Four-year Innovation leader who brought structured delivery and scale is elevated to COO with a mandate to move the organization from activity to outcomes. UK-based appointment signals iMasons’ deepening presence beyond North America.
WASHINGTON, DC – September 8, 2026 – Infrastructure Masons (iMasons), the global nonprofit organization bringing together the people and organizations shaping the future of digital infrastructure, today announced the promotion of Romain Tranchant to Chief Operating Officer & Head of Innovation.
Tranchant has led the iMasons Innovation initiative for the past four years, succeeding the iMasons Innovation Committee stewarded by industry pioneers Christian Belady and Eddie Schutter. Under his leadership, the initiative has grown to span programs including accelerators, incubators, industry challenges and collaborative innovation platforms that connect emerging solutions with the organizations capable of scaling them.
Tranchant brings 18 years of data centre industry experience to the role. He began his career hands-on, racking and stacking servers, and worked his way up through roles at the heart of data centre operations on the operator side of a leading colocation provider. That journey placed him at the intersection of the data centre industry and the customers it serves. As Technology Products Director at CBRE Data Center Solutions, he went on to lead the digitisation of data centre management and to identify, acquire and launch innovative solutions for customers. His technical knowledge runs the full depth of the IT stack, from facility infrastructure to the platforms and applications it supports. For the past two years he has also built and run his own business, an experience that shaped the commercial discipline he now brings to his new responsibilities.
In his expanded role, Tranchant will lead enterprise operations across iMasons, with a clear focus on moving the organization from activity to outcomes. He will translate strategy into execution across every function and retain strategic, commercial and financial accountability for Innovation. The combined mandate reflects iMasons’ commitment to growing Innovation into a financially sustainable source of value for members and partners, built on operational discipline and responsible, durable growth.
The appointment also carries an international signal. With Tranchant based in the United Kingdom, iMasons strengthens its senior executive presence beyond North America, reinforcing its commitment to a community whose reach exceeds 20,000 people across more than 130 countries. The organization intends to be global in its leadership, not only in its membership. Tranchant’s mandate is to build the foundations iMasons needs to grow sustainably and to deliver on its promise of helping digital infrastructure positively impact the communities it supports.
“Over the past four years, Romain has taken the foundation laid by our Innovation Committee and shaped the portfolio into one of the most valued parts of the iMasons community. He pairs deep technical fluency across the data centre and IT stack with the commercial instincts of an operator and an entrepreneur. Extending his mandate to enterprise operations gives iMasons exactly the leadership our next chapter demands. And with Romain based in the UK, our executive team now reflects the truly global community we serve,” said Cyre Mercedes Quiñones, CEO of Infrastructure Masons.
Tranchant reports to the Chief Executive Officer and is based in the United Kingdom. The promotion is effective September 1, 2026.
“I’ve spent my career where the data centre industry meets its customers: as an operator, a technologist and a founder. Leading Innovation at iMasons for the past four years has shown me what this community can achieve when bold ideas meet real execution. I’m honored to build on the legacy of Christian, Eddie and the Innovation Committee. My role now is to build the foundations iMasons needs to grow sustainably and to deliver on our promise to help digital infrastructure positively impact the communities it supports,” said Romain Tranchant.
About Infrastructure Masons
Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to responsibly advancing digital infrastructure for people and the planet. iMasons unites leaders across technology, data centers, energy, infrastructure, policy, academia and communities to solve the challenges no single company, sector or government can solve alone. Its work is organized around six strategic initiatives: the iMasons Climate Accord, iMasons Social Accord, iMasons Power Consortium, iMasons Innovation Exchange, iMasons Global Policy Forum and the iMasons Foundation. The community’s reach exceeds 20,000 people across more than 130 countries, supported by more than 80 strategic partners and more than 20 local chapters. Learn more at imasons.org.