Governance
Corporate and Sustainability Governance
Our strong corporate and sustainability governance framework supports and advances our business to serve our customers and all other key stakeholders.
Corporate governance
Operating under a set of clear Corporate Governance Guidelines, our Board of Directors and its six standing committees direct and oversee our business.
A significant governance responsibility of the Board in 2024 was identifying a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President and facilitating a smooth leadership transition. As part of a planned succession process, the Board appointed Adaire Fox-Martin, a Board member since 2020, as the new CEO and President. Adaire Fox-Martin succeeded Charles Meyers, who transitioned from his role as CEO and President to the position of Executive Chairman of the Board. As part of this transition, Peter Van Camp, Executive Chairman at that time, concluded his Board service.
Adaire Fox-Martin
Chief Executive Officer
Board composition
We periodically refresh our Board skills matrix to ensure members possess the abilities needed to address and adapt to the evolving landscape of our industry. In 2024, we identified 14 critical skills for Board members. The Nominating and Governance Committee uses the matrix to identify potential skill gaps and prioritize important skill sets when considering new nominees.
Skills matrix
| Skills and Experience | Nanci Caldwell | Adaire Fox-Martin | Gary Hromadko | Charles Meyers | Thomas Ollinger | Chris Paisley | Sandra Rivera | Fidelma Russo |
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| Executive Leadership |  |
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| Digital Center/Digital Infrastructure Services | |
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| Relevant Technology Depth & Customer Perspective | |
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| Cloud/XaaS Experience | |
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| Global Experience/Perspective | |
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| Human Capital | |
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| Go-to-Market | |
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| Capital Markets | |
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| REITs/Real Estate Development | |
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| M&A Experience | |
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| Sustainability | |
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| Finance & Accounting | |
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| Risk Management | |
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| Public Company Board | |
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For more details, see our Board & Governance webpage.
Shareholder engagement
Equinix engages with shareholders throughout the year to best understand and address the issues that matter to them. In 2024, Equinix’s Investor Relations team met with numerous investors around the world by attending or hosting over 30 investor conferences, non-deal roadshows and investor group events.
In late 2024, our Investor Relations team also proactively contacted our 25 largest shareholders, who collectively hold over 55% of the shares outstanding. We offered an annual update on our corporate governance practices and sustainability highlights as well as an opportunity to discuss any other topics of interest to the shareholders.
Sustainability governance
Board oversight of sustainability
Nominating and governance committee
Oversees strategies, policies, practices, performance and reporting related to corporate sustainability matters and provides periodic updates to the full Board. The Committee also receives an annual update from the Sustainability Program Office (SPO) and reviews focused environmental metrics quarterly.
Talent, culture and compensation committee
Oversees human capital management. This includes strategies to attract, develop and retain talent at all levels; cultivate an engaged employee base; make Equinix’s culture a competitive advantage and promote workforce inclusion and belonging. The committee also determines salaries and contingent compensation for executives, including establishing targets, incentive awards and incentive compensation plans.
Audit committee
Oversees the Company’s accounting practices, system of internal controls, audit processes, and financial reporting processes, which includes the financial disclosures filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Read more about our Committees and their charters.
Sustainability management framework
Equinix manages sustainability through our dedicated Sustainability Program Office (SPO). Working with other Equinix teams, the SPO:
- Sets our sustainability strategy and key targets.
- Collaborates cross-functionally to interpret changes in the external sustainability environment and assess strategic implications for Equinix.
- Develops a materiality assessment which identifies priority areas of focus.
- Implements initiatives, as well as, tracks and reports progress against goals.
- Engages stakeholders to enable Equinix to deliver on its Future First commitments.
As the body responsible for driving our Future First strategy, the SPO reports to the Chief Financial Officer and is overseen by the Sustainability Executive Steering Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee of Equinix’s Board of Directors.
Reporting to the Sustainability Executive Steering Committee, our Sustainability Vice President (VP) Steering Committee drives daily program decision-making and strategies across functions. This cross-functional committee is made up of vice president and senior vice president-level representatives from Procurement; Global Design and Construction (GDC); Operations; Global Regulatory, Public Policy, Privacy and Compliance (GRPC) and Global Products and Markets. Specifically, the committee acts as a decision-making mechanism for matters related to executing the company’s overall sustainability strategy.
The Sustainability Executive Steering Committee helps to review broader objectives, key results and initiatives to ensure their alignment with organizational goals and priorities. The committee includes the Executive Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President Global Operations, Chief Business Officer and Chief Legal Officer who are responsible for delegating sustainability topics to other senior executives and employees. The Executive Steering Committee meets annually and is updated on progress, impacts and priorities by the Sustainability Program Office.
