The Data Center Exchange | S1 Ep 2

By Del Connolly

15 May 2023

2 min read

The impact and the role of Data Centers in our lives with Aashna Puri

Welcome to The Data Center Exchange Podcast with host Del Connolly, Global Director of Harper Harrison, a built environment recruiting firm as he is joined by some of the most senior leaders within the data center industry. Del and his guests will be touching on topics such as the culture of a fast-growing business within the sector, sustainability, engineering, construction challenges, diversity & inclusion, and much more.

What is a Data Center? How does it impact our lives? How have they changed the way that we live? How rewarding can a career be within the industry? In this episode, we ask these questions to Aashna Puri, Director of Strategy and Sustainability at one of the leading Data Centre Developers, CyrusOne. We also look at Aashna’s route into the industry and her fascinating entrepreneurial background which centers around connecting people.

Aashna has lived in seven countries across three continents and is a natural connector with a focus on diverse and interdisciplinary solutions to drive strategy. As a Senior Project Development and Sustainability Manager at CyrusOne, Aashna is responsible for data-backed strategic planning, new market entry, M&A, and investment analyses while ensuring that the environmental impact is considered at every step.

Aashna is a mission-driven creative problem solver who draws from a variety of experiences to bring innovative and lasting solutions to problems. During her time as a college student, Aashna founded a business that tutored and mentored Tanzanian youth to access university education on scholarships in the US. While working full-time in South Africa, Aashna founded Sogather, a business that enabled passionate home cooks to host diners in their homes and encouraged a post-apartheid South Africa to intermingle in an intimate setting. Currently, Aashna is working on WishLiner, an international parcel delivery service that uses spare luggage space in a traveler's journey.