Equinix Bolsters Board with AI & Cloud Expert Dr Yanbing Li
Equinix, the global digital infrastructure company, has appointed Dr Yanbing Li to its Board of Directors.
Dr Li, who currently serves as Chief Product Officer at Datadog, brings decades of leadership across AI, cloud, enterprise software and large-scale global operations.
Announcing the appointment, Charles Meyers, Executive Chairman of Equinix, said: “Yanbing is a proven technology and business leader with deep expertise in AI, cloud, enterprise software and global operations.
“She brings a proven track record for innovation and execution, having built market-leading products and scaled billion-dollar businesses at several of the world's leading technology companies. Yanbing's experience will be a tremendous asset as we drive our next wave of growth and extend our leadership position. We're thrilled to welcome her to the Board and look forward to the impact of her leadership.”
Career experience across leading technology firms
At Datadog, Dr Li leads the team responsible for scaling the company’s product portfolio to meet the needs of global customers and drive business growth. Her career includes senior roles at some of the world’s most influential technology companies, particularly in areas that align closely with the data centre and digital infrastructure sector.
Before joining Datadog, Dr Li was Senior Vice President of Engineering at Aurora, where she led all software development for the company’s flagship autonomous driving product. Aurora became the first company to launch commercial driverless trucking services on public roads in the United States, with Dr Li overseeing engineering efforts during this milestone.
Prior to that, she worked at Google as Vice President of Product and Engineering. In this role, she managed multiple product areas of Google Cloud, including Google Cloud Commerce and Cloud Operations, both critical to the scaling and performance of Google’s infrastructure business.
Earlier in her career, Dr Li served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Storage and Availability Business Unit at VMware, where she helped to build enterprise software solutions that remain widely used across data centres globally.
Boardroom and academic expertise
In addition to her executive career, Dr Li has served on the boards of AVEVA and NeoPhotonics, bringing governance experience to complex global technology organisations.
Her academic background includes a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Princeton University, a master’s degree in the same field from Cornell University and the completion of the Stanford Executive Program at the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2014.
This combination of technical expertise, executive leadership and boardroom experience equips Dr Li to support Equinix’s role at the centre of global digital infrastructure.
Strengthening leadership in digital infrastructure
Equinix operates 270 data centres worldwide, providing interconnection and colocation services that form the backbone of internet, cloud and AI ecosystems.
As demand for AI and cloud services continues to surge, the company is investing in new facilities, clean energy adoption and advanced interconnection services.
The addition of Dr Li to the board is designed to strengthen Equinix’s leadership team as it navigates this next phase of growth. Her experience in scaling products, driving innovation and managing complex operations will be directly relevant to the challenges facing global data centre operators.
With data centres playing a vital role in enabling digital transformation, the appointment underscores Equinix’s focus on combining operational excellence with forward-looking technology leadership.
