# Steve Smith

> Steve Smith is the Chief Executive Officer of Zayo Group, one of the world's largest independent fiber network and infrastructure companies. A West Point engineering graduate and former eight-year U.S. Army officer, Smith built his reputation scaling Equinix from a $2 billion company to a $34 billion global data center giant over 11 years as CEO. Appointed to lead Zayo in October 2020 after the company went private under EQT and Digital Colony, he is now steering the company through a massive AI-driven infrastructure buildout - securing over $1 billion in AI-related deals in 2024 alone, with a pipeline exceeding $3 billion. Under his leadership, Zayo operates 240,000+ route miles globally and 34 million fiber miles, serving customers across healthcare, finance, media, and enterprise sectors.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at Zayo Group
- **Organizations:** Zayo Group, Equinix, GI Partners, Hewlett-Packard, Lucent Technologies, Electronic Data Systems, NextDC
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in Engineering, United States Military Academy, West Point
- **Known for:** Grew Equinix equity value 17x from $2 billion to $34 billion over 11 years (2007-2018), Scaled Equinix revenue from $400 million to $4.4 billion, Expanded Equinix to 200 data centers across 52 markets serving 10,000+ customers

## Career timeline

- **1980s-1990s** — Served 8 years as U.S. Army officer, including as aide-de-camp to the Commander in Chief of U.S. Armed Forces in the Pacific
- **1990s-2000s** — Senior leadership roles at Electronic Data Systems (EDS), Lucent Technologies, and Hewlett-Packard Services
- **2007** — Appointed CEO and President of Equinix with company valued at ~$2 billion and revenue of $400 million
- **2007-2018** — Led Equinix through 41 consecutive quarters of growth, grew revenue from $400M to $4.4B, equity value from $2B to $34B, integrated 21 acquisitions
- **2018** — Departed Equinix in January after 11 years as CEO
- **2018-2020** — Managing Director at GI Partners, a private equity firm specializing in infrastructure investments
- **2020-10** — Appointed Chief Executive Officer of Zayo Group, backed by EQT Partners and Digital Colony
- **2021-2023** — Led Zayo's transformation as a private company; expanded fiber network and enterprise customer base
- **2024** — Secured $1B+ in AI-related infrastructure deals; announced construction of 5,000+ new long-haul fiber route miles
- **2024** — Completed acquisition of Crown Castle's Fiber Solutions business to expand metro density

## Achievements

- Grew Equinix equity value 17x from $2 billion to $34 billion over 11 years (2007-2018)
- Scaled Equinix revenue from $400 million to $4.4 billion
- Expanded Equinix to 200 data centers across 52 markets serving 10,000+ customers
- Successfully integrated 21 acquisitions representing $25 billion in organic and inorganic investment at Equinix
- Delivered 41 consecutive quarters of growth and positive earnings at Equinix
- Named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Technology Infrastructure Finalist
- Secured $1 billion+ in AI infrastructure deals in 2024 at Zayo
- Led build-out plan for 5,000+ new fiber route miles to support AI workload growth
- Ranked Zayo #2 on 2025 Channel Futures MSP 501 list (up from #8 in 2023)
- Zayo now operates 240,000+ route miles and 34 million fiber miles globally under his leadership
- Serves on board of NextDC, an Australian publicly traded data center company

## Latest updates

- **2024-12** — Zayo secured over $1 billion in AI-related infrastructure deals throughout 2024 with a pipeline of $3 billion more
- **2024-10** — Zayo announced construction of 5,000+ new long-haul fiber route miles driven by AI demand projections
- **2024-08** — Appointed Colman Deegan as CEO of Zayo Europe to accelerate European expansion
- **2024** — Completed acquisition of Crown Castle's Fiber Solutions business to expand metro density
- **2025-01** — Zayo ranked #2 on Channel Futures MSP 501 list, up significantly from #8 in 2023

## Links

- Website: https://zayo.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-smith-15856210
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ZayoGroup
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zayogroup

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/steve-smith
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-14