Infrastructure Masons | Innovation Committee | Thought Leadership

Innovation Committee Chair, Romain Tranchant, leads a panel at the IRENA Conference in BONN on behalf of the iMasons Climate Accords.  This session unpacks how the rapid growth in global data centre electricity demand, driven by AI advancement, can be transformed from a grid challenge into an opportunity for accelerating renewable energy deployment and achieving decarbonisation targets.  Moderator:   Romain Tranchant, Chair of the Innovation Committee, iMasons Climate Accord  Panelists:  Andres Acosta, Director of Innovation, LevelTen  Trigya Singh, Head of Corporate Sourcing, Global Renewable Alliance  Sylvie Tarnai, Chief Strategy Officer, Energy Pool  Jill McArdle PhD, International Corporate Campaigner, Beyond Fossil Fuels  Gema del Río Castro, IDAE – Spanish Government   ***  Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all.  #iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership   

Innovation Committee Chair and host Romain Tranchant interviews Waleed Zafar.   Waleed Zafar is the Director of Mission Critical at XYZ Reality, a company transforming how mission-critical projects are planned, built, and delivered with its innovative construction delivery platform. With a background in investment banking, Waleed joined XYZ as its first employee, playing a pivotal role in developing the company’s core technology. He then partnered with the largest developers in the construction of data centres, using augmented reality and precise positioning to improve the rate of delivery and health and safety in construction.  ***  Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all.  #iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership 

Innovation Committee Chair and host Romain Tranchant interviews Alison Marlow and Courtney Popp.  Alison is Account Executive at Schneider Electric and the Global Chair for Armed Forces at Infrastructure Masons. Due to her non-traditional background, she is passionate about helping people find success who have taken alternate paths in life.  Courtney Popp is iMasons' Director of People Programs, with a decade of workforce development expertise and a deep commitment toward opening pathways to opportunity, especially for underserved populations.  They have accepted our invitation to talk about the new recruitment methods that might help to fix the shortage of skills in our industry.  ***  Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all.  #iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership 

Venessa Moffat, an Executive Board Member at the Data Centre Alliance with over 20 years in the sector, shares her insights on the integration of AI in data centers. She discusses the evolution from traditional systems to AI-driven management, enhancing operational efficiency while balancing automation and human oversight. Venessa addresses challenges like security and trust in AI, while also debunking misconceptions surrounding agentic AI, encouraging professionals to harness its potential for improved productivity and innovation in data management.

Innovation Committee Chair and host Romain Tranchant interviews Dan Tennakoon, CEO and Founder at RE24 - an enterprise platform that enables data centre to procure renewable energy directly from power generators.   RE24 streamlines contract management while providing powerful analytics on renewable consumption, ensuring operators optimise their use of green energy. Through its advanced hourly matching system, RE24 connects generators with data centres in real-time, maximising the share of renewables in their operations.   This year, they have been accepted in the iMasons incubator programme, and Dan will take us through his knowledge and experience of the renewable energy market.  ***************  iMasons Launches Innovation Showcase and Incubator Programs 🌍  *Innovation Showcase: A platform for sharing ground-breaking products, services, and ideas with the iMasons community and industry leaders.  *Innovation Incubator: Supports innovators by fostering connections, providing expert validation, and raising awareness, focusing on sustainability and collaboration.  We invite you to join us in our mission to connect, grow, and give back as we empower sustainable projects, address industry challenges, and drive innovation forward.  Please, feel free to reach out to Romain Tranchant, our Innovation Chair, or apply directly through our Incubator Application Form.  Email: 📧 innovation@imasons.org  Infrastructure Masons (iMas ons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all.  #iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership 

Innovation Committee Chair and host Romain Tranchant interviews Maximilian Weidl, CEO and Co-Founder at Clear Decisions. Clear Decisions is the first AI-powered compliance platform tailored for data centers. It automates compliance and streamlines audits. By optimizing these processes, Clear Decisions drives sustainability, ensuring data centers operate more efficiently and with a reduced environmental footprint. This year, Clear Decisions have been accepted in the iMasons Incubator Program. In this episode, Maximilian shares his insights on compliance and reporting, and delves into the vital link between efficient operations and a sustainable future. *** iMasons Launches Innovation Showcase and Incubator Programs 🌍 iMasons is proud to announce the launch of two transformative initiatives: the Innovation Showcase and the Innovation Incubator programs. The Innovation Showcase highlights ground-breaking products, services, and thought leadership, offering a platform to share innovative solutions with the iMasons community and industry leaders. It's your chance to celebrate creativity and inspire progress! The Innovation Incubator is designed to help turn visionary ideas into reality. Focused on sustainability and powered by collaborations with the Climate Accord and the State of the Digital Infrastructure Industry report, this program supports innovators—from emerging start-ups to established enterprises—by fostering connections, providing expert validation, and raising awareness within the iMasons network. Join us to be part of something truly transformative! Connect, grow, and give back as we empower sustainable projects, address industry challenges, and drive innovation. Want to share your innovations or get involved? Reach out to Romain Tranchant, our Innovation Chair, or apply directly through our Incubator Application Form. For more info: 📧 innovation@imasons.org 

Innovation Committee Chair and host Romain Tranchant interviews Markus Gerber, Sr. Business Development Manager at nVent. nVent provides a versatile range of data center and networking solutions, with a particular emphasis on cooling equipment. Their offerings span from in-row coolers to immersion cooling systems, effectively utilizing white space. Markus discusses strategies for operators to optimize their capital expenditures (CAPEX) when implementing liquid cooling solutions. *** iMasons Launches Innovation Showcase and Incubator Programs 🌍 iMasons is proud to announce the launch of two transformative initiatives: the Innovation Showcase and the Innovation Incubator programs. The Innovation Showcase highlights ground-breaking products, services, and thought leadership, offering a platform to share innovative solutions with the iMasons community and industry leaders. It's your chance to celebrate creativity and inspire progress! The Innovation Incubator is designed to help turn visionary ideas into reality. Focused on sustainability and powered by collaborations with the Climate Accord and the State of the Digital Infrastructure Industry report, this program supports innovators—from emerging start-ups to established enterprises—by fostering connections, providing expert validation, and raising awareness within the iMasons network. Join us to be part of something truly transformative! Connect, grow, and give back as we empower sustainable projects, address industry challenges, and drive innovation. Want to share your innovations or get involved? Reach out to Romain Tranchant, our Innovation Chair, or apply directly through our Incubator Application Form. For more info: 📧 innovation@imasons.org 

Scott Sickmiller is the CEO at Midas Immersion Cooling. Midas Immersion Cooling is the leading supplier of immersion cooling equipment solutions for data centers and ASIC mining. Scott has accepted to share his experience of what makes liquid cooling a suitable and sometime superior solution for cooling.  If you are interested in being featured on our Innovation Committee's podcast, get in touch with us.  Discover Our Incubator Programme:  Are you an entrepreneur with a growing business or an innovative start-up? We're excited to announce that applications for our Incubator Programme are now open! If you're looking for support to take your venture to the next level, we want to hear from you.  Contact us:  Email: innovation@imasons.org   Apply directly through our online Incubator Application Form.  Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all.   #iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership 

The talent shortage in digital infrastructure is a growing challenge, but innovation is helping companies stay ahead. In this episode, Mike Meyer, Managing Director at Portman Partners, and Adelle Desouza, Founder of HireHigher's Rising Star Programme, join host and Innovation Committee Chair Romain Tranchant to discuss how recruitment strategies are evolving in the data center industry. Key topics include: - The changing landscape of leadership hiring - How innovation is reshaping recruitment - Practical solutions to address the skills gap If you are interested in being featured on our Innovation Committee's podcast, please get in touch with us. See contact details below. Discover Our Incubator Programme: Are you an entrepreneur with a growing business or an innovative start-up? We're excited to announce that applications for our Incubator Programme are now open! If you're looking for support to take your venture to the next level, we want to hear from you. Contact us: Email: innovation@imasons.org Apply directly through our online Incubator Application Form. Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all. #iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership  

Lawrence Hooker is Operations Director for the data centre section at SES, a national design and build contractor, part of the Wates groups. He has agreed to take us through the practical aspects of designing, building and commissioning liquid cooled data centres. We will talk through the pitfalls and changes that are required to continue operating high resiliency environments.----more---- If you are interested in being featured on our Innovation Committee's podcast, please get in touch. Discover Our Incubator Programme: Are you an entrepreneur with a growing business or an innovative start-up? We're excited to announce that applications for our Incubator Programme are now open! If you're looking for support to take your venture to the next level, we want to hear from you.----more---- Contact us: Email: innovation@imasons.org Apply directly through our online Incubator Application Form. Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all. #iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership