Nomad Futurist

On the latest Nomad Futurist Podcast, co-hosts Nabeel Mahmood and Phillip Koblence sit down with Adam Gibson, Director of techvox and a Nomad Futurist Foundation Ambassador, to discuss his unconventional journey into data centers and fiber. The conversation spans his work across Australia, New Zealand, and APAC, highlighting how curiosity, community, and fundamentals can drive a long, global career in digital infrastructure.
Adam’s journey begins in his early teens, as a 13-year-old immersed in video games, building LANs with friends and running grassroots events that unknowingly set the foundation for his first data center role:
“I came straight from high school into the space and haven’t looked back… I’m still technically uneducated. However, data centers make you run fast and learn quick.”
Throughout the episode, Adam underscores a core truth of the industry: today’s AI platforms, hyperscale campuses, and cloud services are built on the same foundational principles he first encountered in early server farms and the dial-up gaming era. He argues that the Internet has become a true utility, selected alongside power, water, and gas when moving into a home, yet its physical foundations are often taken for granted:
“We still need the fundamentals… people’s crazy cat videos, AI videos, e-mails and everything else need to be stored somewhere, cooled somewhere, powered somewhere and connected somewhere.”
That perspective carries into Adam’s work as a Nomad Futurist Foundation Ambassador, where he is focused on attracting new talent as data center and subsea investment accelerates across APAC. He highlights Australia’s role in global subsea connectivity and New Zealand’s renewable energy strength as forces turning the region into a critical digital crossroads in need of skilled people.
His message to newcomers is clear and encouraging. Opportunities span mechanical systems, networking, AI, and operations, and success comes from respecting the fundamentals and staying curious:
“Don’t just jump in as a VP going ‘I’ve got this’… work yourself into it; there’s a spot for you.”
The episode also shows the human side of a global career: Adam relies on music, movement, and simple meals to stay grounded while traveling for industry events and work, logging more than 100 flights and navigating relentless time zones. He highlights major event hosts, all partners and supporters of the Foundation, showcasing the community-driven side of the industry. While he plans to slow down, his commitment to the field remains unwavering:
“I’ll never miss a PTC, I’ll never miss an ITW, I’ll never miss a Capacity or a DataCloud… but at some point it’s about lifestyle and support.”

Connect with Adam Gibson on LinkedIn to continue the conversation and learn more about his work across APAC, digital infrastructure, and talent development.

Nomad Futurist kicks off 2026 with a powerful conversation led by co-hosts Nabeel Mahmood and Phillip Koblence, highlighting Liliya Valihun, whose work sits at the intersection of education, technology, and humanitarian impact. In this episode, she shares how a personal calling to serve Ukrainian orphans evolved into a full ecosystem that uses tech skills to create dignity, opportunity, and national resilience in a time of war.
Liliya is open about not coming from a tech background and how curiosity, not credentials, pulled her into data and infrastructure. Her mindset sets the tone for anyone wondering if they “belong” in technology:
“I think it’s not about what you are inclined towards. It’s about your willingness to learn something new every day, be curious and just, you know, be open to anything new.”
Liliya explains how witnessing both the potential of Ukrainian orphans and the effects of conflict inspired her and her husband to create a tangible solution. That solution became Hebron Academy, a comprehensive environment for disadvantaged youth:
“We bought a big facility, we call it Stanford for Orphans…providing not only education, future and hope to disadvantaged youth orphans in Ukraine, but also room and board, life skills, physical support, mental health care.”
She also speaks candidly about the human cost of war and the work needed to rebuild a nation beyond its infrastructure. For Liliya, trauma can become a source of resilience and strength:
“The biggest need…is not just rebuilding and investing into structures… but in people, helping them with the trauma…that trauma is not their weakness, but it’s their strengths…redirecting the pain into power.”
Liliya closes by highlighting that lasting change comes from service, community, and long-term relationships; not just technology or capital. Her story embodies the values at the heart of the Nomad Futurist Foundation: curiosity, courage, and compassion can turn even the darkest challenges into opportunities for innovation, growth, and meaningful impact.
To learn more about Liliya Valihun, connect with her on LinkedIn.

Six seasons in, the Nomad Futurist end-of-year episode feels less like a traditional recap and more like a stake in the ground for where the Foundation, and the industry, go next. Co-hosts Nabeel Mahmood and Phillip Koblence look back on a year where education, access, and community-building around digital infrastructure evolved from a passion project into a global movement, while also setting the stage for a more focused, accountable next phase.
“This doesn’t feel like just another year. It feels like a turning point, and what’s different now is that the conversations are turning into commitments.” From AI’s breakneck acceleration to heightened scrutiny around power, sustainability, and talent, Nabeel and Phil reflect on how digital infrastructure has shifted from a background utility to a front-page story, and how the Nomad Futurist Foundation has stepped into that spotlight to demystify the space for students, career-changers, and communities worldwide. Nabeel underscores this shift, noting:
“At some point, watching becomes a choice. This industry doesn’t need more spectators; it needs participants.” The episode also explores what it truly means to build an organization that leads with action, not optics. As Nabeel reflects on the Foundation’s decision to take action and help bridge the digital gap:
“What I’m most proud of is that we didn’t wait for permission.” The two speak candidly about the challenges of turning a podcast into a nonprofit, the reality of building a “volunteer army,” and the deliberate choice to keep the Foundation grounded in service rather than self-promotion. Nabeel highlights the Foundation’s approach, with Phil contributing his perspective on the importance of staying mission-driven:
“Nomad Futurist isn’t about branding; it’s about building pathways, and we’ve shown that a global foundation can move fast and still stay grounded.” Looking ahead, the conversation shifts from growth to intentionality:
“The next phase is about depth, not just reach.” Nabeel and Phil share plans to strengthen regional ecosystems, expand global efforts from North America and Europe to ANZ, and create frameworks and programs that outlast any individual, while keeping authenticity and measurable impact at the center. They highlight Mana Hui, a new “powerful gathering” launching at PTC in Hawaii, as an example of how curated, values-driven convenings can unite communities and leaders while honoring culture, responsibility, and true collaboration.
“The curation of Mana Hui reminds me that collaboration isn’t transactional; it’s relational, and the gathering isn’t about visibility, it’s about alignment.” They close with both an invitation and a challenge to anyone who feels a stake in the future of technology, talent, and infrastructure:
“The future isn’t something we wait for; it’s something we build together. And I’m optimistic, not because it’s easy, but because people are finally stepping up.” This episode is both a heartfelt reflection on all that the Nomad Futurist Foundation has accomplished this year and a rallying call for those ready to help shape what comes next, with gratitude for the progress made and excitement for what 2026 holds.
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In this episode of the Nomad Futurist Podcast, co-hosts Nabeel Mahmood and Phillip Koblence are joined by Lovisa Tedestedt, Strategic Account Executive for Cloud & Service Providers at Schneider Electric. Lovisa shares her unique journey from studying economics in Sweden to building a career that spans textiles, entrepreneurship, and leading complex technology accounts globally.
Lovisa opens up about the importance of following your passions while embracing unexpected career pivots. She reflects on how her early experiences — studying textiles, interning at APC, and later moving to China — shaped her approach to business and leadership:

"Very rarely in life do we get a chance to press the stop button or pause button and rediscover what we want to do in life."

Her story highlights the value of cross-industry learning. Lovisa explains how the skills she developed running her own small fashion business translated seamlessly into managing large-scale accounts in the tech sector:

"The way I approached the job was the same way I approached growing a small fashion company. It's all about scaling, it's all about resources, it's about understanding the customer, understanding the business."

Lovisa also emphasizes the need for purpose and continuous learning. After years in corporate leadership, she recently returned to school to deepen her technical knowledge in data center systems, enhancing her ability to authentically connect with customers:

"If I could deepen my knowledge of everything I talk about every day with customers, that would give me purpose, that would kind of give me a sense of achievement."

Finally, Lovisa offers practical advice for young people entering the workforce, urging them to consider trades and technical fields as viable and lucrative career paths. She stresses the combination of skill, opportunity, and entrepreneurship in shaping meaningful, high-impact careers.

This episode is a fascinating exploration of adaptability, lifelong learning, and bridging diverse experiences to create professional success.

To stay connected with Lovisa Tedestedt and learn more about her work, follow her on LinkedIn.

In this Nomad Futurist episode, GEICO’s Head of Infrastructure — and newly appointed Nomad Futurist Foundation Ambassador — Rebecca Weekly joins co-hosts Nabeel Mahmood and Phillip Koblence to share how a curious kid dismantling gadgets grew into a leader shaping large-scale infrastructure and AI-driven environments. Through stories of early experiments, career pivots, and lessons in adaptability, she offers an authentic blueprint for the next generation of technologists, particularly young women in STEM.
Rebecca traces her path from taking apart transparent phones and building her first server at age 12 to overseeing power, cooling, connectivity, data centers, and cloud operations across GEICO’s 349 sites and expansive multi-cloud footprint. She distills her responsibilities with clarity:

“Everything that we own, every site that we own, I own power, cooling, connectivity. I own all of the logical assets and physical assets at those locations.”

Raised in a non-engineering family in Sacramento, Rebecca found a sense of belonging in the computer lab, where tech-minded counterculture kids and musicians helped root her in engineering. She reflects on that formative moment:

“I found my people in the nerds. It had nothing to do with family... The tech came in from the nerds hanging out in the school.”

Throughout the conversation, Rebecca underscores the importance of adaptability, long-term thinking, and focusing on the “so what” behind technology — capabilities she developed across roles in banking, fabs, semiconductors, EDA, and product management before moving into large-scale infrastructure leadership.

Her advice for her younger self, and for today’s emerging technologists, is both simple and profound:

“Stay curious. Hang out with the nerds… It is absolutely who you surround yourself with and where you focus your energy that defines your outcomes, especially in the world of AI.”

Rebecca also speaks candidly about navigating male-dominated environments in finance, fabrication, and high-tech engineering, explaining how being an outsider ultimately became a leadership asset. She urges listeners not to let the experience of being “the only one” diminish their voice:

“Being an outlier early, the hardest part is your own mental load. Worry less about what [people] think of you or that you think differently. Worry more about just asking the question.”

In the end, Rebecca’s story is a testament to curiosity, resilience, and the power of community. Her journey demonstrates how embracing difference, seeking out passionate peers, and staying focused on meaningful impact can shape not just a career, but the future of technology itself.

To learn more about Rebecca Weekly, connect with her on LinkedIn.