinions provide the fertile ground for innovation and competitiveness .

3 . The conditional characteristic for each and every leader to have a solid level of maturity , guaranteeing powerful and wise leadership .

4 . Build that top talent group into a cohesive team , having each other ’ s backs and actively creating opportunities for each other to shine by building deep trust .

What do you think is the current hot talking point within the data centre space ?

When I talk to customers and investors there are only two : what does AI mean for all of us and for the data centre business in particular , and what does Equinix do to drive sustainability in its true form ? From my perspective , there are five forces that I am seeing are driving our industry , customers and growth : public and hybrid cloud ; power price increases ; sustainability and

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