Equinix is breaking down the barriers of career change

A career change can be challenging for anyone, especially for former athletes transitioning out of elite competitive sports. But organisations that can provide support and opportunities for these talented individuals can often benefit from their unique set of skills; this includes teamwork, dedication, work ethic, problem solving, communication and leadership, among many more, that can be applied during their athletic career and outside of sport.

As an organisation, Equinix is committed to building and maintaining a culture that reflects, at all levels, a rich diversity of thought, experience, culture, and background. This includes embedding diversity, inclusion, and belonging (DIB) into all business activities, especially prevalent in our hiring and talent development process for all individuals, such as former athletes at the Games.

The Athlete Career Transition program

One of the many ways we bring uniquely diverse skillsets is through our global collaboration with Athlete Career Transition (ACT). The ACT is a comprehensive transition program for athletes retiring from sports and focuses on helping these individuals to transfer their skills to various business environments.

We began partnering with ACT in 2020 to onboard former elite athletes from sporting disciplines into new roles across various departments at Equinix, including sales, support, and recruitment. In 2021, we extended our partnership with ACT to Asia-Pacific to provide professional athletes in this region with new career opportunities. Among the six newly hired athletes worldwide, two of them are from Asia-Pacific.

Ockert Cilliers, a former athlete and brand ambassador on the international track and field circuit, now works as a corporate sales account executive at Equinix in Sydney. Bruno Kenji Ozeki, a former professional swimmer who competed in the 2016 Summer Games, is a sales support associate in our Tokyo office.

Ockert was a contracted athlete (400m hurdler) and brand ambassador for Adidas on the international track and field circuit, including the 2004 Summer Games in Greece. He joined the Equinix Sydney office as a corporate sales executive in early 2022, and approached his new role with the drive and determination of a former athlete.

Commenting on his transition to the corporate world through the ACT, he said what really excited him was how the company makes the environment welcoming, inviting, and supportive for employees from all walks of life. He believes in looking at the bigger picture and knowing that whatever you do today to improve the current situation, it brings rewards down the line. Whether on the athletics track or in life, he says success is not achieved overnight, but takes hard work, commitment, and dedication.

To young professionals who hope to make a career at Equinix, Ockert says perseverance and hard work are key and to seek and use feedback to continuously improve. He is also a big believer in carving the path you want, and whilst it may be hard and may take a long time, it will be worth it, saying it took him a full year to land his current role at Equinix.

Bruno, who joined our Tokyo office last year, was a professional swimmer who competed in the men’s 4×100 metre freestyle relay at the 2016 Summer Games, enjoys being part of a bigger team and the opportunities that presents. After retiring from his swimming career, he felt a deep hole in his heart, which was something he had never felt before. He said he felt a lack of passion and needed something new.

Throughout his swimming career he said there were times when he swam for his team and times when he swam for himself. Reflecting on this, he quickly realised that he was happiest when he dedicated himself to a team and a legacy.

Since joining Equinix, he says he’s been able to once again find that joy of being part of a winning team that’s committed to driving innovation and is happy being part of something bigger than himself.

In his early days at Equinix, he has taken every opportunity to ask questions and ensure he takes the time needed to ramp up his role in an industry that’s completely new to him.

Accelerating the equity and hiring of diverse talent

We believe that personal sustainability and career success depend on DIB, and in turn, an inclusive workplace generates the most significant innovations and substantial business outcomes.

Aside from the ACT program, we have seen much success so far in reaching various milestones as part of our social goals. In 2021, we increased our Equinix Employee Connection Network to nine groups, providing representation and support for individuals from all walks of life and bringing DIB to life through advocacy, awareness, mentoring, training, and more.

We have also made tremendous progress in some key areas. Highlights include increasing representation of women by 1.5 per cent, from 23.9 per cent to 25.3 per cent, and increasing historically underrepresented minorities in leadership roles by 1.7 per cent year on year.

Through our Pathways program, we continue identifying new channels to connect individuals to meaningful opportunities. This offers multiple avenues to reach a diverse pool of candidates at different stages of their career journeys. It comprises of partnerships with various organisations, such as the ACT, to offer former professional athletes an opportunity to work in the technology sector. In 2021, 12 per cent of our external hires came from these programs, and in 2022, our goal is to achieve 20 per cent or more of hiring from Pathways and our other initiative, New to Careers.

We believe strength comes from diversity. We are paving the way to a better future where our employees of all backgrounds, our customers’ diverse businesses, and the unique and complex communities around us can all thrive.

Hwa Choo Lim is the vice president, human resources, at Equinix Asia Pacific.