On the lighter side of things, we ask the industry experts what makes them tick....

Laura Ortman, CEO, Cologix, on what time in tech has taught her so far.

Our recent expansion in Columbus, Ohio, where we’ re investing more than US $ 7 billion to develop AI-ready data centres across 154 acres, stands out as a milestone. Additionally, the continued trust of our investors, reinforced by our recent US $ 1.5 billion in debt and equity financing, is a significant achievement.

However, none of this would be possible without what I consider our proudest accomplishment: the culture we’ ve built at Cologix. Our values guide everything we do and knowing that every team member feels valued as a critical part of our success is incredibly rewarding.

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

Like many in our industry, my background was in software, cloud and SaaS. As the digital economy expanded globally, I saw firsthand how essential digital infrastructure is to enabling transformation. My passion for helping customers find the right solutions made the move into data centres a natural fit.

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

The most common phrase across emails, chat and text at Cologix is‘ TWW’ – Together We Win. I believe in fostering an environment where each person brings their unique talents and perspectives to the job while feeling empowered and accountable for driving success. We are stronger together.

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

I would certainly say AI and with it, power. It presents incredible opportunities for innovation, but it also brings significant challenges that require collaboration between our industry, policymakers utilities and communities to thoughtfully leverage the promise of AI.

For our customers, another important talking point is interconnection. Our customers are telling us that robust ecosystems are more essential than ever to address the ever-increasing demand for real-time information.

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