Mission-critical data centres power everything from cloud storage to hospital systems. It’s the invisible backbone of modern life. Yet the teams designing and managing them have rarely reflected the diversity of the people who rely on them. For decades, the field was defined as technical, complex, and predominantly male. That’s beginning to change. Over the past 15 years, Chhavi Nayak, who began her career at a leading construction firm, has been part of that transformation, demonstrating that diverse thinking in infrastructure isn’t a “nice-to-have”; it’s essential. In her view, inclusion is the difference between fragile systems and those that endure.
Challenging the Old Industry Perception
Data centres carry a long-standing reputation. “For far too long, they’ve been seen as a man’s world: engineering-heavy, technical, complex, and high stakes,” Chhavi says. Yet those very characteristics make diversity of thought even more valuable. She entered the construction industry when walking into rooms and sites as the only woman was routine. Delivering multi-million-pound programmes meant proving herself twice: first, on technical depth, and then on the ability to influence and manage cross-functional teams. “I’ve had to prove not just my technical knowledge, but also my ability to lead across functions,” she recalls. Those experiences shaped her leadership philosophy: that resilience in infrastructure depends as much on people as it does on engineering.
Highlighting Skills That Create Real Impact
That belief also shaped how she views the distinct strengths women bring to infrastructure — the so-called “soft skills” that, in her view, are anything but soft. Empathy, collaboration, and systems thinking, she argues, are strategic capabilities that determine whether projects succeed or fail. “These are the qualities that build high-performing teams,” she says. “When communication breaks down, even the best technical plans fall apart.”
She raises an important point about the limits of equality in the industry. “Equality assumes we all start from the same place — but we don’t,” Chhavi explains. The causes of under-representation run deep. Women often lack access to networks and opportunities that help their careers progress, and for women of colour, those challenges can be even greater. The solution, she believes, lies in equity, tailored support, visible role models, and targeted development programmes that create fairer pathways. “These initiatives aren’t extras,” she says. “They’re essential tools for lasting change.”
Bringing True Representation Into Leadership
Hiring women into technical roles is a start, but true inclusion occurs when they are fully integrated into the decision-making process. Chhavi is invested in mentoring and coaching young women entering the field because the maths is simple: “Every project we create should reflect the diversity of the world we are building it for,” she says. It’s a question she encourages leaders to keep asking: “Who is not at the table? And what perspectives might be missing because of it?”
Data centres are here to stay — powering AI, banking, healthcare, and everything in between. “The decisions we make today will define how resilient and sustainable that future is,” Chhavi notes. Women leaders, she believes, often bring a broader perspective that extends beyond uptime metrics to environmental responsibility, community impact, and long-term value creation. “Leadership in this space isn’t just about delivery. It’s about shaping the future, and women have a vital role to play in that vision.”
Good intentions aren’t enough. “Closing the digital gender gap requires deliberate, equitable action at every stage of the talent pipeline — from entry-level roles to executive leadership,” she says. Inclusion, in her view, must be embedded into an organisation’s operational DNA, sustained, and genuinely lived. The change, she adds, should move beyond performative acts to measurable outcomes — while recognising that numbers alone don’t tell the full story. Both quantitative and qualitative insights are essential to driving meaningful and lasting change.
Chhavi’s message is clear. To women in the industry: “Your voice is not just needed, it is critical, and to leaders building teams: diversity is not only ethical, it is smart business.” Mission-critical infrastructure needs the best minds working together, regardless of gender and ethnicity.
Follow Chhavi Nayak on LinkedIn for insights on building inclusive, resilient infrastructure leadership.
