Technology

Google Ireland head Adaire Fox-Martin to depart for Equinix

Fox-Martin moving to data-centre business Equinix as chief executive and president

Adaire Fox-Martin is leaving Google. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw

Ciara O'Brien
Tue Mar 12 2024 - 21:01

Google is to announce a new head for its Irish business in the coming weeks after current chief Adaire Fox-Martin announced she would be moving to digital infrastructure company Equinix as chief executive and president.

The move is part of Equinix’s planned leadership transition that will come into effect in the latter part of the second quarter, with current president and chief executive Charles Meyers moving to the role of executive chairman after almost six years leading the company. Equinix’s current executive chairman Peter Van Camp will take on the role of special adviser to the board.

“Digital transformation is reshaping the basis of competition for industries across the globe, and the rapid adoption of AI is accelerating that dynamic,” said Mr Meyers. “These pivotal shifts have created an extraordinary demand environment for digital infrastructure, and our distinctive advantages create an exceptional long-term opportunity for Equinix. I am confident that Adaire’s capabilities and experience will be deeply additive to our team and our culture, helping us meet the evolving needs of our customers, fuel our growth and unlock the extraordinary power of Platform Equinix.”

Ms Fox-Martin, who currently sits on the Equinix board, brings a significant amount of experience to the role. She was appointed as Google’s Irish head in 2022, and led Google Cloud’s go-to-market teams globally, following the departure of Nick Leeder. She had joined the Irish office a year earlier as Google’s EMEA cloud president.

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Prior to that, Ms Fox-Martin worked with Oracle and SAP, heading up the latter’s global sales and becoming the second woman to be appointed to the German company’s executive board. Fortune magazine named her one of the 50 most powerful women four times, and she was named the recipient of SAP’s distinguished leader award for the Asia-Pacific-Japan region.

She has been a member of the Equinix board of directors since 2020.

“In today’s dynamic digital landscape, Equinix has uniquely amassed global reach, highly differentiated ecosystems, strong partner relationships, and an innovative range of product and service offerings – collectively forming a robust and future-proofed platform to address diverse customer challenges,” said Ms Fox-Martin.

“Coupled with my passionate belief in the vision, mission and values of Equinix, I am excited to leverage my experience in driving business transformations and building for scale to drive continued innovation and growth at Equinix.”

A spokeswoman for Google said the company would announce a new head of Google Ireland in the coming weeks.

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien is an Irish Times business and technology journalist

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