iMasons: The Connective Tissue of Digital Infrastructure

Cyre Mercedes Quinones does not describe Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) as a trade body, a lobbying group or a standards organisation – although it operates across all of these areas. Instead, she describes it as connective tissue. 

It is a deliberate choice of language, and one that says a great deal about how the new CEO intends to lead the global non-profit through a period of acute pressure on the digital infrastructure sector.

"We really are the connective tissue between end users, utilities, industry organisations, vendors, community members, governments, etc.," says Cyre, who became iMasons’ CEO in early 2025. "We say 'connective tissue' on purpose, because at iMasons, you leave your hat at the door, and by stepping outside of commercial agendas, we are able to collaborate on a deeper human level, collectively tackling challenges that affect the entire ecosystem."

Serving the digital infrastructure sector

iMasons was founded to unite the people who design, build and operate the physical and digital systems that underpin the modern economy. Data centres, fibre networks, power infrastructure and the engineering and workforce ecosystems that sustain them all fall within its scope.

The organisation operates as a platform for community, drawing its membership from across the value chain. Technology providers sit alongside energy companies, construction firms, government bodies and academic institutions. The goal, as Cyre frames it, is not simply to facilitate networking, but to drive collective action on shared problems.

"At the core of iMasons is really focusing on solving some of those problems for the future collectively, making sure we remove bias so we can have true focus and deliver results in a tangible way," she says. "The services we provide are about building that platform for the community, making sure that we create very focused initiatives for people to derive those measurable results."

As Cyre says, the sector those members operate in is under considerable strain. 

Demand for data centre capacity is growing at a pace that is stretching power grids, land availability and skilled workforces simultaneously. The carbon footprint of digital infrastructure has come under scrutiny from governments and investors. The scale of that expansion means digital infrastructure is no longer just a technical conversation – it is increasingly an economic, environmental and societal one. 

Against that backdrop, the role iMasons plays – as a steward of responsible growth where competitors and partners can coordinate without commercial agendas – carries significant and vital weight.

Positioning at the heart of sustainability and global impact

Cyre is careful to stress that iMasons does not advocate for particular commercial solutions or political positions. Its influence depends on neutrality, and Cyre sees that not as a limitation but as one of the organisation’s greatest strategic advantages.

"We position ourselves by really focusing on that neutrality aspect of what we're doing, making sure that we do not take any sides," she says. "The goal is a shared vision of the future, so we really collaborate and focus on the systemic challenges that the industry and communities are facing – whether it's power, sustainability, workforce development or community trust overall."

That positioning allows iMasons to operate in spaces where commercial organisations cannot. When a data centre operator and a utility company are working through a grid interaction framework, or when a government organisation is shaping planning policy for large-scale infrastructure, the presence of a neutral body with credibility across all parties changes what is possible in those conversations.

The ‘Five Ps’ framework

The strategic framework that shapes iMasons' work rests on five themes: people, planet, perception, power and protection. 

Known internally as the Five Ps, they were developed through dialogue with the membership rather than imposed from above — a process that Cyre describes as fundamental to their legitimacy.

"They were really created by listening to the members and listening to our community," she says. "They helped us identify those as the five key defining elements and challenges that we are facing as an industry and as a society as a whole today. So those themes shape our identity, score mission and trajectory."

Each of the five themes maps onto a live tension within the sector, explains Cyre. 

Power reflects the challenge of meeting energy demand at scale while managing grid stability. Planet addresses the decarbonisation agenda. People speaks to the workforce development gap that is constraining growth across markets. Perception acknowledges that public trust in digital infrastructure – particularly around planning decisions and community impact – is critical to the industry's long-term success and must be built through transparency, accountability and genuine community engagement. Lastly, protection encompasses the resilience, security and governance requirements that underpin the entire edifice.

The framework gives iMasons a structure for prioritising its work and communicating progress in terms that resonate with members from different parts of the industry. It also provides a basis for accountability – a dimension that Cyre is intent on strengthening further by embracing measurable action.

Translating principles into measurable action

Frameworks only carry value if they produce outcomes. Cyre is aware that non-profit organisations in complex industries can default to convening and publishing rather than delivering change and she is passionate in her intention to translate actions to outcomes.

"We translate those guiding principles into measurable impact through how we structure our initiatives. We create these collaborative frameworks and environments that build in accountability — not just from iMasons to the world as an organisation, but accountability from each and every one of our members as well," she says.

“The iMasons Foundation represents one channel for that work, directing funding towards education, scholarships and career pathway development as a means of addressing the skills deficit in the sector by creating real career pathways for people to come into the industry and build that future.

“The Climate Accord encapsulates another. Our cross-industry coalition is developing open standards and maturity models for carbon reporting, with the aim of enabling consistent measurement and tracking of emissions reductions across power, materials and equipment.”

Cyre adds that the operational architecture of iMasons is built around Accords, Communities and Working Groups. The Accords define the areas of focus. The Communities develop the strategy within each area. The Working Groups execute it. It is a structure designed to move from aspiration to action without losing the breadth of participation that gives the organisation its credibility.

Leaving company hats at the door

The phrase comes up repeatedly in conversations about iMasons, and it is a defining mantra for its members. The organisation's culture of leaving company affiliations at the door is, by the account of both its leadership and its members, the factor that makes genuine collaboration possible.

"It really means that we expect you to show up as a humans first," says Cyre. "We are all simply people. We eat, sleep, breathe and bleed the same way. So it's that kind of leadership we want people to bring when they walk in the door. Everyone is a builder of the future – not just a builder of the digital age, but a builder of their future livelihood overall."

The practical consequence is that a data centre operator and one of their suppliers can sit in the same working group and engage with a shared problem without the conversation collapsing into a sales cycle. A utility and a hyperscaler can work through grid access questions without either party's legal team dominating proceedings. That dynamic, Cyre argues, is what accelerates progress.

"When we're all on one equal playing field, we can all collaborate with clarity. That only happens when people aren't protecting what's in their pockets – they're not protecting their financial pipeline, they're not protecting their political positioning. They're just themselves. Rather, they are protecting a shared vision of the future," she says.

The model also reduces the structural bias that can distort industry-wide initiatives when larger or more commercially powerful organisations carry disproportionate influence. "There's not one company being represented over another, or one political party represented over another. It makes us an unbiased platform to really drive results that are cohesive and collective," affirms Cyre.