Digital infrastructure company Equinix, Inc. has announced the appointment of Douglas Merrill as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), reporting to Harmeen Mehta, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital and Innovation Officer.

Merrill will lead Equinix’s global security organization, overseeing global information security operations; cybersecurity risk management; and the development and engineering of foundational security platforms, services, processes, and controls to ensure the resilience, integrity, and trust of Equinix and its customers. With more than 30 years of experience in helping organizations modernize and transform their technology into an enabler of growth, Merrill brings invaluable expertise to Equinix, furthering the company’s commitment to security excellence.

“Security is at the core of who we are, and protecting Equinix and our customers is a key responsibility for our Digital & Innovation Organization,” said Harmeen Mehta. “By embedding world-class security into our product and platform design, our Information Security team reduces risk, creates better products, and strengthens customer confidence. Douglas’ background in technology and security will be instrumental as we navigate this critical period, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him on our team.”

Having served as Equinix’s interim CISO for the past six months, Merrill led the redesign of Equinix’s global security organization and introduced a strategic framework, ensuring security is integrated across platforms, products, and services from the outset. He also strengthened cross-functional collaboration across engineering, product, and operations teams.

“Equinix plays a critical role in the world’s digital infrastructure, and I am honored to join at such a pivotal moment,” said Merrill. “Equinix has a unique responsibility and opportunity to set the standard for secure digital infrastructure at global scale. I look forward to continuing to build a security-first organization that accelerates innovation and strengthens the trust our customers place in us every day.”

Merrill previously served as a partner at McKinsey, where he worked closely with clients, helping deliver end-to-end, tech-enabled transformations that focus on IT infrastructure, architecture, data, operations, and overall technology strategy. His career includes serving as the Chief Information Officer at Google, where he helped shape the company’s technology strategy. Merrill has also held numerous high-level roles with technology companies and started several of his own. He is known for leading transformational security programs, building high-performing global teams, and driving innovation in cloud security, AI, and digital transformation.

Alongside his professional milestones. Merrill holds master’s and doctoral degrees in cognitive science from Princeton University. He is also a published author and holds patents in machine learning applications.