Nomad Futurist Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Nabeel Mahmood has announced the launch of the Nick Parfitt ANZ Scholarship in honour of the late industry analyst and writer, during his keynote address at W.Media’s Auckland Cloud & Datacenter event.
The new scholarship forms part of the Nomad Futurist Foundation’s global mission to address the growing shortage of skilled workers in the digital infrastructure industry. Mahmood said the scholarship is a tribute to Parfitt’s contribution to the sector and a way to inspire the next generation of professionals across Australia and New Zealand.
“Nick was a dear friend and a true visionary. His work inspired so many of us to think differently about this industry,” Mahmood said. “Through this scholarship, we’re honouring his legacy and investing in the future of our community. I’m personally committing $5,000 as the seed for this initiative in his memory.”
Mahmood confirmed that the Foundation will collaborate with W.Media to administer the scholarship in the ANZ region, as part of a growing series of education, mentorship, and global outreach programs under the Nomad Futurist Foundation.
The announcement follows Nomad Futurist’s recent expansion of its global education efforts, including its Nomad Futurist Academy, which offers free training resources to help people transition into the data centre and digital infrastructure sectors. The Academy provides open-access courses integrating theory and practical learning, with more than 400 hours of content currently in development and new material added every two weeks.
“We’ve made a global promise to address the human capital deficit,” Mahmood said. “The Academy is live and growing. It’s designed to make learning accessible to everyone whilst breaking down barriers and opening pathways into a sector that powers the digital economy.”
Ageing industry
Mahmood described a looming workforce crisis facing the global data centre industry. He noted that industry studies indicate a large share of the skilled workforce will transition out of their roles in the next few years; for example, up to 40% of field-service and infrastructure personnel globally may exit within three-to-four years.
“Roughly seven out of ten people working in data centers today will retire in the next five to seven years,” he said. “The data-centre sector faces major growth and skills-gap pressures. Forecasts suggest the global staff requirement will grow to ~2.3 million by YE 2025, and the human-capital gap may amount to hundreds of thousands of unfilled roles unless action is taken; where are all these people going to come from?”
Mahmood called for greater investment in training, internships, and community education to build the next generation of data centre professionals rather than relying on talent poaching between operators. “We need to start today,” he said. “We need to invest in communities, educate people, and demonstrate the value of this infrastructure. This is not a drive-by sector: we’re here to stay.”
He stressed that data centres are ultimately “about people; not just technology” and argued that the long-term sustainability of the digital economy depends on nurturing new talent and helping people at every stage of their careers to find a pathway into the industry.
Globally, the Nomad Futurist Foundation has introduced hundreds of students to the industry through sponsorships at major events such as the Open Compute Project Global Summit, where 25 full scholarships led to several internships/ job placements. The Foundation is also developing internship and apprenticeship programs in emerging regions such as Kenya, India, Latin America extending opportunities to underrepresented communities.
Mahmood closed the fireside chat with a call for collective action from the ANZ data centre community. “All I’m asking for is your 1%; and that doesn’t have to be money. It could be your time, your knowledge, your contacts, or simply being a voice to spread the word,” he said. “We’ve built this industry, and giving back just one percent can change a lot of lives. Look after the next generation because it’s your children and their children who will inherit this sector.”
The Nick Parfitt ANZ Scholarship marks the Foundation’s first dedicated initiative in Australia and New Zealand, representing a key milestone in Nomad Futurist’s global effort to bridge the human capital gap and empower the next generation of digital infrastructure professionals.
Further details on eligibility and application timelines will be announced soon in partnership with W.Media.