30572_Kao Data Critical Careers_Pages - Flipbook - Page 95
What is it about the industry that
you appreciate?
What has surprised you about being
a woman in digital infrastructure?
hat I really appreciate about the industry is that no one
has all the answers. Everyone is contributing to shaping
its future, and that makes it incredibly exciting. I joined
at a time when digital infrastructure was still in 昀氀ux, which brings a
sense of momentum and possibility. Data centres were previously
thought of mainly as colocation spaces—shared facilities where
different companies housed their infrastructure. But today, the
landscape is far more sophisticated and rapidly advancing.
hat’s surprised me most about being a
woman in digital infrastructure is how
different the dynamics feel compared to
other male-dominated industries I’ve worked in, like
mining, minerals, power, and gas. So in terms of being
in a male-heavy environment, it wasn’t a shock. That
part felt familiar.
W
Digital infrastructure reminds me of where the power and gas
sector was decades ago. That industry is now mature and
integrated with well-known, recurring challenges. In contrast,
digital infrastructure is navigating uncharted territory. We’re facing
fresh questions: How do we scale at hyperspeed? How do we
overcome power and permitting constraints? And how do we
do it all responsibly, with attention to environmental and
social impact?
There’s also a great deal we can draw from traditional
infrastructure, particularly in 昀椀nancing and in building strong
partnerships with governments, lenders and communities.
Increasingly, data centres are being recognized as critical
infrastructure, on par with utilities like electricity. So much so that it
makes me think people might be willing to cope without lights for
a bit—but not without access to the internet.
What energizes me most is the industry’s entrepreneurial mindset.
We’re not just following the path of legacy infrastructure; we’re
carving out a new one. There’s a real opportunity to reimagine
what data centres can be by blending the roots of real estate with
the innovation and forward-thinking of the tech world — while
also drawing lessons from traditional infrastructure.
95
W
One of the positives I’ve seen is the way women in this
space lean on each other. There’s a stronger sense of
support and camaraderie among women in digital
infrastructure than I’ve seen in other sectors, and that’s
been encouraging.
On the 昀氀ip side, what’s been more challenging is
昀椀guring out the unwritten rules of networking and
learning how to navigate a game that looks informal—
but de昀椀nitely has its own structure. The informality
can make it harder to navigate at times as the rules of
engagement aren’t always clear.
I particularly see it play out in the politics of the industry.
Coming from companies that were government-owned
or closely tied to national interests, I expected a lot of
formality and hierarchy there, but in tech and digital
infrastructure, where things look more 昀氀at and casual,
the politics still run deep. Sometimes even deeper. It’s
just less visible and more dif昀椀cult to decode.
