The calm, cosmopolitan atmosphere and the ding of trams and bicycle bells, rather than the intrusive sound of car horns, are just two of the things Cork-born Judith Gardiner likes about living in Amsterdam.
Gardiner, who is vice-president for growth and emerging markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) with digital infrastructure company Equinix, wanted to live on mainland Europe since she was a youngster.
“I went on a school tour to Brussels and Amsterdam and loved how different it felt,” she says. “The architecture, the design, the culture and the overall sophistication had a big impact on me. It felt different to Ireland and that feeling always stayed with me. When I was in my early 20s, I did a short stint in Chicago but it was mainland Europe that sparked my curiosity.”
Gardiner trained as an accountant with Deloitte before relocating to Amsterdam in 2001 to join PeopleSoft (now owned by Oracle) in a managerial role. In 2003, she moved to the global communications company, Polycom, before joining Equinix as director of sales operations in 2013.
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Moving abroad pushed Gardiner well outside her comfort zone. When she went to Amsterdam, she knew nobody. “It was certainly daunting, and lonely at times, but having that space allowed me to really get to know myself better and shape how I wanted my life to be,” says Gardiner, who juggles a busy travel schedule with bringing up a young family.
“I co-parent with my children’s Dad, so I fit my travel in when they are with him,” Gardiner says. “Children here tend to be independent earlier because of the freedom of being able to cycle everywhere. It’s the same for me. I can leave home at 8:20am, be at the school by 8:30am and at my desk by 9 o’clock if it’s an office day.”
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When she’s not in Amsterdam, Gardiner could be anywhere from Helsinki to Dubai as her patch incudes 10 European countries and the Middle East.
“We call emerging markets the gems because when you polish a gem it will shine very brightly,” she says. “A lot of my work is focused on strategic planning and sustainability and what our strategy should look like for the next three, five or 10 years.”
With so much going on, it might seem like finding a good work-life balance would be difficult, but a serious health problem in her 30s helped Gardiner carve out a path that works for her.
“I hadn’t been able to work as I was very ill with Crohn’s disease,” she says. “Going to work for Equinix was like a rebirth as no one knew me as a ‘sick person’. I got to start over with a completely different perspective on life, having lived through a few near-death experiences.”
Gardiner joined the business almost 10 years ago and credits the company’s now president for EMEA, Eugene Bergen, with helping to reset her career. “We started pretty much the same time and he’s become a great mentor and coach,” she says.
There’s often very little sugarcoating or dancing around difficult topics. Elephants in the room are almost introduced as soon as they appear
“I think I’ve now become who I’m supposed to be in my working life, as opposed to someone who did her best to fit into a very male-dominated finance and tech world in my life before Equinix.”
Having worked in the Netherlands for two decades, Gardiner says the differences in business culture that she noticed initially have faded. “The Dutch working environment is very direct, and I really like that,” she says. “There’s often very little sugarcoating or dancing around difficult topics. Elephants in the room are almost introduced as soon as they appear. People can have highly charged debates in a meeting and then slide into social situations straight afterwards with ease.
“I guess the other noticeable difference is the lack of hierarchy,” Gardiner adds. “I never thought of Ireland as being a hierarchical place to work, but it’s even flatter here.
“It’s really only when your kids go to school that some of this becomes apparent. There’s a strong ethos from their first day at school that everyone is able to achieve whatever they believe they can achieve. Self-belief and self-confidence are held in higher regard than ability, which will come with time. This rings true in the workplace too, meaning you can find the right people to bring an idea to life if you can’t do it yourself.”
Equinix is one of the big international names in data centres and Gardiner gets mildly peeved at the bad rap they attract. “Without them, the economy would likely fall over. There would be no vital infrastructure, and hospitals and airports wouldn’t work. People’s everyday lives would be turned upside down too. There would be no Netflix, no WhatsApp and no smartphone applications,” she says.
“Equinix data centres are highly energy efficient and handle vast amounts of data far more efficiently than the equipment most businesses have for the purpose in their basements. Our data centres are considered critical infrastructure. Without them, cities and countries would come to a standstill. We work with urban planners and our customers’ sustainability programmes to ensure they’re getting the most efficient service and the most efficient use of power and water.
“People often don’t realise their wider benefits. For example, excess output can be used to heat hospitals, schools or universities.”
Asked what she misses about Ireland, Gardiner says: “The Irish humour and elaborate vernacular, the scenery, culture and the endless variety of Irish accents. When I’m with Irish colleagues, anywhere in the world, it’s like sinking into a comfortable armchair. The conversation and desire for connection starts straight away – we can’t help it.”
