The Digital Foundation Podcast

Chris Malone works with multi-disciplinary teams across Meta to develop integrated next-generation data center, hardware and software solutions and supports the Meta sustainability teams on energy and carbon reduction technology and R&D investments.

At the 2022 European iMasons Members Monaco Summit, Dean Nelson (Founder and Chairman of iMasons) met up with Chris for a Fireside Chat and, amongst other fascinating insights, Chris shared what he thought the Metaverse would mean for Data Centres and the Digital Infrastructure industry.

Before joining Meta, Chris was a Distinguished Engineer at Google with responsibility for data center infrastructure design, technology strategy and R&D investments.  Chris led the development of multiple generations of Google data center designs that have been deployed globally at the gigawatt scale.  Chris is an ASME Fellow, has authored numerous technical papers, and has been granted over 100 patents.

iMasons has recognized Chris Malone with a Luminary Award given to those individuals who exemplify the values of the Infrastructure Masons organization and have contributed to the Digital Infrastructure industry with a powerful force

Carrie and Simon are joined by Marian Temelkov - the founder and CEO of Dynamis Group and an advocate and champion in conscious leadership and care culture. Marian invites leaders who care from every corner of the world to share best practices, embrace success & failure, and share ideas on a conscious leadership approach. 

Marian is also spearheading a neurodiversity program to support building truly inclusive workplaces and is driven by his philosophy of ‘seeing people not for who they are, but for who they can become'.

Throughout history, we’ve relied on our ability as a society to think differently in order to survive and thrive. The technology industry spans various roles and functions, not to mention the jobs that have yet to be created as we approach the Fifth Industrial Revolution. With differences in thinking, neurodiverse people can bring alternative perspectives that may not have been explored before.

But the question is - how can we reach people who, on face value, may not appear to be a good fit or who may not have the confidence to even apply for open positions?

Marian has the answers.

The Digital Foundation Podcast is 1 year old! Our first episode was January 2021 - since then we’ve published 21 episodes with 37 guests, thousands of downloads to 42 countries. So, it’s only fitting that we have a very special edition of the Digital Foundation Podcast to kick off 2022.

3 Successful women military veterans share their distinctive stories

• Dr. Nicole K. Henley: Google - Operations Manager, formerly USAF
• Tamara Yang: Compass Data - SVP, formerly US Navy
• Kimberly Scimone: EdgeConneX - Account Manager, formerly USAF

Nicole, Tammy and Kim joined the US military at an early age and share their journey. We discuss what attracted them to a career in Data Centers and how they transitioned from the military; why military veterans are particularly well suited to a career in Data Centers which is an industry that pays approximately 20% more than comparative industries with great prospects for advancement; how Salute Mission Critical transforms military veterans into world-class Data Center technicians.

Nicole, Tammy and Kim are great examples of how our industry hugely benefits from a wide variety of backgrounds and experience.

To learn more about Salute and opportunities for military veterans please explore the links below

https://imasons.org/veterans/
https://salutemissioncritical.com/

It was only later in life that Phill discovered he was dyslexic which led to an interesting journey to becoming the recognized industry leader and innovator he is today.  

Born in the UK , Phill was "invited to leave" the British Education System, which is a euphemism in the UK for getting kicked out, and "released into industry" - another UK euphemism for having to find a job. Phill worked as a Butcher, Security Guard and a Baggage Handler for the British Airport Authority where he had the opportunity to go on a programming course. Phill realized that his dyslexia gave him the ability to see things in 3 dimensions which had advantages in programming and technology development. This new trajectory took Phill to the USA and later creating 4 patented technologies.

On this episode Phill shares his unique story and goes on to explain the innovative cooling technology developed and deployed by Aligned Data Centers that actually removes heat (rather than cool) and why their new Data Centers don't use any water.

(Please note this episode was recorded in November)

Nautilus DT is an American company developing floating data centers. As well as almost zero environmental impact these innovative Data Centers can be located on the industrial side of town creating jobs and delivering technology that can help address Digital Exclusion. Another advantage of this innovative and sustainable approach is that the floating DC can be built and then sailed (by a tug) to where it needs to be. Want to know more? Jeff Omelchuck (Executive Director of iMasons) meets with Jim Connaughton (Nautilus DT CEO) for a fascinating and engaging discussion.

The information and communication technology (ICT) industry is the largest industry sector in Japan which also has more cloud-ready Fortune 2,000 businesses than any market outside the United States. Japan has a dynamic and growing Digital Infrastructure industry and iMason members have connected to launch an iMason Japan Chapter which recently held its first Chapter meeting.

Want to know more about DI in Japan? Meet Scott Payton who started his career in Digital Infrastructure in the USAF and was attracted to a career in Data Centers on discovering "Mission Critical", "Uptime" and ``Availability" aren't exclusively used in the field of ICBMs. Scott has worked in Data Center Design and Build in Japan now for 16 years and has fascinating experiences and insights to share.

The next iM Japan Chapter meeting will take place in Tokyo on February 17th.

iMasons developed a senior Capstone Project which was piloted at Hampton University, a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in So. Virginia, USA for the 20/21 academic year. This was a very successful program with many students securing jobs in our industry and is being ramped out to 4 Universities in phase #2. iMasons have recently partnered with AFCOM to help expand the project globally.

In this episode, Bill Kleyman, EVP of Digital Solutions, Switch and iMasons Millennial GenZ Group Lead, meets Jai Huntley who recently joined EdgeConneX as a Data Center Engineer after participating in the Capstone Project. Jai shares her thoughts and experiences to date as she embarks on a career in Digital Infrastructure.

Also in this episode - meet Taylor Whitson who's just joined the iMasons team as Head of Marketing and Communications.

Ecodatacenter in Falun, Sweden has recently been declared “The World’s First Climate Positive Data Center”. So, what’s the secret sauce? Join us as Julie meets former CEO and Senior Advisor Lars Shedin, COO Dan Anderson, and Board Member Jan Fahlén as they discuss that, and the future of data centers in the Nordic Belt and beyond.

Lakisha Woods, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) and Rhea Williams, VP Compass Data Centers, join Carrie and Simon as part of iM Women’s, “Women in Construction Month”

In a year marked by crisis and uncertainty, the choices companies make today will have consequences on gender equality for decades to come (McKinsey - see link below)

Women — especially women of color—are more likely to have been laid off or furloughed during the COVID-19 crisis, stalling their careers and jeopardizing their financial security. Now, more than one in four women are contemplating downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce completely. This is an emergency for the corporate world - Companies risk losing women in leadership and future women leaders - unwinding years of progress toward gender diversity.

But this crisis also represents an opportunity. If companies invest in building a more flexible and empathetic workplace—and there are signs that this is starting to happen—they can retain the employees most affected by today’s crises and nurture a culture in which women have equal opportunity to achieve their potential over the long term.

Women in the Workplace 2020

Want to know what's happening in France? Check this out.

New addition to the Digital Foundation Podcast, Dr. Julie Albright, talks to industry leader Fabrice Coquio - President and Managing Director of Interxion France and founding member of the France Data Center association. Fabrice is a Data Centre industry specialist with 30 years of experience and shares great insights on the French Digital Infrastructure Industry which is also experiencing huge growth.