Tara Risser

Chief Business Officer, Cologix

Tara Risser is the Chief Business Officer at Cologix and is responsible for leading corporate development, analyzing key markets and trends and building new partnerships to evolve our post-customer deployments. Risser also drives market expansion and strategic partnerships, focusing on key growth areas like interconnection, AI and hybrid cloud while optimizing our asset portfolio. Additionally, Risser leads our corporate strategy for expansion into new markets.

With 25 years of experience in the data center, IT, telecommunications and construction industries, she has held leadership roles in go-to-market programs, strategic planning, corporate development, integrations, customer success and transformational programs.

Before Cologix, Tara spent nine years at Equinix, most recently as President of the Americas, where she was responsible for management, strategy and growth throughout North and South America. She also served as the Senior Vice President, Global Customer Care and Experience at Equinix, helping to broaden the organization’s range from reactive support to proactive engagements. Before Equinix, Tara spent over 14 years in customer-facing roles at Level 3 Communications, including leadership positions in sales effectiveness, integration, sales engineering and customer care.

As a champion for diversity and inclusion, Tara is deeply engaged in efforts in the corporate world and the non-profit sector to support women’s and human rights, including serving as a board member for Shadhika, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to gender equality in India.

Tara holds an M.S. in business from the University of Colorado and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of New Hampshire.