Billie Haggard appointed as Aligned's new CFOO
Billie Haggard has been appointed as the Chief Facility Operations Officer (CFOO) at Aligned Data Centers, marking a significant new phase for the company as it aims to expand its operations to meet increasing demands.
Previously serving as the Executive Vice President of Operations, Haggard takes on the new role with a focus on steering the strategic coordination of Aligned's data centre operations. His responsibilities will include overseeing global data centre operations and personnel management, along with optimising technology and efficiency strategies.
Andrew Schaap, Chief Executive Officer of Aligned, elaborated on the role of the new CFOO position, stating, "As we accelerate development of Aligned's five-plus gigawatts of planned future capacity across the Americas to meet the demand for AI-ready infrastructure, Billie will provide the roadmap to ensure operations continue to scale to meet our growth strategy and the needs of our hyperscale and large enterprise customers." Schaap emphasized Haggard's extensive experience, "With more than 25 years of experience and a track record of achievement in managing mission-critical operations and personnel across geographically dispersed facilities, we are confident that Billie's leadership will continue to deliver the highest level of client service and performance reliability for future data centre capacity in new locations as the company expands."
Aligned is planning a large-scale infrastructure expansion across the Americas, designed to address the demand for infrastructure equipped to support artificial intelligence applications. In his new capacity, Haggard will continue to focus on aligning operations with customer needs while integrating automation and AI/ML to bolster infrastructure reliability.
Haggard's career began in the U.S. Navy, where he served as a Nuclear Machinist Mate and Maintenance Manager, eventually earning four Navy Achievement Medals. Following his military service, he acquired a B.S. in Business Administration, Management, and Operations, and an M.S. in Human Resources Management from Colorado State University. His previous positions include Operations Director at a leading global facility and asset management firm and significant roles with Critical Solutions Group, Microsoft Data Center Delivery Group, and CoreSite Realty Corporation.
In reflecting on his appointment, Haggard stated, "Aligned Data Centers, it's now widely recognized, is uniquely positioned to meet the ever-increasing demand for AI, cloud services, and high-performance computing at the speed, scale, and quality of infrastructure our customers require." He continued by underscoring the importance of human capital in operations, "While strategic supply chains, flexible and adaptive platforms, and cooling technology innovations have been critical to Aligned's success, the lion's share of exceptional data centre operations surrounds attracting and developing top-tier talent — industriously. And so in my new role as Chief Facility Operations Officer, I am particularly enthused by the opportunity to enhance the operational excellence of our Pan-American teams as Aligned continues to aggressively grow its business globally."
