Bridge Data Centres’ president, Sandy Xiao, could have just started a quiet revolution of sorts within the digital infrastructure industry.
Women make up one-third of Bridge Data Centres’ (BDC) executive management team – that’s something to talk about as it’s a figure that’s unlikely to be matched by any other company in Asia. Leading the charge to open doors to women in male dominated fields is Sandy Xiao, President of BDC. Xiao has earned her way to the top through hard work, discipline and a deep understanding of the industry. Her expertise in finance no doubt helped, but it was the profound insights she gleaned over the years that opened her eyes to the roadblocks that women face in the workplace especially in male dominated industries such as engineering and technology. Her recent recognition as Strategic Network Infrastructure Leaders at the 2025 w.media Awards underscores not just her visionary leadership, but her commitment to creating inclusive, future-ready pathways in digital infrastructure.
But, Xiao, who has formerly held senior roles as president of Chindata Group and CFO at Shanghai Wangsu, figured that if she could overcome all the obstacles, then others after her should be able to follow in her footsteps. What she needed to do was to identify the roadblocks. In her usual perceptive manner, Xiao realised that capability wasn’t an issue, but unclear pathways was. “I believe the barrier is not talent – it is pathways,” Xiao reflects.
The BDC chief has observed over the years that many talented women in finance weren’t able to cross over to the technical roles due to a lack of clearly defined pathways. Now that she’s in a position to influence the narrative, she has set out to put in place several measures designed to give these women a chance. In the boardroom, she leverages her position to ensure that sponsorship and mentorship programs, as well as paid apprenticeships and internships are widely broadcast and open to a diverse pool of staff.
Furthermore, hiring panels are filled with diverse voices to expand the choices of candidates in the push for a more inclusive workforce that is given every opportunity to advance. In particular, women are encouraged to get real world engineering experience across various roles within the company.
Towards that end, BDC, under Xiao’s leadership, partners with local training bodies and industry groups to make technical careers more visible, practical, and – more importantly – paid. As explained by Xiao, “At BDC, we are focused on building the on-ramps – paid apprenticeships, mentorship, and visible career paths – so women move from promise to performance.”
This approach gives opportunities to young women with engineering degrees to get real world experience through paid programs and mentorship – this, Xiao hopes, will ensure women enter the pipeline and progress into leadership positions. What’s also important is that the industry must start early with outreach to schools and universities, whilst celebrating role models further gives a preview of the possibilities.
Xiao’s clearly defined focus aligns with western hyperscalers’ practice where formal diversity programs have been in place for years. The changing priorities are inevitable amid a rapidly evolving tech landscape where talent development is a crucial component of the new wave of data center buildouts sweeping across the region.
But even way before that, Xiao’s idea of empowering women in the technology sector has already taken root – and it is rooted in the belief that progress comes from rethinking everyday decisions, and by asking different questions. From there, different choices are made – all slowly and cumulatively making up quiet innovations that make BDC “faster, greener, and fairer,” Xiao says, connecting the dots.
Industry networking counts
Another lesson is the wisdom of hiring people smarter than you and prioritizing clear communication with both customers and regulators while keeping decisions data-informed. But even more than technical capability, building credibility in the industry matters too, Xiao notes. Industry conferences and networking events present an opportunity for the working professional to earn recognition and broaden their knowledge.
“Industry conferences, cross-company working groups, government-industry task forces, and ecosystem media engagements all matter. And for bench strength, I value partnerships with local technology innovators and digital twin or AI firms that help us run safer, greener facilities,” Xiao says.
As BDC develops hyperscale-ready campuses and builds partnerships with governments and local communities, Xiao emphasizes that lasting success ultimately depends on people – and on engaging them with patience and empathy. Therein perhaps lies the secret sauce as to why women could make better leaders – their patience and empathy are their strengths, and the recognition that ultimately, it’s people who are the deciding factor of a company’s success in the long-term.
Xiao sees stakeholders comprising authorities, utilities, communities and customers, as co-authors of a project, collectively ensuring its success. Through close collaboration and clear communication, trust is built. An intangible but extremely valuable commodity, trust is what smoothens the process ensuring permits and deliverables are kept on track thus accelerating project delivery. In short, it’s about how you mobilize the people within the ecosystem to deliver, Xiao spells out. “When you get the basics right, align with the right partners, and respect local dynamics, the business scales quickly and sustainably,” the BDC chief says.
Looking to the future, Xiao’s strategic vision and decisive steps in empowering women might have started a quiet revolution of sorts within the data center industry – more women leading technical programs and influencing key business decisions. It’s a legacy that has broader implications over the longer term as the move would also help solve the lack of expertise currently endemic in the industry.