The iMasons Innovation Podcast Thought Leadership

#27 Can ESG Outweigh Profit? A Real Talk with Southwire’s General Counsel

What happens when a century-old manufacturer decides that sustainability isn’t a department — it’s the business itself? 

In this episode of the iMasons Podcast, I sit down with Burt Fealing, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, and Chief Sustainability Officer at Southwire, to explore how one of America’s largest wire and cable companies is rewiring its operations for a carbon-neutral future. 

We talk about what it really takes to align five ESG pillars with commercial reality, how to trace embedded carbon all the way back to the mine, and what happens when transparency meets tough internal resistance. Burt shares lessons from Southwire’s journey to carbon neutrality by 2025, the breakthroughs that worked, and the strategies that didn’t. 

It’s a conversation about leadership under pressure, the courage to publish real data, and how sustainability becomes transformative only when it stops being convenient. If you want to hear what ESG looks like when it’s lived, not just written — this episode is for you. 

Guest:  

Burt Fealing, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Sustainability Officer at Southwire 

Moderator: Romain Tranchant, iMasons Innovation Committee Chair 

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Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all. 

#iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership 

 

 

#26 Shaping the Next Generation: Education, Talent, and Innovation with Nabeel Mahmood

In this episode of the iMasons Podcast, host Romain Tranchant sits down with Nabeel Mahmood, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Nomad Futurist, to explore how education, talent, and innovation come together to shape the future of digital infrastructure. From his global career to his work inspiring the next generation, Nabeel shares what drives his mission to make our industry more visible, accessible, and purposeful. 

Together, they dive into powerful questions — why does innovation start with learning? What makes real talent stand out in a world of AI and automation? And how can education spark a movement that transforms not just technology, but people? 

If you're invested in shaping the future of digital infrastructure leadership — and want to discover how to ignite passion in the next generation — this is a conversation you won’t want to miss." 

Guest: Nabeel Mahmood, co-founder and managing director of Nomad futurist, board member for both private and public company 

Moderator:  Romain Tranchant, iMasons Innovation Committee Chair 

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Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all. 

#iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership 

 

#25 From Cost Center to Catalyst: Rethinking Infrastructure Investment

John Cowan is the founder of Next Wave Partners, a venture studio and investment fund redefining early-stage capital through founder-aligned financing structures. He is the author of Venture Capital 2.0, a widely circulated critique of the legacy VC model and a blueprint for building startups in the post–power law era. 

Next Wave developed the Safer—a hybrid investment instrument that prioritizes revenue-based returns and long-term alignment—offering founders capital without control loss, and investors access to a perpetual fund unconstrained by traditional VC timelines. 

Our conversation dives into why Wall Street and Silicon Valley often overlook infrastructure, where new sources of capital could emerge, and how to ensure that investments unlock the right opportunities for AI, smart cities, and autonomous systems. We examine different modes of investment—from patient capital to community-driven models—and consider how smart city and autonomy initiatives highlight the diversity of funding approaches. 

Moderator:  
Romain Tranchant, iMasons Innovation Committee Chair 

Guest: 

John Cowan, founder of Next Wave Partners and author of “Venture Capital 2.0” 

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Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all. 

#iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership 

#24 A Fresh Lens on Recruitment: Transferable Skills as a Growth Engine with Liam Round at Teksan

Liam Round, Managing Director for Teksan UK and Regional Director for Europe & Africa, joins us to share his inspiring journey from military service to leadership in the data centre industry. A proud member of the iMasons Veterans’ community, Liam reveals how his service shaped his people-first approach in recruitment. He shares lessons from rebuilding teams from the ground up and emphasizes the importance of transferable skills in driving innovation and sustainable business growth. 

As Liam puts it: “Nothing changes if nothing changes.” This mindset continues to fuel his commitment to transformation, resilience, and progress – both in business and in life. 

Moderator:  
Romain Tranchant, Chair of the iMasons Innovation Committee 

Guest: 

Liam Round, Managing Director UK and Regional Director for Europe & Africa, Teksan 

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Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all. 

#iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership 

 

#23 Thought Leadership | Turning AI’s Energy Demand into a Climate Opportunity | iMasons Panel at IRENA BONN

Innovation Committee Chair, Romain Tranchant, leads a panel at the IRENA Conference in BONN on behalf of the iMasons Climate Accords. 

This session unpacks how the rapid growth in global data centre electricity demand, driven by AI advancement, can be transformed from a grid challenge into an opportunity for accelerating renewable energy deployment and achieving decarbonisation targets. 

Moderator:  
Romain Tranchant, Chair of the Innovation Committee, iMasons Climate Accord 

Panelists: 
Andres Acosta, Director of Innovation, LevelTen 
Trigya Singh, Head of Corporate Sourcing, Global Renewable Alliance 
Sylvie Tarnai, Chief Strategy Officer, Energy Pool 
Jill McArdle PhD, International Corporate Campaigner, Beyond Fossil Fuels 
Gema del Río Castro, IDAE – Spanish Government  

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Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all. 

#iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership 

 

#22 | Thought Leadership | Digitising data centre construction with augmented reality and ultra-precise positioning

Innovation Committee Chair and host Romain Tranchant interviews Waleed Zafar.  

Waleed Zafar is the Director of Mission Critical at XYZ Reality, a company transforming how mission-critical projects are planned, built, and delivered with its innovative construction delivery platform. With a background in investment banking, Waleed joined XYZ as its first employee, playing a pivotal role in developing the company’s core technology. He then partnered with the largest developers in the construction of data centres, using augmented reality and precise positioning to improve the rate of delivery and health and safety in construction. 

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Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all. 

#iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership 

#21 iMasons Skills Matching - A new recruitment method is helping fix the shortage of skills

Innovation Committee Chair and host Romain Tranchant interviews Alison Marlow and Courtney Popp. 

Alison is Account Executive at Schneider Electric and the Global Chair for Armed Forces at Infrastructure Masons. Due to her non-traditional background, she is passionate about helping people find success who have taken alternate paths in life. 

Courtney Popp is iMasons' Director of People Programs, with a decade of workforce development expertise and a deep commitment toward opening pathways to opportunity, especially for underserved populations. 

They have accepted our invitation to talk about the new recruitment methods that might help to fix the shortage of skills in our industry. 

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Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, non-profit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all. 

#iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership 

# 20 Agentic AI in the Data Center Sector

Innovation Committee Chair and host Romain Tranchant interviews Venessa Moffat, Executive Board Member at the Data Centre Alliance.  Venessa has worked in the sector for over 20 years, holding various roles across IT and facilities. Today, Venessa is exploring the ever-evolving world of software in data centres, focusing on how AI is contributing to our increasingly complex, data-driven system of systems.  

💡 Key Takeaways:

✅ Real-world applications of AI agents in data centers

✅ The evolution from manual processes to intelligent automation

✅ Strategic insights for leaders to stay ahead of the curve

👉 Start the conversation—𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 and 𝐭𝐚𝐠 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞 in digital infrastructure.  

#iMasons #InfrastructureMasons #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership