Great Business Minds

Welcome to another episode of the Great Business Minds podcast, the definitive show for the business of digital infrastructure.
GBM is brought to you by Preiskel & Co, a leading award-winning City of London law firm, internationally recognised for its expertise in the digital infrastructure industry and the telecoms and tech sector work more broadly. Wherever your legal or regulatory needs are (including outer space) Preiskel & Co LLP can support you, so do feel free to reach out to them at www.preiskel.com.
Today, we're diving deep into the world of technology leadership with an extraordinary guest who's at the forefront of innovation and global team management.
In this episode, we'll embark on a journey through her career, exploring the key milestones that shaped her leadership style and the magnetic pull that drew her into the ever-evolving realm of technology. We'll uncover the influences that molded her professional ethos and the non-negotiable principles that guide business decisions.
Natalya Makarochkina is the Senior Vice President of the Secure Power Division at Schneider Electric, where she oversees a diverse and international team of over 700 professionals. Our conversation will span continents, cultures, and cutting-edge technologies.
We'll delve into the critical roles of coaching and mentoring in professional development, and explore how these practices can address the concerns surrounding AI and its impact on the workforce.
As we navigate through career paths, industry trends, and personal growth, we'll uncover pearls of wisdom that Natalya has gathered along her journey.
Here at the GBM podcast, we hope you enjoy this episode and do leave us a review and share it with your contacts. We invite you back again for the next episode with another big name in the digital infrastructure space.
If you want to get more from the definitive podcast for the business of digital infrastructure, make sure you subscribe to Great Business Minds.
See you soon!
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This episode features our commercial partner Preiskel & Co, a leading award-winning City of London law firm, internationally recognised for its expertise in the digital infrastructure industry as well as the telecoms and tech sector work more broadly. Visit www.preiskel.com for more information.
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Get more from the GBM Podcast on:
Official Website
LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
 
 

Welcome to another episode of the Great Business Minds podcast, the definitive show for the business of digital infrastructure.
GBM is brought to you by Preiskel & Co, a leading award-winning City of London law firm, internationally recognised for its expertise in the digital infrastructure industry and the telecoms and tech sector work more broadly. Wherever your legal or regulatory needs are (including outer space) Preiskel & Co LLP can support you, so do feel free to reach out to them at www.preiskel.com.
This week, we are exploring the world of technology leadership with an exceptional guest who is leading innovation and global team management.
Our guest is Natalya Makarochkina, the Senior Vice President of the Secure Power Division at Schneider Electric. In her role, she oversees an international team of over 700 professionals, bringing a wealth of experience in navigating diverse cultures and cutting-edge technologies.
In this episode, we will trace Natalya's career path, examining the key moments that shaped her leadership approach and drew her into the dynamic field of technology. We will discuss the influences that formed her professional ethics and the core principles guiding her business decisions.
Our conversation will cover the importance of coaching and mentoring in professional development, especially in addressing concerns about AI's impact on the workforce. We will also explore how these practices contribute to personal and team growth in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.
As we discuss career trajectories, industry trends, and personal development, Natalya will share valuable insights from her extensive experience. This episode promises to offer practical wisdom for navigating leadership challenges in the tech industry and beyond.
Here at the GBM podcast, we hope you enjoy this episode and do leave us a review and share it with your contacts. We invite you back again for the next episode with another big name in the digital infrastructure space.
If you want to get more from the definitive podcast for the business of digital infrastructure, make sure you subscribe to Great Business Minds.
See you soon!
///////////////////////
This episode features our commercial partner Preiskel & Co, a leading award-winning City of London law firm, internationally recognised for its expertise in the digital infrastructure industry as well as the telecoms and tech sector work more broadly. Visit www.preiskel.com for more information.
///////////////////////
Get more from the GBM Podcast on:
Official Website
LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
 

Welcome to another episode of the Great Business Minds podcast, the definitive show for the business of digital infrastructure.
GBM is brought to you by Preiskel & Co, a leading award-winning City of London law firm, internationally recognised for its expertise in the digital infrastructure industry and the telecoms and tech sector work more broadly. Wherever your legal or regulatory needs are (including outer space) Preiskel & Co LLP can support you, so do feel free to reach out to them at www.preiskel.com.
 
This week, GBM sat down with Douglas Loewe, the CEO of Kao Data, for an exclusive interview where the executive delves into the future expansion plans and investment landscape of Kao Data across the UK and Europe, shedding light on the increasing demand for AI and intensive computing, as well as the potential opportunities and challenges in the data centre industry.
Loewe was asked about his initial experience as the CEO of Kao Data, being roughly 2 months into the role. He shared his insights on the progress and challenges he has encountered, providing a glimpse into his early tenure and the strategic direction he envisions for Kao Data.
The discussion then shifted to Kao Data’s vision for future expansion across the UK and Europe, particularly in meeting the escalating demand for AI and intensive computing. Loewe elaborated on the company’s ambitious plans and strategies to cater to this growing need, outlining their vision for expansion and technological advancement.
Given Loewe’s background at Macquarie Group, GBM inquired about the current investor sentiment in Europe regarding data centre investments. The conversation then delved into the chief executive’s perception of the investment landscape in Europe, accompanied by an analysis of potential opportunities and challenges foreseen for the data centre industry.
The interview further explored Kao Data’s expansion into “next tier markets” such as Manchester, unraveling the opportunities these markets present for the group’s scaling into mainland Europe.
Lastly, the conversation touched upon the growth opportunities anticipated for data centers surrounding the Mediterranean mesh, particularly in relation to subsea cable termination points.
Here at the GBM podcast, we hope you enjoy this episode and do leave us a review and share it with your contacts. We invite you back again for the next episode with another big name in the digital infrastructure space.
If you want to get more from the definitive podcast for the business of digital infrastructure, make sure you subscribe to Great Business Minds.
See you soon!
///////////////////////
This episode features our commercial partner Preiskel & Co, a leading award-winning City of London law firm, internationally recognised for its expertise in the digital infrastructure industry as well as the telecoms and tech sector work more broadly. Visit www.preiskel.com for more information.
///////////////////////
Get more from the GBM Podcast on:
Official Website
LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube

Welcome to another episode of the Great Business Minds podcast, the definitive show for the business of digital infrastructure.
GBM is brought to you by Preiskel & Co, a leading award-winning City of London law firm, internationally recognised for its expertise in the digital infrastructure industry and the telecoms and tech sector work more broadly. Wherever your legal or regulatory needs are (including outer space) Preiskel & Co LLP can support you, so do feel free to reach out to them at www.preiskel.com.
On this week’s episode, we’re joined by a global energy expert who is driving sustainable digitalisation across the data centre world.
Natalya Makarochkina is the Senior Vice President of the Secure Power Division at Schneider Electric.
Leading a team of around 700, she plays a key part in supporting Schneider Electric’s customers and partners on their digital transformation journeys, across diverse zones such as MEA, East Asia, Pacific, Japan and South America. Natalya has been with Schneider for over eight years.
Prior to joining Schneider, Natalya held several senior management and sales positions at major international technology companies, including HPE, Philips, Oracle and Red Data.
She holds an Executive MBA from the University of Antwerp and a Master’s degree from the Higher School of Economics.
Here at the GBM podcast, we hope you enjoy this episode and do leave us a review and share it with your contacts. We invite you back again for the next episode with another big name in the digital infrastructure space.
If you want to get more from the definitive podcast for the business of digital infrastructure, make sure you subscribe to Great Business Minds.
See you soon!
///////////////////////
This episode features our commercial partner Preiskel & Co, a leading award-winning City of London law firm, internationally recognised for its expertise in the digital infrastructure industry as well as the telecoms and tech sector work more broadly. Visit www.preiskel.com for more information.
///////////////////////
Get more from the GBM Podcast on:
Official Website
LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube

Welcome to another episode of the Great Business Minds podcast, the definitive show for the business of digital infrastructure.
GBM is brought to you by Preiskel & Co, a leading award-winning City of London law firm, internationally recognised for its expertise in the digital infrastructure industry and the telecoms and tech sector work more broadly. Wherever your legal or regulatory needs are (including outer space) Preiskel & Co LLP can support you, so do feel free to reach out to them at www.preiskel.com.
On this week’s episode, we’re joined by a global data centre senior executive with over 20 years of experience in real estate, corporate finance, and operations.
Kok Chye Ong joined real estate private equity fund management firm Gaw Capital in 2021 as Managing Director – Head of IDC Platform, Asia (Ex-China). He spearheads Internet Data Centre (IDC) platform investments for Gaw Capital Partners outside of the China region.
Prior to joining Gaw Capital Partners, Kok Chye worked in the Keppel Group of companies for 10 years in a number of roles including being a Senior Vice President and since 2014, as the Head of Strategy and Global Investments at Keppel Data Centres, a regional data centre owner and operator with over 25 data centres spread across the APAC and European regions.
He has international experience in data centres, telecom and submarine cable development projects. He has strong track record in fundraising, growing data centre businesses in key markets in Asia and Europe, and leading investment teams to acquire data centres in Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany and in the Netherlands.
Kok Chye received his Bachelor of Accounting degree from the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and graduated from the Sloan Fellows Program at Stanford University with a Master of Science in Management from the Graduate School of Business in 2007. He is a Chartered Accountant (CA) in Singapore and Fellow of CPA Australia (FCPA) and a member of the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accounts (ISCA) and CPA Australia.
Here at the GBM podcast, we hope you enjoy this episode and do leave us a review and share it with your contacts. We invite you back again for the next episode with another big name in the digital infrastructure space.
If you want to get more from the definitive podcast for the business of digital infrastructure, make sure you subscribe to Great Business Minds.
See you soon!
///////////////////////
This episode features our commercial partner Preiskel & Co, a leading award-winning City of London law firm, internationally recognised for its expertise in the digital infrastructure industry as well as the telecoms and tech sector work more broadly. Visit www.preiskel.com for more information.
///////////////////////
Get more from the GBM Podcast on:
Official Website
LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube

Welcome to another episode of the Great Business Minds podcast, the definitive show for the business of digital infrastructure.
GBM is brought to you by Preiskel & Co, a leading award-winning City of London law firm, internationally recognised for its expertise in the digital infrastructure industry and the telecoms and tech sector work more broadly. Wherever your legal or regulatory needs are (including outer space) Preiskel & Co LLP can support you, so do feel free to reach out to them at www.preiskel.com.
This week, we are joined by an entrepreneurial and competitive international leader focused on energetically growing business and building diverse high-performing teams.
Mark Smith co-founded and serves as the Executive Chairman for Qarbon Technologies since June 2022. Prior to this, he served as the Managing Director - Asia Pacific for Digital Realty from 2018 to 2022. And before that he held the position of Managing Director - Asia at Zettagrid.
Before these roles, Mark was the Managing Director - Cloud Services - Asia Pacific at VMware and he also held the position of Managing Director - Asia Pacific for CenturyLink (Formerly Savvis Inc.).
Mark’s earlier work experience includes serving as the President & Senior Company Officer - Japan at Thomson Reuters from 2007 to 2010, and as the Head of Sales - Asia Pacific from 2002 to 2007. He was the Global Head of Sales at eBridge from early 1999 to 2002.
Prior to these roles, Mark held the position of General Manager at Bridge Information Systems and served as the Head of Sales - Asia at SunGard from 1995 to 1997, and as a Major Account Manager at Knight Ridder Financial from 1991 to 1995.
He attended the University of Puget Sound, where he obtained a Bachelor's Degree. In 1987, he also briefly studied Mandarin at Tunghai University. Additionally, in 1988 to 1989, Mark Smith studied Mandarin at Beijing Normal University.
He joins us now from Tokyo where he lives with his family.
Here at the GBM podcast, we hope you enjoy this episode and do leave us a review and share it with your contacts. We invite you back again for the next episode with another big name in the digital infrastructure space.
If you want to get more from the definitive podcast for the business of digital infrastructure, make sure you subscribe to Great Business Minds.
See you soon!
 
///////////////////////
This episode features our commercial partner Preiskel & Co, a leading award-winning City of London law firm, internationally recognised for its expertise in the digital infrastructure industry as well as the telecoms and tech sector work more broadly. Visit www.preiskel.com for more information.
///////////////////////
 
Get more from the GBM Podcast on:
Official Website
LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube

Welcome to another episode of the Great Business Minds podcast, the definitive show for the business of digital infrastructure.
 
GBM is brought to you by Preiskel & Co, a leading award-winning City of London law firm, internationally recognised for its expertise in the digital infrastructure industry and the telecoms and tech sector work more broadly. Wherever your legal or regulatory needs are (including outer space) Preiskel & Co LLP can support you, so do feel free to reach out to them at www.preiskel.com
 
In this episode, we are joined by someone whose focus will change data centre construction and how mega projects are built.
 
A Fellow of Keble College, Dr Atif Ansar is a Senior Teaching Fellow on the Master of Sciences in Major Programme Management and the Australian Major Projects Leadership Academy (AMPLA). He is the Founding Director of the Oxford Programme on the Sustainable Future of Capital-Intensive Industries, Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment.
 
Atif is also the Executive Chairman of Foresight Works – an Oxford based technology firm building next-gen software for the world’s megaprojects.
 
He has been at the University of Oxford since 2006 and until 2010, he undertook his DPhil (PhD), at Brasenose College, with the prestigious Clarendon Scholarship from Oxford University Press.
 
Atif was a post-doctoral research fellow at the BT Centre for Major Programme Management at Saïd Business School from 2010.
 
From 2015 until 2020, Atif was Programme Director of the MSc in Major Programme Management and continues to be one of the senior teaching fellows on the course’s faculty.
 
Atif also teaches on the UK and Australian Governments Major Projects Leadership Academy.
 
In 2018, Atif began an appointment as a visiting scholar at Stanford University’s Global Projects Center and a Visiting Professorship at Tsinghua University.
 
He previously undertook his bachelor’s degree at the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, where he majored in philosophy, politics, and economics.
 
Here at the GBM podcast, we hope you enjoy this episode and do leave us a review and share it with your contacts. We invite you back again for the next episode with another big name in the digital infrastructure space.
If you want to get more from the definitive podcast for the business of digital infrastructure, make sure you subscribe to Great Business Minds.
See you soon!
 
///////////////////////
 
This episode features our commercial partner Preiskel & Co, a leading award-winning City of London law firm, internationally recognised for its expertise in the digital infrastructure industry as well as the telecoms and tech sector work more broadly. Visit www.preiskel.com for more information.
 
///////////////////////
 
Get more from the GBM Podcast on:
Official Website
LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
 

Welcome to another episode of the Great Business Minds podcast, the definitive show for the business of digital infrastructure.
GBM is brought to you by Preiskel & Co, a leading award-winning City of London law firm, internationally recognised for its expertise in the digital infrastructure industry and the telecoms and tech sector work more broadly. Wherever your legal or regulatory needs are (including outer space) Preiskel & Co LLP can support you, so do feel free to reach out to them here.
Our guest this week has had an inspiring growth journey over the years with key leadership lessons along the way.
Sam Prudhomme is the president of Accelevation’s data centre business unit. Prior to joining Accelevation, Sam was the president of Instor solutions and was responsible for the overall strategy and execution for the company. Sam is a dynamic leader with a reputation of assembling and directing sales and operations teams, increasing profitability, creating customer-centric go-to-market strategies, cultivating cohesive workforces, and growing global brands.
He started his career in commercial construction and moved to the telecom industry where he held a field operations role during the 4G evolution. He then transitioned to the data centre industry in 2010 where he held senior sales roles designing and implementing data centre power systems and supporting critical facility infrastructure.
After more than half a decade designing, selling and constructing critical facility infrastructure he joined the Subzero Engineering, where he would become the VP of sales and marketing. He helped build Subzero’s global sales team and launched multiple product families to help the brand respond to the massive demand increase and evolving use of data centre containment. During his tenure Sam curated Subzero’s initiative to correlate the use of its products to the industry’s drive towards carbon-neutral operations. A concept now considered common place.
 
Here at the GBM podcast, we hope you enjoy this episode and do leave us a review and share it with your contacts. We invite you back again for the next episode with another big name in the digital infrastructure space.
If you want to get more from the definitive podcast for the business of digital infrastructure, make sure you subscribe to Great Business Minds.
See you soon!
///////////////////////
This episode features our commercial partner Preiskel & Co, a leading award-winning City of London law firm, internationally recognised for its expertise in the digital infrastructure industry as well as the telecoms and tech sector work more broadly. Visit www.preiskel.com for more information.
///////////////////////
Get more from the GBM Podcast on:
Official Website
LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
 

Welcome to another episode of the Great Business Minds podcast, the definitive show for the business of digital infrastructure.
GBM is brought to you by Preiskel & Co, a leading award-winning City of London law firm, internationally recognised for its expertise in the digital infrastructure industry as well as the telecoms and tech sector work more broadly. Wherever your legal or regulatory needs are (including outer space) Preiskel & Co LLP can support you, so do feel free to reach out to them here.
This week we are joined by one of the first people taking artificial intelligence into the boardroom of a multi-billion-dollar Asian giant.
 
Nguyen Xuan Phong is FPT Software’s Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer and an influential leader with vast managerial and technical experience.
 
From 2013 to 2021, Phong served as an AI researcher at Hitachi Central Research Laboratory, where he obtained 8 patents and was named among Top 50 young inventors.
 
He has also spent two years as Director of Data Science and AI Division at Tokyo Techies, two years as Hitachi’s representative, and four years as Visiting Researcher at the world’s largest AI research institute Mila (in Canada).
 
In 2018, Phong returned to Vietnam following the government’s Innovation Network program where He played an important role in the strategic partnership between FPT and Mila, with an aspiration to build a major AI hub in Vietnam.
 
Phong holds a Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo and a Master's degree from Carnegie Mellon University, two top-tier universities in the US and Japan.
Here at the GBM podcast, we hope you enjoy this episode and do leave us a review and share it with your contacts. We invite you back again for the next episode with another big name in the digital infrastructure space.
If you want to get more from the definitive podcast for the business of digital infrastructure, make sure you subscribe to Great Business Minds.
See you soon!
///////////////////////
This episode features our commercial partner Preiskel & Co, a leading award-winning City of London law firm, internationally recognised for its expertise in the digital infrastructure industry as well as the telecoms and tech sector work more broadly. Visit www.preiskel.com for more information.
///////////////////////
Get more from the GBM Podcast on:
Official Website
LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube

Welcome to another episode of the Great Business Minds podcast, the definitive show for the business of digital infrastructure.
 
GBM is brought to you by Preiskel & Co, a leading award-winning City of London law firm, internationally recognised for its expertise in the digital infrastructure industry as well as the telecoms and tech sector work more broadly. Wherever your legal or regulatory needs are (including outer space) Preiskel & Co LLP can support you, so do feel free to reach out to them here.
In this episode, we chat to an accomplished founder within the digital infrastructure landscape.
 
Philbert Shih is the Founder and Managing Director of Structure Research, an independent Toronto and Singapore-based research and consulting firm devoted to the cloud and data centre infrastructure services markets with a specialization in the hyperscale value chain.
 
He has covered the infrastructure services space for over 20 years. He is also the conference chair for the annual infra / STRUCTURE summit and heads up the Structure Research consulting practice, which has advised and provided subject matter expertise for transactions across data centre, cloud and managed hosting, with over $3 billion US dollars in value.
 
Prior to founding Structure Research, Philbert was the first hosting infrastructure analyst hired after Tier1 Research was sold to The 451 Group (2005) and spent six years as Senior Analyst for managed hosting and cloud.
 
Prior to joining Tier1 Research, he spent more than four years covering the web hosting industry – three of them as Senior Staff Writer for The Web Host Industry Review’s online and print publications.
 
Philbert holds an MA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia with a specialization in political economic development, and he joins GBM now from Canada’s largest city, Toronto.
 
Here at the GBM podcast, we hope you enjoy this episode and do leave us a review and share it with your contacts. We invite you back again for the next episode with another big name in the digital infrastructure space.
 
If you want to get more from the definitive podcast for the business of digital infrastructure, make sure you subscribe to Great Business Minds.
 
See you soon!
 
///////////////////////
 
This episode features our commercial partner Preiskel & Co, a leading award-winning City of London law firm, internationally recognised for its expertise in the digital infrastructure industry as well as the telecoms and tech sector work more broadly. Visit www.preiskel.com for more information.
 
///////////////////////
 
Get more from the GBM Podcast on:
 
Official Website
 
LinkedIn
 
Facebook
 
Instagram
 
Twitter
 
YouTube