Cologix today announced that its Board of Directors has selected Laura Ortman, President & Chief Revenue Officer, as its new Chief Executive Officer. Ortman becomes the first female CEO in Cologix’s history and one of only two known women CEOs in the data center colocation industry. The appointment becomes effective October 12th.
Ortman will succeed CEO Bill Fathers, who will remain as Chairman of Cologix’s Board of Directors and as a Senior Operating Partner at Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners, a leading alternative investment firm specializing in infrastructure and real assets and the controlling shareholder in Cologix.
“Laura is an innovative and dynamic leader, and the ideal choice to guide Cologix as it continues its expansion in the fast-growing, digital infrastructure market opportunity,” said Fathers. “Her extensive industry knowledge, highly effective leadership style and a proven ability to adapt and innovate while delivering operational excellence will continue to be major assets as we work to meet the immense demands of the growing digital economy. I am confident Laura’s customer-centric approach will propel Cologix to new heights as we continue to meet the evolving needs of our customers.”
Ortman brings 25 years of expertise as a global leader of technology companies holding executive leadership positions at Equinix and VMware before joining Cologix, North America’s leading network-neutral interconnection and hyperscale edge data center company.
As President and Chief Revenue Officer at Cologix, Ortman led strategic sales and revenue strategy, focusing on deepening customer relationships and broadening the company’s go-to-market strategy. Her role evolved to drive product, technology and IT strategies. During her tenure, Ortman was responsible for driving record revenue growth from a relentless focus on customer experience and segmentation while creating an excellent culture and being central to several key decisions, including the launch of ScalelogixSM and platform innovation.
“I am excited to be selected to lead this exceptional and high-performing organization through its next chapter of massive growth,” said Ortman. “It is an honor to lead and work alongside the amazing team at Cologix. I look forward to building on the strong foundation and positive growth we have established over the past few years. I want to thank Bill for his vision, leadership, partnership and collaboration over the years.”
Ortman’s appointment follows several years of continuing expansion and partnership with Stonepeak, including a $3 billion equity recapitalization in April 2022.
“Throughout her tenure at Cologix, Laura has been instrumental in making the company the financially and operationally strong organization it is today,” said Stonepeak Managing Director Cyrus Gentry. “We know she is an exceptional leader, and like her predecessor, Bill Fathers, has the same vision to guide Cologix as we progress on the company’s expansion efforts.”
Ortman joined Cologix in August of 2018 as President and Chief Revenue Officer. She has thrived on building strong relationships and driving high-performing teams in creating a “Together We Win” culture to deliver a best-in-class experience for customers that has resulted in double-digit revenue growth over the past three years. Ortman encourages and supports other women in the company and spearheaded the creation of Cologix’s first Employee Resource Group – the Cologix Women’s Connection Network. She also is a Board member of Digital Edge DC based in Singapore.
In addition to her executive accomplishments, Ortman has received an industry leadership award from the Professional Business Women of California (PBWC) for her commitment to supporting women in technology. Ortman also serves on the Advisory Board for the University of Colorado Boulder – Leeds School of Business, and on the Alumni Board and College of Business Dean’s Advisory Board for the University of Alabama – Huntsville. Laura holds an MBA in Information Systems from Regis University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) in Marketing from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, where she played tennis as a NCAA college athlete.
