Leadership

The same foresight, attention to detail and clear-eyed vision of hyperscalers’ needs that goes into creating our data center campuses went into assembling the Vantage leadership team. With broad expertise in technology, finance, business strategy and operations, we’re ready to be an active partner in your success. Take a closer look below.

Executive Team

Sureel Choksi
Sureel Choksi President & Chief Executive Officer
Sureel Choksi President & Chief Executive Officer

Serving as president and chief executive officer of Vantage Data Centers since 2013, Sureel Choksi is responsible for the company’s vision, strategy and overall leadership in addition to sitting on the board of directors. With more than 22 years of experience as an executive in the internet infrastructure industry, Choksi is an accomplished leader who has transformed Vantage from a regional data center owner and operator to one of the fastest growing global providers.

Choksi’s background is diverse with proven accomplishments across a breadth of disciplines. Prior to joining Vantage, Choksi was an operating executive at Silver Lake Partners and the chief executive officer of Elevation Data Centers. He also previously held several executive roles with Level 3 Communications, including chief marketing officer, chief financial officer, president of wholesale markets, executive vice president of services, group vice president of corporate development and treasurer.

He sits on the board of directors of Zayo, a global, fiber-based communications provider, and also serves on the board of trustees at the Strada Education Network, an education focused, non-profit organization.

Choksi attended the University of Pennsylvania where he received a Bachelor of Science in economics from the Wharton School with concentrations in finance, accounting and entrepreneurial management, and a Bachelor of Applied Science from the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Jeff Tench
Jeff Tench President, North America
Jeff Tench President, North America

As president of Vantage Data Centers in North America, Jeff Tench oversees the company’s business in the U.S. and Canada and is responsible for accelerating Vantage’s growth with overall P&L responsibility. With more than 25 years of experience in the technology, telecommunications and IT services industries, Tench is a dynamic leader with a track record of growing global companies both organically and via acquisitions.

Prior to joining Vantage, Tench was the global head of the Microsoft Business Group at Cognizant. Before Cognizant, he founded and served as CEO of New Signature, a company acquired by Cognizant, where he raised private equity funding to create the world’s largest independent pure-play Microsoft cloud partner. Under his leadership, the company acquired eight companies over five years, expanding the company’s footprint from a regional presence in Washington, D.C. to five countries operating across four continents, all while driving 30% topline growth. Tench also served as CEO at Teliris after an 11-year career at Level 3 Communications where he held multiple leadership roles, including president of the Business Markets Group.

Tench received a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University.

Antoine Boniface
Antoine Boniface President, Europe
Antoine Boniface President, Europe

As president of Vantage Data Centers in Europe, Antoine Boniface is responsible for executing the expansion strategy of Vantage across the continent, as well as overseeing all European operations. With more than 12 years of experience, Boniface is an accomplished entrepreneur and leader.

Prior to joining Vantage, Boniface served as the CEO, co-founder and board director of Etix Everywhere, a company acquired by Vantage, where he raised more than €100 million of equity from five investors, developed 12 data centers across Europe, Africa, and Latin America, and led the company’s operations. Prior to Etix Everywhere, Boniface served as a data center project manager for Bouygues Construction where he led the development for some of the largest data centers in France.

Early in his career, Boniface co-founded and successfully exited two additional technology companies.

Boniface received a master’s degree in industrial and entrepreneurial engineering with a concentration in civil engineering at Ecole Centrale de Lille. He also earned a Master of Science degree in project management and business development at SKEMA Business School.

Boniface was recognized in 2017 with a Datacloud Global Award for data center leadership. He also won three entrepreneurship contests in France for the first company he co-founded.

Sharif Metwalli
Sharif Metwalli Chief Financial Officer
Sharif Metwalli Chief Financial Officer

Serving as chief financial officer at Vantage Data Centers, Sharif Metwalli is responsible for driving Vantage’s strategic financing solutions for organic growth and market expansion globally. He oversees finance, accounting, financial planning and analysis, investor relations, capital markets planning, and corporate administration. With more than 20 years of experience, Metwalli is essential to accelerating Vantage’s growth, profitability and shareholder value.

With expertise in navigating strong capital markets and complex M&A transactions, Metwalli has been instrumental in the execution of Vantage’s growth and was the architect of the successful 10-figure debt and equity financing needed to fund the development of multiple hyperscale data center campuses in different markets simultaneously.

Prior to joining Vantage, Metwalli served as managing director at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey with clients in the data center and communications sectors. He focused on executing debt and equity financings as well as M&A transactions totaling over $37.5 billion in value between 2015 and 2017. Before SunTrust, Metwalli served as a director at Wells Fargo Securities.

Metwalli received his MBA from Duke University and his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan.

Chris Yetman
Chris Yetman Chief Operating Officer
Chris Yetman Chief Operating Officer

As chief operating officer at Vantage Data Centers, Chris Yetman leads operations, security, construction, design, engineering and IT. Yetman is dedicated to building a culture of operational excellence and constant improvement by focusing on transparency and performance measurements, and applying lessons learned to Vantage’s next generation of data centers.

With more than 30 years of experience, Yetman approaches strategy and decision-making from the customers’ viewpoint. In partnership with Vantage’s leadership team, he develops the company’s strategy and evangelizes it throughout the organization. Yetman has been instrumental in accelerating Vantage’s growth from a regional data center provider in the United States to a fast-growing global operator.

Prior to joining Vantage, Yetman served as vice president of infrastructure operations for Amazon Web Services (AWS) where he was responsible for managing the operations of the company’s data centers worldwide. At AWS, he achieved 99.9% availability of servers, reduced the data center operations ticket backlog by 76%, decreased the mean time-to-repair by 56%, and enhanced provisioning performance by 50% for 95% of all servers. Before this, Yetman managed the daily operations of one of the largest fiber and TCP/IP networks in the world at Level 3 Communications.

Yetman received his Bachelor of Science in computer engineering from Northeastern University.

Valerie Finberg
Valerie Finberg Chief of Staff & Vice President, Investor Relations
Valerie Finberg Chief of Staff & Vice President, Investor Relations

As chief of staff and vice president of investor relations at Vantage Data Centers, Valerie Finberg serves as a strategic advisor to the CEO and the senior management team and is responsible for leading communications between the CEO and key stakeholders. She also oversees the company’s investor relations program. With nearly 30 years of experience, Finberg is an accomplished communications and investor relations professional with an extensive background spanning corporate governance, M&A, capital markets transactions, executive communications, public relations and business strategy.

Prior to joining Vantage, Finberg served as vice president of investor relations at Lumen Technologies where she reframed investor messaging during two transformational periods, including the company’s rebranding from CenturyLink to Lumen Technologies and CenturyLink’s acquisition of Level 3 Communications. During her time at Lumen, she also developed a corporate governance engagement program and formulated the company’s comprehensive environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) investor communications strategy.

Following the acquisition of Level 3 Communications by CenturyLink, Finberg became the chief of staff supporting various strategic initiatives after serving as a vice president of corporate communications and investor relations at Level 3 Communications. In this role she led communications for numerous large-scale acquisitions, including Global Crossing, tw telecom, Broadwing Communications and CenturyLink.

Finberg received her Bachelor of Science in economics from the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania.

Cecil Lepard
Cecil Lepard Senior Vice President, Corporate Development & Strategy
Cecil Lepard Senior Vice President, Corporate Development & Strategy

Serving as senior vice president of corporate development and strategy for Vantage Data Centers, Cecil Lepard leads the company’s global strategy and M&A initiatives to drive growth through organic and inorganic means. Lepard brings to Vantage more than 20 years of experience creating shareholder value across internet infrastructure and technology sectors.

Prior to joining Vantage, Lepard served as senior vice president of corporate development for Optiv Security, a KKR portfolio company, where he was responsible for the organization’s overall value creation strategy, including leading global M&A. Before Optiv Security, Lepard was vice president of corporate development at Level 3 Communications where he executed the company’s global M&A activities. During his time at the company, he closed more than 20 successful transactions leading up to the merger of Level 3 Communications and CenturyLink. Preceding his move to Level 3 Communications, Lepard worked in investment banking at Thomas Weisel Partners and started his career at KPMG.

Lepard received his MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and his Bachelor of Business Administration with concentrations in finance and accounting from Southern Methodist University.

Lee Kestler
Lee Kestler Chief Commercial Officer
Lee Kestler Chief Commercial Officer

As chief commercial officer, Lee Kestler leads the sales, marketing and sales engineering teams at Vantage Data Centers. He is responsible for the company’s commercial business and P&L across North America while supporting key hyperscale accounts worldwide.

With more than 30 years of experience in wireless communications and internet technology, Kestler is an early pioneer and veteran within the data center industry and has extensive experience working with large cloud providers, enterprise customers and national utility providers in North America.

Prior to joining Vantage, Kestler was the founding principal of Kopend Ventures, LLC where he focused on management consulting for several firms. In particular, he managed a large data center campus development in Palm Beach County, Florida, where he led the successful effort to obtain a data center sales and use tax exemption from the Florida Legislature. Previously, he served as the senior vice president of sales and leasing at DuPont Fabros Technology (DFT Data Centers) where he was responsible for sales and marketing. Under his leadership, Kestler drove sales from 46 megawatts to more than 224 megawatts, ultimately leasing 95 percent of the company’s portfolio and generating several billion dollars in gross sales.

Kestler is an advocate of low carbon and renewable energy solutions. He has been an advisor to several companies, including the incubator program at Oak Ridge National Labs. He currently serves as an advisory member for SafeLogic, a company which focuses on security products for applications in mobile and server environments. In 2020, he received the Data Center Industry Icon award from the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC).

Kestler attended the University of Maryland, Baltimore County where he studied computer science.

Justin Thomas
Justin Thomas Chief Technology Officer
Justin Thomas Chief Technology Officer

Serving as chief technology officer, Justin Thomas is responsible for Vantage Data Centers’ global product vision and road map, including design, development, engineering and preconstruction. Thomas is focused on setting international standards, accelerating time to market and driving industry-leading build costs while delivering a differentiated customer experience. He also has a key role in evaluating new markets and build-to-suit opportunities.

At Vantage for nearly a decade, Thomas has held many positions. Prior to his current role, he served as senior vice president of engineering and construction where he led the team to deliver new builds and expansions at scale across the company’s markets in North America. Under his leadership, Vantage installed more than 100MW of capacity and secured more than 500MW of capacity expansion. Early in his career, Thomas was an electrical engineer at Rosendin Electric and an electrical engineering analyst at Kimley-Horn and Associates.

Thomas has helped build enterprise facilities that achieved PUEs as low as 1.15. He has also participated in the certification of four Vantage LEED Platinum facilities, as well as Vantage’s Uptime Institute Tier III-certified facility in Quincy, Washington.

Thomas received his Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from California Polytechnic State University. He is a licensed electrical engineer in California and Washington and is LEED AP BD+C certified.

Dave Renner
Dave Renner Chief Administrative Officer
Dave Renner Chief Administrative Officer

As chief administrative officer for Vantage Data Centers, Dave Renner is responsible for leasing and contract opportunities, legal and compliance oversight, risk management, accounting, and human resources. With more than 25 years of experience, Renner is a corporate and finance-oriented executive who combines strategic business vision with financial management expertise to maximize profitability and shareholder value.

Renner has a solid track record of success with high technology, fast paced and rapidly growing companies. His contributions to Vantage helped increase invested capital by more than 3.5 times over the last five years, laying the foundation for Vantage to transition from a two-market data center company to one of today’s fastest growing global providers.

Prior to joining Vantage, Renner was CFO of Elo Touch Solutions where he managed the sale of the business unit, as part of TE Connectivity, to a stand-alone private equity-backed business. In addition, Renner, while under the age of 40, was one of the founders and CFO of Optium Corporation where he took the business from a venture-backed startup to a profitable public company worth more than $500 million. Under his leadership, the company raised four rounds of funding, acquired two international businesses, debuted on Nasdaq and ultimately sold the business. Earlier in his career, Renner held senior finance positions at JDS Uniphase and was instrumental in Uniphase’s IPO and follow-on offerings, as well as leading due diligence efforts for multiple acquisitions.

Renner received a Bachelor of Arts in business finance from the University of San Diego and is a member of Financial Executives International.

Shalini Sharma
Shalini Sharma Senior Vice President, General Counsel
Shalini Sharma Senior Vice President, General Counsel

As senior vice president, general counsel at Vantage Data Centers, Shalini Sharma is responsible for overseeing legal and corporate governance in support of the company’s strategic opportunities and business objectives. Sharma is an accomplished leader with more than 20 years of international corporate legal experience and 15 years of global financial technology expertise.

Prior to joining Vantage, Sharma was the assistant general counsel and chief privacy officer at Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc., where she was responsible for legal activities and information privacy across the global organization and served as the focal point for data privacy compliance-related activities. During her time at Broadridge, Sharma played a key role in establishing the legal department for Broadridge as a stand-alone public company and often acted as lead M&A counsel in Broadridge’s strategic acquisitions. Sharma was previously in private practice as a corporate transactional attorney in the New York office of Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP where she was involved in cross-border and domestic M&A, financings and securities transactions.

Sharma is a founding member of the General Counsel Mentorship Program in Colorado, a member and former board member of the Association of Corporate Counsel Colorado, a committee member of the University of Colorado – Boulder Corporate Counsel Intensive Institute, a member of the Senior Women Corporate Counsel, and a volunteer mentor for the Center for Legal Inclusiveness.

Sharma received a Juris Doctor from the University of Texas School of Law. She earned a Master of Arts in social sciences and a Bachelor of Arts in Latin American studies, both from the University of Chicago. She is also the recipient of a Fulbright award.

Kate Hyatt
Kate Hyatt Senior Vice President, Global Human Resources
Kate Hyatt Senior Vice President, Global Human Resources

Serving as senior vice president of global human resources at Vantage Data Centers, Kate Hyatt is responsible for overseeing all human capital processes and initiatives in North America, Europe and the U.K, including talent acquisition, employee relations, benefits, payroll, compensation, training, succession planning and employee engagement. With more than 20 years of experience in leading business transformations using innovative people strategies, Hyatt is a global human capital executive working in both private equity-backed and public companies with an extensive background in M&A and accelerating business results.

Prior to joining Vantage, Hyatt served as the chief people officer and executive vice president of human resources at Healthgrades where she led all aspects of human resources, including talent acquisition and management, succession planning, employee relations, compensation and benefits, payroll, performance management, diversity and inclusion, facilities and leadership development. Hyatt revamped the company’s health insurance offerings resulting in a $2M reduction in annual spend. She also implemented artificial intelligence (AI) into the talent acquisition process which resulted in a 25% increase in employee referral hires and a 68% reduction in external search firm costs.

Before Healthgrades, Hyatt served as the vice president of talent management and communication at ProBuild where she was responsible for talent strategy as well as internal and external communications. She also spent five years at Staples with talent management responsibilities for more than 90,000 employees globally.

In addition to her position at Vantage, Hyatt actively participates as a board member for Bonus.ly, Global MindED and Pinsight. She is also a member of the Rocky Mountain HR, People & Strategy association and a volunteer leader of the woman-owned business segment for Energize Colorado.

Hyatt graduated from Indiana University with a master’s degree in public administration. She also earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Cornell University. Hyatt holds various HR-related certifications including the Hogan Assessment, PDI PROFILOR 360 Feedback Tool and Coaching, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and DiSC Profile.

Maxime Guévin
Maxime Guévin Vice President & General Manager, Canada
Maxime Guévin Vice President & General Manager, Canada

As vice president and general manager of Vantage’s Canadian business, Maxime Guévin is responsible for P&L, customer acquisition and retention, site selection, construction, operations, and government relations. With more than 23 years of experience, Guévin is a seasoned leader who has managed numerous strategic projects, including the acquisition of assets, expansion of current data center facilities and construction of new developments.

Prior to joining Vantage, Guévin served in dual roles as general manager of 4Degrees Colocation, Videotron’s data center division, which was later acquired by Vantage, and general manager of wholesale carrier services for Videotron.

At 4Degrees Colocation, Guévin spearheaded the company’s growth, taking the business from startup to $20 million in annual revenue within four years. Under his leadership, Guévin found $16 million in savings over a five-year period for Videotron’s wholesale carrier services business and led the acquisition of multiple telecommunication services companies.

A consistent top-performer, Guévin earned numerous awards during his 19-year career at Videotron. He received the President’s Club award and was recognized on three different occasions for being the leader with the most engaged team, which included more than 7,000 employees.

Guévin has also served as an advisor to various startups in the smart building industry.

Guévin graduated from the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières with a Bachelor of Engineering degree specializing in telecommunications. He also holds an MBA from Université de Montréal – HEC Montréal with a focus on entrepreneurship and finance.

Samuel Huckaby
Samuel Huckaby Vice President, Construction
Samuel Huckaby Vice President, Construction

As vice president of construction at Vantage Data Centers, Samuel Huckaby is responsible for leading the North American execution of development projects from planning to procurement, commissioning and close out of operations. Huckaby brings to Vantage more than 16 years of experience delivering multimillion-dollar projects on time and within budget.

Prior to joining Vantage, Huckaby was a project and scheduling manager at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory where he delivered multiple new, high tech facilities. Huckaby’s career achievements include delivering $280 million in major capital projects at San Jose State University and numerous commercial projects while at Turner Construction and O’Conner Construction Management. He has also served as a lecturer at California State University, East Bay, where he instructed classes in the undergraduate and graduate construction management programs.

Huckaby is an active board member with TGG Solutions and volunteers as a coach for the graduate team at California State University for the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) student competition.

Huckaby has earned various certifications within his expertise, including the Design-Build Institute of America Professional and the Project Leadership Institute from the Stanford Center for Professional Development.

A graduate from California State University, East Bay with a Master of Science in construction management, Huckaby also holds a Bachelor of Science in concrete industry management with a minor in business from Middle Tennessee State University.

Justin Jenkins
Justin Jenkins Chief Operating Officer, Europe and President, U.K.
Justin Jenkins Chief Operating Officer, Europe and President, U.K.

As chief operating officer of Vantage Europe and president of Vantage U.K., Justin Jenkins is responsible for overseeing operations, security, construction, IT and customer care across Vantage’s new and existing European campuses, as well as leading Vantage’s business in the U.K. Jenkins is an accomplished technology and operations leader with a wealth of experience in the IT and data center industries.

Prior to joining Vantage, Jenkins served as CEO of Next Generation Data (NGD), a company acquired by Vantage, where he played a key role in developing and operating the company’s largest data center campus in Europe. Before becoming CEO at NGD, Jenkins held several other senior roles at the company throughout the last decade, including COO, CTO and data center director.

Jenkins has also been part of several entrepreneurial technology businesses, including Sony Computer Entertainment, where he served in a variety of IT and infrastructure roles.

Josh Buis
Josh Buis Senior Vice President, Sales and Business Development, Europe
Josh Buis Senior Vice President, Sales and Business Development, Europe

Serving as senior vice president of sales and business development, Josh Buis is responsible for overall P&L and business development across Europe, as well as developing and executing the strategic direction for geographic expansion and evaluating growth opportunities in new, emerging and international markets. With more than 18 years of experience in sales, business development, site selection and acquisition within the data center industry, Buis is an experienced leader and paramount to Vantage’s global growth.

Previously, he served as partner and founder at Data Center Advisory Group where he counseled capital sources and data center operators on the placement of funding into projects, M&A and new markets across the globe. Prior to that while at a hyperscale cloud operator, Buis was responsible for the due diligence, acquisition and delivery of low cost and highly scalable data center infrastructure in 10 countries representing over $1 billion in transactions and 1 million square feet. Later, he led the global team performing those functions. Earlier in his career, Buis was part of organizations including IBM, Yahoo!, CBRE and AT&T.

Buis attended Texas A&M University where he earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing.

Leadership

Carol Harper Vernon
Carol Harper Vernon Vice President, Global Legal
Carol Harper Vernon Vice President, Global Legal

Serving as vice president of global legal at Vantage Data Centers, Carol Harper Vernon oversees the company’s commercial matters, including legal and corporate governance in support of global strategic opportunities, business objectives and corporate development. With nearly 25 years of legal experience within the data center, telecommunications and internet industries, Vernon brings to Vantage an extensive background in managing a variety of legal strategies, including financial transactions, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), leasing, as well as vendor and customer agreements.

Prior to joining Vantage, Vernon founded and served as a managing member at HV Law LLC where she acted as outside general counsel for organizations within the data center and technology industries. Before HV Law LLC, Vernon served as senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, at ViaWest, Inc. (now Flexential) and was responsible for developing and guiding the company’s overall legal policies. While at ViaWest, she also acted as lead supervising attorney on all bank and private equity financings and M&A activities, including more than 10 acquisitions.

Vernon received her Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago and earned her Bachelor of Arts in economics from Lawrence University.

Chris Jackson
Chris Jackson Vice President, Site Operations
Chris Jackson Vice President, Site Operations

As vice president of site operations at Vantage Data Centers, Chris Jackson is responsible for physical security and site operations for the company’s global portfolio. Jackson oversees the safety and reliability in areas of design, construction, cost, commissioning, maintenance and staffing. With more than 40 years of experience in operations, Jackson brings to Vantage an ability to collaboratively work on a team, handle challenging environments and build a strategic model for growth and development.

Prior to joining Vantage, Jackson served in a leadership role at Amazon Web Services (AWS) where he was responsible for data center operations. Before AWS, Jackson spent 20 years working in the commercial utility sector in all aspects of operations, maintenance and capital projects.

Most recently, he was an operations specialist for the Office of Naval Intelligence. Jackson also served in the U.S. Navy Nuclear Power Program as a mechanical systems engineer. He retired after 20 years of service and has a passion to help other military veterans looking for a career in the data center industry.

Mark Freeman
Mark Freeman Vice President, Global Marketing
Mark Freeman Vice President, Global Marketing

Serving as vice president, global marketing at Vantage Data Centers, Mark Freeman leads the company’s global corporate and product marketing programs. He is responsible for building brand awareness, driving demand generation and increasing customer engagement.

Freeman has more than 23 years of strategic marketing experience delivering high-impact business results, including growing market share, acquiring and retaining customers, launching products, expanding into new markets and rebranding companies. Throughout his career, Freeman has been a part of numerous public and private companies. He is a trusted advisor and business partner, working with various executives and department leaders to deliver shareholder value through organic and M&A growth.

Prior to joining Vantage Data Centers, Freeman served as the senior director of marketing at DuPont Fabros Technology (DFT Data Centers) where he was responsible for advancing the company’s brand, accelerating organic growth through direct and indirect sales channels, and diversifying the company’s markets and product offerings.

Freeman has extensive experience in a range of sectors, including technology (SaaS, hardware, wireless communications and physical infrastructure), services and publishing. He played an instrumental role in the growth of organizations such as CalAmp, Wireless Matrix, BizFlow, Balfour Beatty Construction and Standard Publishing.

He is a founding board member of the Data Center Coalition and a member of the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) and Infrastructure Masons. In 2020, he was recognized by Data Economy on its CMO 50 listing of the world’s most influential marketeers in the data economy and by DCA Live as a top CMO in the Washington, D.C. area.

Freeman graduated from Indiana State University with a Bachelor of Science in public relations and a double minor in marketing and journalism. He also holds a Master of Science in marketing from The Johns Hopkins University.

Steve Conner
Steve Conner Vice President, Sales and Solutions Engineering
Steve Conner Vice President, Sales and Solutions Engineering

As vice president of sales and solutions engineering, Steve Conner is responsible for supporting Vantage’s sales team on technical requirements in pursuit of new business opportunities. With nearly 30 years of experience, Conner is a versatile leader with expertise in strategic portfolio planning, solution design, sales, and product and service delivery.

Prior to joining Vantage, Conner served as vice president of sales at Cloudistics where he was responsible for all aspects of sales for the company’s on-premises cloud platform. During the first year of operations in North America, Conner grew sales by over 250 percent to $2.5 million. Before Cloudistics, Conner held multiple senior level positions at Nutanix where he successfully built a multi-million dollar business unit focused on managed service providers. In addition, he held leadership roles at Sequoia Worldwide, Arrow Electronics, InScope International, Absulon Technology Partners and Exodus Communications.

Conner has earned various certifications in networking and information security such as CCNP/DP, CISSP and ISSAP. He actively participates as a member of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce Innovation and Technology Executive Committee and as a member of Infrastructure Masons.

Conner received a Master of Business Administration from the Florida Institute of Technology, a Master of Science in computer science from George Mason University and a Bachelor of Science in computer science from the University of Richmond.

Seth Pederson
Seth Pederson Vice President, Sales
Seth Pederson Vice President, Sales

As vice president of sales at Vantage Data Centers, Seth Pederson is responsible for leading Vantage’s North American wholesale data center sales team and P&L.

Pederson has more than 25 years of experience driving organic growth and profitability specifically in the data center, cloud, telecom and security sectors. He prides himself on being a catalyst for change and a strategist for growth with demonstrated success in developing repeatable revenue engines across “sell to” and “sell through” go-to-market segments while leading best-in-process sales disciplines that consistently over deliver results.

Prior to joining Vantage, Pederson served as senior vice president of sales at Cologix, Inc. where he successfully led 200 percent attainment in strategic hyperscale sales. Before Cologix, Pederson held various leadership positions at Level 3 Communications (Now CenturyLink) over an 18-year period. While there, he built a $300 million dollar business from the ground up in addition to leading a multi-billion dollar wholesale business.

Pederson attended the University of Washington where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in business administration from the Foster School of Business. He also participated in the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business Executive Leadership Program.

Board of Directors

Mike Foust Senior Advisor – Chairman of Vantage Data Centers and DataBank, Digital Colony

Michael Foust is a senior advisor to Digital Colony and is the chairman of Vantage Data Centers and DataBank. Foust has over 35 years of experience in institutional real estate investments, including development and portfolio management.

Prior to Digital Colony, Foust was the chief executive officer and a director at Digital Realty Trust Inc. (NYSE: DLR) from its IPO in October 2004 to March 2014. Foust was also a founder of private equity investor GI Partners in Menlo Park, California, where he served as a managing director from February 2001 until DLR’s IPO in 2004. He was responsible for real asset investments at GI Partners, with an emphasis on technology related properties including data centers and telecom facilities.

Prior to the formation of GI Partners, he worked at CB Richard Ellis Investors Inc., UBS Asset Management, Karsten Realty Advisors and Trammell Crow Company. Prior to his real estate career, Foust participated in the origination of two related, international telecommunications companies, Consortium Communications International and Progressive Systems Inc.

He received a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, in 1978 from Harvard University and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School in 1983.

Senior Advisor – Chairman of Vantage Data Centers and DataBank, Digital Colony
Marc Ganzi CEO, Colony Capital and CEO, Digital Colony

Marc Ganzi is chief executive officer of Colony Capital, Inc. (NYSE: CLNY) and chief executive officer of Digital Colony. He is also a founder and chief executive officer of Digital Bridge Holdings, a leading global investor and owner of mobile and internet infrastructure.

In July 2019, Digital Bridge was acquired by Colony Capital to become the premier platform for digital infrastructure and real estate investment, and Ganzi was announced as Colony Capital CEO, Thomas J. Barrack, Jr.’s successor. At the time of the acquisition, Digital Bridge managed nearly $15 billion of global digital infrastructure assets, directly and through Digital Colony Partners.

Prior to Digital Bridge, Ganzi was the founder and CEO of Global Tower Partners (“GTP”), which grew from inception in 2003 to become one of the largest privately-owned tower companies in the U.S. when it was sold to American Tower Corporation in 2013 for $4.8 billion. At GTP, Ganzi executed a series of strategic acquisitions, build-to-suit agreements with wireless carriers and financings in the credit markets.

Prior to the formation of GTP, he worked as a consulting partner for DB Capital Partners in New York City from 2000 to 2002 where he was tasked with overseeing the institution’s investments in the Latin American tower sector. Prior to his tenure at DB Capital, Ganzi was the president and co-founder of Apex Site Management, one of the largest third-party managers of wireless and wireline communication sites in the United States. Apex merged with SpectraSite Communications in 2000 to create one of the largest telecommunications site portfolios in the United States at the time.

Ganzi currently serves on the board of directors of Vantage Data Centers, Andean Telecom Partners, Zayo Group Holdings, DataBank, ExteNet Systems, Mexico Tower Partners and Vertical Bridge.

Ganzi received a Bachelor of Science from the Wharton School of Business in 1993. He was a board member of the Wireless Infrastructure Association from 2008 to 2017 and served as chairman from 2009 to 2011. He is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization, the broadband deployment advisory committee of the Federal Communications Commission, and he currently serves on the board of the Aspen Valley Ski Club.

CEO, Colony Capital and CEO, Digital Colony
Jon Mauck Managing Director, Digital Colony

Jon Mauck is a managing director at Digital Colony. Mauck has 20 years of experience investing in, advising and operating communications infrastructure businesses. He leads the data center investment strategy at Digital Colony and is responsible for the identification, evaluation, consummation and management of new investments in the data center sector on a global basis.

Previously, Mauck was a partner in IO Data Centers, a privately held data center company, that developed and operated over 1.5 million square feet of data center space across North America, Europe and Asia. Mauck was also a managing director and the global head of the technology infrastructure group at Citigroup’s Investment Bank.

Mauck currently serves on the board of directors of Vantage Data Centers and Scala Data Centers.

Mauck was an attorney focused on mergers and acquisitions and received a Bachelor of Arts, with honors, in economics from George Mason University in 1993 and a Juris Doctor, with distinction, from Boston College in 1997.

Managing Director, Digital Colony
Stephan Rupert Managing Director, Infrastructure Investments, PSP Investments

Stephan Rupert is managing director, infrastructure investments, at the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments). He oversees capital investment and asset management for the Americas. Rupert has over 20 years of experience in international mergers and acquisitions, asset management and operations.

Prior to joining PSP Investments in 2013, he held the position of vice president of corporate development at RailAmerica. From 2002 to 2009, he held various positions in M&A, finance and investor relations at Canadian National Railway, and from 1997 to 2001 he worked as an engineer on several highway, water and railroad construction projects in North America and Africa.

Rupert holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and a Master of Business Administration, both from McGill University. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Managing Director, Infrastructure Investments, PSP Investments
James DiMola Principal, Infrastructure Investments, GCM Grosvenor

James DiMola focuses on direct infrastructure investments at GCM Grosvenor and is located in the New York office.

Prior to joining GCM Grosvenor, DiMola served as vice president at Cooper Investment Partners where he was responsible for originating, executing and managing investments. While at Cooper, he oversaw the construction and operation of a subsea and terrestrial fiber network that provides high speed broadband to unserved and underserved rural communities. DiMola also helped oversee Cooper’s investments in the transportation space.

Prior to joining Cooper, DiMola was an associate with First Reserve Corporation where he focused on investments in the energy equipment and services sectors. Prior to joining First Reserve, he was an analyst in the investment banking division of Barclays Capital (formerly Lehman Brothers), where he assisted in raising capital and advising companies in the regulated utilities and power generation industry.

DiMola holds a Bachelor of Science in finance and a Bachelor of Science in accounting from New York University.

Principal, Infrastructure Investments, GCM Grosvenor
Ravi Parekh Managing Director, Infrastructure Investments, GCM Grosvenor

Ravi Parekh focuses on diversified infrastructure investments. He leads GCM Grosvenor’s European infrastructure business and is located in the London office. Parekh is responsible for deal sourcing, investment due diligence and execution, and client portfolio construction and management. His experience includes investments in conventional and renewable power generation, telecommunications infrastructure, regulated utilities, water, waste, transport, and PPP/PFI projects across Europe, North America and Asia.

Prior to joining GCM Grosvenor, Parekh was part of the investment team at Tokum Capital Management, L.P., a fundamental long/short equity fund. Prior to that, he was an analyst in Goldman Sachs’ investment banking division focused on technology, media and telecommunications infrastructure.

Parekh received his Bachelor of General Law and his Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Mumbai and his Master of Science in finance, Beta Gamma Sigma, from Rochester Institute of Technology.

Managing Director, Infrastructure Investments, GCM Grosvenor
Adel Alderbas Managing Director, WAFRA

Adel Alderbas joined WAFRA in 2007 and is a managing director focusing on private real asset investments across infrastructure and alternative real estate. He is also involved in strategic investments in investment management firms.

Alderbas serves on the boards of Vantage Data Centers, Suntex Marinas, Ridgebury Tankers V4 and VLII, GW Bulkers, and National Express Wash.

He earned a Bachelor of Science with honors from Purdue University and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Managing Director, WAFRA
Sureel Choksi President & Chief Executive Officer, Vantage Data Centers

Serving as president and chief executive officer of Vantage Data Centers since 2013, Sureel Choksi is responsible for the company’s vision, strategy and overall leadership in addition to sitting on the board of directors. With more than 22 years of experience as an executive in the internet infrastructure industry, Choksi is an accomplished leader who has transformed Vantage from a regional data center owner and operator to one of the fastest growing global providers.

Choksi’s background is diverse with proven accomplishments across a breadth of disciplines. Prior to joining Vantage, Choksi was an operating executive at Silver Lake Partners and the chief executive officer of Elevation Data Centers. He also previously held several executive roles with Level 3 Communications, including chief marketing officer, chief financial officer, president of wholesale markets, executive vice president of services, group vice president of corporate development and treasurer.

He sits on the board of directors of Zayo, a global, fiber-based communications provider, and also serves on the board of trustees at the Strada Education Network, an education focused, non-profit organization.

Choksi attended the University of Pennsylvania where he received a Bachelor of Science in economics from the Wharton School with concentrations in finance, accounting and entrepreneurial management, and a Bachelor of Applied Science from the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

President & Chief Executive Officer, Vantage Data Centers
Marc Ganzi CEO, Colony Capital and CEO, Digital Colony

Marc Ganzi is chief executive officer of Colony Capital, Inc. (NYSE: CLNY) and chief executive officer of Digital Colony. He is also a founder and chief executive officer of Digital Bridge Holdings, a leading global investor and owner of mobile and internet infrastructure.

In July 2019, Digital Bridge was acquired by Colony Capital to become the premier platform for digital infrastructure and real estate investment, and Ganzi was announced as Colony Capital CEO, Thomas J. Barrack, Jr.’s successor. At the time of the acquisition, Digital Bridge managed nearly $15.0 billion of global digital infrastructure assets, directly and through Digital Colony Partners.

Prior to Digital Bridge, Ganzi was the founder and CEO of Global Tower Partners (“GTP”), which grew from inception in 2003 to become one of the largest privately-owned tower companies in the U.S. when it was sold to American Tower Corporation in 2013 for $4.8 billion. At GTP, Ganzi executed a series of strategic acquisitions, build-to-suit agreements with wireless carriers and financings in the credit markets.

Prior to the formation of GTP, he worked as a consulting partner for DB Capital Partners in New York City from 2000 to 2002 where he was tasked with overseeing the institution’s investments in the Latin American tower sector. Prior to his tenure at DB Capital, Ganzi was the president and co-founder of Apex Site Management, one of the largest third-party managers of wireless and wireline communication sites in the United States. Apex merged with SpectraSite Communications in 2000 to create one of the largest telecommunications site portfolios in the United States at the time.

Ganzi currently serves on the board of directors of Vantage Data Centers, Andean Telecom Partners, Zayo Group Holdings, DataBank, ExteNet Systems, Mexico Tower Partners and Vertical Bridge.

Ganzi received a Bachelor of Science from the Wharton School of Business in 1993. He was a board member of the Wireless Infrastructure Association from 2008 to 2017 and served as chairman from 2009 to 2011. He is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization, the broadband deployment advisory committee of the Federal Communications Commission, and he currently serves on the board of the Aspen Valley Ski Club.

CEO, Colony Capital and CEO, Digital Colony
James Burke Principal, Digital Colony

James Burke is a principal at Digital Colony. He is based in London and focuses on European investments and opportunities. He is an accomplished infrastructure investor with over 12 years of sector experience.

Prior to joining Digital Colony, Burke was a director at Alinda Capital Partners, one of the largest infrastructure investment firms operating in North America and Europe, with a focus on telecom, energy, transportation and contracted infrastructure assets. Prior to Alinda, he began his career in London as an M&A analyst in the Global Infrastructure Group at Citigroup.

Burke currently serves on the Board of Directors of Vantage Data Centers, Digita and Cyclone.

He received a bachelor’s degree in 2007 and a Master of Arts in 2010 in Chinese studies from Cambridge University.

Principal, Digital Colony
Jon Mauck Managing Director, Digital Colony

Jon Mauck is a managing director at Digital Colony. Mauck has 20 years of experience investing in, advising and operating communications infrastructure businesses. He leads the data center investment strategy at Digital Colony and is responsible for the identification, evaluation, consummation and management of new investments in the data center sector on a global basis.

Previously, Mauck was a partner in IO Data Centers, a privately held data center company, that developed and operated over 1.5 million square feet of data center space across North America, Europe and Asia. Mauck was also a managing director and the global head of the technology infrastructure group at Citigroup’s Investment Bank.

Mauck currently serves on the board of directors of Vantage Data Centers and Scala Data Centers.

Mauck was an attorney focused on mergers and acquisitions and received a Bachelor of Arts, with honors, in economics from George Mason University in 1993 and a Juris Doctor, with distinction, from Boston College in 1997.

Managing Director, Digital Colony
Manjari Govada Vice President, Digital Colony

Manjari Govada, CFA, is a vice president at Digital Colony. She is based in London and focuses on evaluating and managing European digital infrastructure investments and opportunities. In 2018, Govada relocated from Digital Colony’s New York office to help open the London office.

Prior to Digital Colony, Govada was at BlackRock in the alternative solutions group focused on direct special situation investments across various alternative asset classes, geographies and sectors.

Govada currently serves on the board of directors of Vantage Data Centers.

Govada received a Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, in mathematics and economics from the University of Minnesota, Morris and a Master of Finance from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Vice President, Digital Colony
Stephan Rupert Managing Director, Infrastructure Investments, PSP Investments

Stephan Rupert is managing director, infrastructure investments, at the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments). He oversees capital investment and asset management for the Americas. Rupert has over 20 years of experience in international mergers and acquisitions, asset management and operations.

Prior to joining PSP Investments in 2013, he held the position of vice president of corporate development at RailAmerica. From 2002 to 2009, he held various positions in M&A, finance and investor relations at Canadian National Railway, and from 1997 to 2001 he worked as an engineer on several highway, water and railroad construction projects in North America and Africa.

Rupert holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and a Master of Business Administration, both from McGill University. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Managing Director, Infrastructure Investments, PSP Investments
Kathryn Leaf Partner, Pantheon Ventures

Kathryn Leaf is a partner at Pantheon Ventures and a member of its global infrastructure and real assets team. She has more than 20 years of private equity and real asset investment experience.

Leaf joined Pantheon in 2008 as a founding member of its real assets and infrastructure business, which grew to $12.8 billion of AUM during her leadership. She serves on Pantheon’s global international investment committee and chairs the global infrastructure & real assets investment committee. She also serves as a board member on several companies.

Prior to joining Pantheon, Leaf worked at GIC, the sovereign wealth fund of Singapore; Centre Partners, a New York-based private equity firm; and Morgan Stanley. She graduated from Oxford University with a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts.

Partner, Pantheon Ventures
Sureel Choksi President & Chief Executive Officer, Vantage Data Centers

Serving as president and chief executive officer of Vantage Data Centers since 2013, Sureel Choksi is responsible for the company’s vision, strategy and overall leadership in addition to sitting on the board of directors. With more than 22 years of experience as an executive in the internet infrastructure industry, Choksi is an accomplished leader who has transformed Vantage from a regional data center owner and operator to one of the fastest growing global providers.

Choksi’s background is diverse with proven accomplishments across a breadth of disciplines. Prior to joining Vantage, Choksi was an operating executive at Silver Lake Partners and the chief executive officer of Elevation Data Centers. He also previously held several executive roles with Level 3 Communications, including chief marketing officer, chief financial officer, president of wholesale markets, executive vice president of services, group vice president of corporate development and treasurer.

He sits on the board of directors of Zayo, a global, fiber-based communications provider, and also serves on the board of trustees at the Strada Education Network, an education focused, non-profit organization.

Choksi attended the University of Pennsylvania where he received a Bachelor of Science in economics from the Wharton School with concentrations in finance, accounting and entrepreneurial management, and a Bachelor of Applied Science from the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

President & Chief Executive Officer, Vantage Data Centers

Global Leadership Team

Sureel Choksi
Sureel Choksi President & Chief Executive Officer
Sureel Choksi President & Chief Executive Officer

Serving as president and chief executive officer of Vantage Data Centers since 2013, Sureel Choksi is responsible for the company’s vision, strategy and overall leadership in addition to sitting on the board of directors. With nearly 30 years of experience, Choksi is an accomplished leader who has transformed Vantage from a regional data center owner and operator to one of the fastest growing global providers.

Choksi’s background is diverse with proven accomplishments across a breadth of disciplines. Prior to joining Vantage, Choksi was an operating executive at Silver Lake Partners and the chief executive officer of Elevation Data Centers. He also previously held several executive roles with Level 3 Communications, including chief marketing officer, chief financial officer, president of wholesale markets, executive vice president of services, group vice president of corporate development and treasurer.

He sits on the board of trustees at the Strada Education Network, an education focused, non-profit organization.

Choksi attended the University of Pennsylvania where he received a Bachelor of Science in economics from the Wharton School with concentrations in finance, accounting and entrepreneurial management, and a Bachelor of Applied Science from the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Jeff Tench
Jeff Tench Executive Vice President, North America and APAC
Jeff Tench Executive Vice President, North America and APAC

As executive vice president of Vantage Data Centers in North America and Asia Pacific, Jeff Tench oversees the company’s business in the U.S., Canada and APAC and is responsible for accelerating Vantage’s growth with overall P&L responsibility. With more than 25 years of experience in the technology, telecommunications and IT services industries, Tench is a dynamic leader with a track record of growing global companies both organically and via acquisitions.

Prior to joining Vantage, Tench was the global head of the Microsoft Business Group at Cognizant. Before Cognizant, he founded and served as CEO of New Signature, a company acquired by Cognizant, where he raised private equity funding to create the world’s largest independent pure-play Microsoft cloud partner. Under his leadership, the company acquired eight companies over five years, expanding the company’s footprint from a regional presence in Washington, D.C. to five countries operating across four continents, all while driving 30% topline growth. Tench also served as CEO at Teliris after an 11-year career at Level 3 Communications where he held multiple leadership roles, including president of the Business Markets Group.

Tench received a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University.

Sharif Metwalli
Sharif Metwalli Chief Financial Officer
Sharif Metwalli Chief Financial Officer

Serving as chief financial officer at Vantage Data Centers, Sharif Metwalli is responsible for driving Vantage’s strategic financing solutions for organic growth and market expansion globally. He oversees finance, accounting, financial planning and analysis, investor relations, capital markets planning, and corporate administration. With more than 20 years of experience, Metwalli is essential to accelerating Vantage’s growth, profitability and shareholder value.

With expertise in navigating strong capital markets and complex M&A transactions, Metwalli has been instrumental in the execution of Vantage’s growth and was the architect of the successful 10-figure debt and equity financing needed to fund the development of multiple hyperscale data center campuses in different markets simultaneously.

Prior to joining Vantage, Metwalli served as managing director at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey with clients in the data center and communications sectors. He focused on executing debt and equity financings as well as M&A transactions totaling over $37.5 billion in value between 2015 and 2017. Before SunTrust, Metwalli served as a director at Wells Fargo Securities.

Metwalli received his MBA from Duke University and his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan.

Dana Adams
Dana Adams President, North America
Dana Adams President, North America

As president of Vantage Data Centers’ North America business, Dana Adams oversees market development, sales, construction and operations across the United States and Canada. With nearly 18 years of experience in the data center sector, Adams has a track record of successfully leading high-growth companies and diverse teams at scale.

Prior to joining Vantage, Adams was the chief operating officer for AirTrunk, a hyperscale data center provider serving the Asia-Pacific region. She was responsible for scaling operations, service delivery and customer success from one to five countries and established other critical business capabilities, including award-winning people, culture and sustainability programs, as the company grew from $3 to $10 billion.

Earlier in her career, Adams served as vice president and general manager at Iron Mountain where she helped drive nearly $2 billion in growth through global acquisitions and development projects. In addition, she held several leadership positions at Digital Realty, including vice president of portfolio management, where she oversaw $3 billion in data center assets.

Considered to be one of the most influential female executives in the industry, Adams was recognized by Data Economy on its power women list in 2019. She was a finalist in the 2020 and 2022 PTC awards as an outstanding female executive, an Infrastructure Masons (IM) 2022 award recipient and was recently featured by InterGlobix Magazine as an Inspiring Woman in Leadership.

Adams earned a bachelor’s degree from Boston College and a Master of Business Administration from Simmons University.

Jeremy Deutsch
Jeremy Deutsch President, APAC
Jeremy Deutsch President, APAC

Jeremy Deutsch serves as president of Vantage Data Centers’ APAC business where he drives the company’s regional growth across strategy, market development, sales, construction and operations.

Deutsch has more than 20 years of leadership experience in the information and communication technology (ICT) industry. Prior to Vantage, he most recently served as president, APAC at Equinix, a global digital infrastructure company, where he was responsible for the company’s business across 11 countries and 17 cities. In addition, Deutsch oversaw the company’s regional M&A strategy and business development, aligning these with broader global strategies and driving growth in existing and new markets across APAC. During his time at Equinix, Deutsch led the acquisition and integration of three companies, along with spearheading organic expansion into additional key markets while delivering strong growth and scale.

Earlier in his career, Deutsch held positions at leading ICT companies, including Unwired Australia, a SingTel Optus company, and Pihana Pacific before it was acquired by Equinix in 2002.

Deutsch served as the inaugural chair of the Asia-Pacific Data Centre Association (APDCA). He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and information systems from the University of New South Wales.

David Howson
David Howson President, EMEA
David Howson President, EMEA

As president of Vantage Data Centers’ EMEA business, David Howson spearheads the company’s growth across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, including market development, sales, construction and operations. A seasoned executive, Howson brings more than 30 years of experience navigating the international digital infrastructure landscape to his role at Vantage.

Prior to joining Vantage, Howson served as the inaugural chief operating officer at Congruex, a private equity-backed national end-to-end provider of digital network services. As COO, he led the integration of acquired entities into one operating model and delivered more than 15% organic revenue growth.

Earlier in his career, Howson was chief executive officer at Six Degrees Group, a private equity-driven managed service provider, where he developed and implemented the company’s business strategy and achieved EBITDA growth of 50% in three years. Howson previously held several executive-level positions at Zayo Group and Level 3 Communications (now Lumen Technologies).

Howson holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Oxford Brookes University in England.

Ismail Alsheik
Ismail Alsheik Chief Legal Officer
Ismail Alsheik Chief Legal Officer

As chief legal officer at Vantage Data Centers, Ismail (Ish) Alsheik is responsible for leading and setting the strategic direction for the legal and corporate compliance function for Vantage Data Centers globally.

Prior to joining Vantage, Alsheik was a partner in the mergers and acquisitions group of Jones Day where he advised clients on transactional, corporate law and corporate governance matters. During his time at Jones Day, Alsheik advised on significant transactions for Vantage, including the US$3.5 billion strategic partnership between Vantage and a DigitalBridge-led investor group, as well as the original acquisition of Vantage from Silver Lake Partners in 2017.

He is a member of the Northwestern University Law School Fund Board and sits on the planning committee of the Ray Garrett Jr. Corporate and Securities Law Institute.

Alsheik received his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the Northwestern University School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts in English from Georgetown University.

Patricia Elias
Patricia Elias Chief People and Culture Officer
Patricia Elias Chief People and Culture Officer

As chief people and culture officer (CPCO) for Vantage Data Centers, Patricia Elias drives the company’s continuing global growth through strategic employee recruitment and talent development, specifically focusing on the alignment of human capital with the company’s greater business goals and scaling Vantage’s inclusive and transparent culture. In addition, Elias oversees leadership and organization development, succession planning, compensation, training and all other human resource functions and systems.

Elias brings more than 20 years of business and human resources experience to the Vantage team, six of which stem directly from her work with data center provider ViaWest (now Flexential). She joins Vantage from CSG Systems where she was executive vice president and chief people and places officer, leading all human resources operations to support more than 5,000 employees in over 20 countries. Prior to CSG Systems, Elias served as the chief legal and people officer at ServiceSource International (now owned by Concentrix).

Passionate about fostering an inclusive environment where every employee is empowered to bring their true selves to work, Elias regularly participates on DE&I industry panels and initiatives. She is an executive sponsor of Vantage’s Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Council, continuing her efforts to drive inclusive leadership and opportunities for all employees. Elias favors a “whole-person” approach to people engagement, culture and development, focusing on creating a coaching culture to empower high-performing teams in an environment of transparency and trust.

Elias holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Duke University and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center.

Valerie Finberg
Valerie Finberg Chief of Staff, Vice President, Investor Relations
Valerie Finberg Chief of Staff, Vice President, Investor Relations

As chief of staff and vice president of investor relations at Vantage Data Centers, Valerie Finberg serves as a strategic advisor to the CEO and the senior management team and is responsible for leading communications between the CEO and key stakeholders. She also oversees the company’s investor relations program. With nearly 30 years of experience, Finberg is an accomplished communications and investor relations professional with an extensive background spanning corporate governance, M&A, capital markets transactions, executive communications, public relations and business strategy.

Prior to joining Vantage, Finberg served as vice president of investor relations at Lumen Technologies where she reframed investor messaging during two transformational periods, including the company’s rebranding from CenturyLink to Lumen Technologies and CenturyLink’s acquisition of Level 3 Communications. During her time at Lumen, she also developed a corporate governance engagement program and formulated the company’s comprehensive environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) investor communications strategy.

Following the acquisition of Level 3 Communications by CenturyLink, Finberg became the chief of staff supporting various strategic initiatives after serving as a vice president of corporate communications and investor relations at Level 3 Communications. In this role she led communications for numerous large-scale acquisitions, including Global Crossing, tw telecom, Broadwing Communications and CenturyLink.

Finberg received her Bachelor of Science in economics from the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania.

Emily Friedberg
Emily Friedberg Chief Technology & Innovation Officer
Emily Friedberg Chief Technology & Innovation Officer

Emily Friedberg serves as chief technology & innovation officer (CTIO) at Vantage Data Centers where she is responsible for development and engineering, technology and systems, cybersecurity, and sustainability. In this role, she leverages nearly 25 years of professional and technical experience to lead Vantage’s innovation strategy in alignment with the company’s business objectives, driving forward-thinking initiatives that take advantage of emerging technologies to enhance products, services and operational efficiencies.

Prior to joining Vantage, Friedberg served as chief operating officer (COO) for SkySafe, a drone detection software as a service company, where she spearheaded its customer-centric approach to growth and operations. She also previously served as global vice president of channel and partnerships for Fastly, a leading cloud computing service provider, where she increased the efficiency of channel account managers by more than 200%. Earlier in her career, Friedberg spent time as a founding executive at Lagrange Systems (now WebScale), raising $8 million in Series A funding while developing and launching the company’s channel program.

Friedberg holds a bachelor’s degree in information systems and a Master of Science in telecommunications, both from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Cecil Lepard
Cecil Lepard Chief Investment Officer
Cecil Lepard Chief Investment Officer

Serving as chief investment officer for Vantage Data Centers, Cecil Lepard leads the company’s global strategy and M&A initiatives to drive organic and inorganic growth. Lepard brings to Vantage more than 25 years of experience creating shareholder value across internet infrastructure and technology sectors.

Prior to joining Vantage, Lepard served as senior vice president of corporate development for Optiv Security, a KKR portfolio company, where he was responsible for the organization’s overall value creation strategy, including leading global M&A. Before Optiv Security, Lepard was vice president of corporate development at Level 3 Communications where he executed the company’s global M&A activities. During his time at the company, he closed more than 20 successful transactions culminating in the merger of Level 3 Communications and CenturyLink. Preceding his move to Level 3 Communications, Lepard worked in investment banking at Thomas Weisel Partners.

Lepard received his MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and his Bachelor of Business Administration with honors from Southern Methodist University.

Gregory Thompson, Jr.
Gregory Thompson, Jr. Chief Information Security Officer
Gregory Thompson, Jr. Chief Information Security Officer

As chief information security officer for Vantage Data Centers, Gregory Thompson leads the design and implementation of the company’s overall security strategy ensuring Vantage meets all regulatory and customer requirements. With nearly 15 years of security experience across the commercial and government sectors, Thompson drives Vantage’s approach to prevent and prepare for adverse physical security and cybersecurity events. This includes building a model for security threat responses, creating business continuity plans, as well as developing and maintaining state-of-the-art security architecture for every Vantage campus worldwide.

Prior to joining Vantage, Thompson was a security manager for General Dynamics Corporation where he was responsible for organizational security for more than 400 employees. He has held several roles at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), including acting associate chief security officer, where he trained colleagues on security measures and significantly reduced risks by conducting physical security risk assessments and implanting process improvements.

Thompson is a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and a DRI International Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP). In 2020, he was named on Security Systems News’ 40 under 40 list. In 2021, he was recognized by the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) with the Next Generation Leader award.

Thompson holds a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science in cybersecurity from University of Maryland University College. He earned a Master of Public Administration, with concentrations in emergency management and homeland security, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in governmental and international politics and a Bachelor of Arts in religious studies from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.

Bob Bruning
Bob Bruning Senior Vice President, Procurement, Global
Bob Bruning Senior Vice President, Procurement, Global

As senior vice president of procurement, Bob Bruning is responsible for setting Vantage’s procurement strategy and leading all aspects of procurement processes globally. His scope includes the procurement of construction equipment and services, facilities management, and corporate indirect. Bruning brings a wealth of experience working for Fortune 500 companies to transform and elevate procurement operations.

Before joining Vantage, Bruning was chief procurement officer at CBRE, leading an organization responsible for $50 billion annual purchases of equipment and services related to construction and facilities management.  Additionally, he has held senior supply chain roles in manufacturing, building materials and management consulting where he gained experience across multiple industries and operating models.

Bruning is passionate about ESG topics including responsible sourcing, promoting ethical procurement practices and reducing carbon emissions within the global supply chain.

He received his MBA from the University of Michigan Business School and his Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from Clarkson University.

Josh Buis
Josh Buis Senior Vice President, Business Development, EMEA & APAC
Josh Buis Senior Vice President, Business Development, EMEA & APAC

Serving as senior vice president of business development, Josh Buis is responsible for business development across EMEA and APAC, as well as developing and executing the strategic direction for geographic expansion and evaluating growth opportunities in new, emerging and international markets. With more than 18 years of experience in sales, business development, site selection and acquisition within the data center industry, Buis is an experienced leader and paramount to Vantage’s global growth.

Previously, he served as partner and founder at Data Center Advisory Group where he counseled capital sources and data center operators on the placement of funding into projects, M&A and new markets across the globe. Prior to that while at a hyperscale cloud operator, Buis was responsible for the due diligence, acquisition and delivery of low cost and highly scalable data center infrastructure in 10 countries representing over $1 billion in transactions and 1 million square feet. Later, he led the global team performing those functions. Earlier in his career, Buis was part of organizations including IBM, Yahoo!, CBRE and AT&T.

Buis attended Texas A&M University where he earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing.

Carol Harper Vernon
Carol Harper Vernon Senior Vice President, Global Legal
Carol Harper Vernon Senior Vice President, Global Legal

Serving as senior vice president of global legal at Vantage Data Centers, Carol Harper Vernon oversees the company’s commercial matters, including legal and corporate governance in support of global strategic opportunities, business objectives and corporate development. With nearly 25 years of legal experience within the data center, telecommunications and internet industries, Vernon brings to Vantage an extensive background in managing a variety of legal strategies, including financial transactions, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), leasing, as well as vendor and customer agreements.

Prior to joining Vantage, Vernon founded and served as a managing member at HV Law LLC where she acted as outside general counsel for organizations within the data center and technology industries. Before HV Law LLC, Vernon served as senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, at ViaWest, Inc. (now Flexential) and was responsible for developing and guiding the company’s overall legal policies. While at ViaWest, she also acted as lead supervising attorney on all bank and private equity financings and M&A activities, including more than 10 acquisitions.

Vernon received her Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago and earned her Bachelor of Arts in economics from Lawrence University.

Christophe Strauven
Christophe Strauven Senior Vice President, Capital Markets
Christophe Strauven Senior Vice President, Capital Markets

As senior vice president, capital markets at Vantage Data Centers, Christophe Strauven is responsible for developing the strategy and leading the execution of the company’s global capital raising efforts, including debt and equity financing, as well as financial risk management. Strauven is an accomplished leader with more than 20 years of experience in management consulting and investment banking, serving as a trusted advisor for companies looking to obtain attractive and creative financing solutions.

Prior to joining Vantage, Strauven was a managing director at Digital Colony, a current investor in Vantage, where he was responsible for growing the European credit investment effort. Prior to Digital Colony, Strauven served as managing director at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey in Atlanta for more than a decade working with clients in the data center and digital infrastructure sectors. He advised on and executed leveraged loan and high-yield transactions and helped grow the TMT Leverage Finance Platform tenfold from 2005 to 2018. Before SunTrust, Strauven worked at Goldman Sachs (London) and the Boston Consulting Group (Brussels and Paris).

Strauven earned an MBA from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Université Libre de Bruxelles.

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