Let's Get Digital with Carrie Charles

In this episode, Christopher Lightfoot, Vice President of Future Infrastructure, shares a deeply personal and professional journey that has shaped his leadership philosophy and approach to building high-performing teams. From starting his career as a cell site technician and working through roles at AT&T, Mastec, Ericsson, Google Fiber, and private equity-backed ventures, Christopher offers a candid perspective on leadership, collaboration, and the future of digital infrastructure. A life-changing cancer diagnosis became a defining moment in his career, teaching him the value of teamwork, humility, and seeking diverse perspectives when solving complex challenges. At Future Infrastructure, Christopher is helping drive the company’s evolution into a comprehensive telecommunications and infrastructure solutions provider. He explains how Future combines expertise across fiber deployment, wireless networks, power infrastructure, and emerging data center opportunities, creating a unique position within the rapidly growing digital infrastructure ecosystem.A major theme throughout the conversation is the convergence of fiber and data centers. Christopher discusses how hyperscale growth is driving demand for integrated infrastructure solutions and why organizations that can connect power, fiber, and construction capabilities under one umbrella will be best positioned to support the next wave of expansion.The discussion also explores one of the industry's most persistent challenges: breaking down internal silos. Christopher explains how improving communication, collaboration, and cross-functional alignment allows organizations to better serve customers, unlock growth opportunities, and deliver true end-to-end solutions.Beyond infrastructure, Christopher emphasizes the importance of culture, workforce development, and servant leadership. He shares how Future Infrastructure focuses on creating clear career paths, fostering teamwork, prioritizing safety, and helping employees understand the larger purpose behind their work.Looking ahead, Christopher sees a future defined by speed, adaptability, and customer-centric execution. As demand for fiber, data centers, and digital infrastructure continues to accelerate, he believes the companies that succeed will be those that combine technical excellence with strong culture, continuous learning, and a relentless commitment to exceeding customer expectations. Subscribe, leave a review, and stay connected.Visit Broadstaff at broadstaffglobal.comFollow Broadstaff on InstagramFollow Broadstaff on LinkedInConnect with Carrie Charles on LinkedInFollow Let's Get Digital with Carrie Charles on LinkedInWatch full episodes of Let's Get Digital on YouTube

In this episode, Elya McCleave, Founder and CEO of Innovorg, shares her inspiring journey from frontline engineer to building one of the most forward-thinking workforce intelligence platforms in the digital infrastructure space. Drawing on 20 years of experience in cloud and data centers, Elya reveals how Innovorg is transforming how companies understand, develop, and empower their people.Today’s guest, Elya McCleave, is the Founder and CEO of Innovorg, a workforce intelligence platform transforming how digital infrastructure companies manage skills, learning, and career growth.Elya’s journey from operator to tech founder is one of vision, grit, and purpose — driven by her mission to help organizations and people evolve together in an era defined by rapid change.She explains how Innovorg’s AI-powered platform delivers deep insights into skill gaps, training needs, and workforce optimization—enabling companies to drive performance, retention, and long-term talent development. From dynamic skills catalogs and on-demand content creation to leadership development and career pathing, Elya details how Innovorg helps organizations of all sizes—from startups to hyperscalers—scale their workforce with clarity and purpose.Elya also offers a candid look at the industry’s most pressing talent challenges—from the aging workforce and AI disruption to the need for greater inclusion and clear expectations. Her vision for workforce intelligence is not just about technology—it’s about unlocking human potential across the digital infrastructure ecosystem and beyond. Subscribe, leave a review, and stay connected.Visit Broadstaff at broadstaffglobal.comFollow Broadstaff on InstagramFollow Broadstaff on LinkedInConnect with Carrie Charles on LinkedInFollow Let's Get Digital with Carrie Charles on LinkedInWatch full episodes of Let's Get Digital on YouTube

In this episode, Bryant Tam, Vice President of Hanwha Data Centers, shares his journey from building substations at Southern California Edison to developing next-generation energy campuses for one of the world’s fastest-growing data center companies. Drawing on his experience as a “Zoogler”, a former Google data center strategist, Bryant reveals how Hanwha is leveraging its global energy expertise in solar, hydrogen, and natural gas to deliver power-first, scalable infrastructure for AI and hyperscale demand.He explains how Hanwha’s lean, entrepreneurial approach enables faster decision-making, powered by the backing of a global conglomerate with deep roots in energy innovation. Bryant also discusses the realities behind industry hype, the importance of authentic culture, and his team’s commitment to mentorship and workforce development.From negotiating land and power deals to shaping the next generation of digital infrastructure leaders, Bryant offers a candid and insightful look at how Hanwha Data Centers is balancing speed, sustainability, and purpose in a rapidly evolving market. Subscribe, leave a review, and stay connected.Visit Broadstaff at broadstaffglobal.comFollow Broadstaff on InstagramFollow Broadstaff on LinkedInConnect with Carrie Charles on LinkedInFollow Let's Get Digital with Carrie Charles on LinkedInWatch full episodes of Let's Get Digital on YouTube

In this episode, Alessandro Lombardi, Founder and Chairman of Elea Data Centers, shares how Brazil is emerging as a global hub for green AI infrastructure. He discusses the vision behind Rio AI City, a multibillion-dollar project powered 100% by renewable energy, developed in partnership with the city of Rio de Janeiro. From leveraging Brazil’s abundant hydro, wind, and solar capacity to creating “humanized” data centers that integrate with local communities, Alessandro reveals how Elea is redefining what sustainable digital infrastructure can look like. He also explores Brazil’s unique energy advantage, zero-water cooling systems, and the opportunity to build AI-ready facilities that are both environmentally responsible and socially impactful. Subscribe, leave a review, and stay connected.Visit Broadstaff at broadstaffglobal.comFollow Broadstaff on InstagramFollow Broadstaff on LinkedInConnect with Carrie Charles on LinkedInFollow Let's Get Digital with Carrie Charles on LinkedInWatch full episodes of Let's Get Digital on YouTube

In this episode, Jim Beighley, CEO of Citadel Pacific, and Jose Santiago, Senior Manager of Interconnection Strategy at the Guam Exchange, join Carrie Charles to spotlight Guam’s rising role in the global digital infrastructure ecosystem. Strategically positioned on U.S. soil in the heart of Asia-Pacific, Guam is becoming a vital low-latency interconnection point between major markets like Japan, Singapore, Australia, and the U.S. West Coast.Jim and Jose share the vision behind the Guam Exchange, the island’s only open access, carrier-neutral Internet Exchange and data center. Designed to aggregate and route traffic from a new generation of subsea cables — including Apricot, Echo, and Bifrost — the Guam Exchange provides hyperscalers, CDNs, fintech, gaming, and AI-driven platforms with a redundant, sovereign, and high-performance gateway to Asia.With over 1.3 megawatts of IT load, SOC 2 certification, 24/7 support, and strategic peering capabilities, the Guam Exchange offers a compelling value proposition for enterprises seeking to reduce latency while maintaining data security under U.S. jurisdiction. Jim and Jose also unpack how geopolitics, network resiliency, and edge growth are converging to make Guam a digital crossroads for the future.Whether you’re a global carrier, content provider, or infrastructure investor, this episode provides critical insight into why Guam is more than a dot on the map — it’s the new gateway to Asia. Subscribe, leave a review, and stay connected.Visit Broadstaff at broadstaffglobal.comFollow Broadstaff on InstagramFollow Broadstaff on LinkedInConnect with Carrie Charles on LinkedInFollow Let's Get Digital with Carrie Charles on LinkedInWatch full episodes of Let's Get Digital on YouTube

In this episode, Ivo Ivanov, CEO and Chairman of DE-CIX, shares how his company is building the next generation of Internet infrastructure — from peering evolution to space-based exchanges. Ivo unpacks how DE-CIX has grown from a three-ISP project in Frankfurt into a global interconnection leader spanning over 60 markets. He breaks down the case for peering in the AI era, the difference between training and inference infrastructure, and why latency is now the digital economy’s most critical currency. From distributed deep edge networks to space interconnection and fusion-powered future, Ivo paints a bold vision for a truly global, resilient, and intelligent Internet. Subscribe, leave a review, and stay connected.Visit Broadstaff at broadstaffglobal.comFollow Broadstaff on InstagramFollow Broadstaff on LinkedInConnect with Carrie Charles on LinkedInFollow Let's Get Digital with Carrie Charles on LinkedInWatch full episodes of Let's Get Digital on YouTube