Linux Foundation Europe Staff

Gabriele is an open source technologist at heart. He spent over 15 years building developer ecosystems to deliver value through open source across Europe and the US. He thrives on driving innovation both contributing to open source communities and joining commercial open source ventures, whether it’s for an early stage tech startup, a Fortune 500 firm or a non profit foundation. He has recently won the Tech Leadership Award at FinTech Futures USA Banking Tech Awards.

As Executive Director Gabriele grew the Fintech Open Source Foundation (FINOS) from the ground up, with the vision of creating a trusted arena for the global financial services industry to innovate faster, leveraging open source as a model of collaboration. He then led FINOS to join the Linux Foundation umbrella to accelerate growth, ensure long term sustainability of efforts and reduce fragmentation in the Foundation’s ecosystem. In 2022, he took on a dual role as General Manager of the newly launched Linux Foundation Europe, which was created to foster regional open collaborations in the European continent and expand the global platform of the Linux Foundation.

Gabriele holds a Master in Computer Engineering, is a Committer for the Apache Software Foundation and advises open source startups. He’s a passionate soccer fan, reggae music connoisseur and special needs dad and advocate wannabe.

Hilary Carter oversees the development of decision-useful research projects and content programs that support open source as a paradigm for mass collaboration at scale. Together, the Research and Communications department broadens the understanding of the impact of open source software, open hardware, open standards, and open data for people, enterprises, governments, and society at large.

Hilary’s career began in financial services with experiences in corporate finance, research and analysis, and global private banking. Her career pivoted to digital technology, where she focused on mobile communications and digital media consulting. Before joining the Linux Foundation, Hilary led a global, syndicated research institute focused on blockchain technology.

She earned an MSc in Management from the London School of Economics.

Alexandra is a consummate entrepreneur spending the last 15+ years diving into the startup world. Her open source journey began with joining the Symphony Software Foundation (SSF) shortly after its inception in 2016. She worked closely with the Executive Director and built the foundation’s infrastructure by taking point in Finance, HR, Marketing, Facilities and Governing Board management. 

When SSF was rebranded in 2018 she was promoted to Chief of Staff of the newly launched Fintech Open Source Foundation (FINOS). FINOS became the trusted arena for the global financial services industry to innovate faster through the model of open source. As the foundation gained momentum, her role expanded to build a much needed Member Success infrastructure.  

With FINOS joining the Linux Foundation umbrella, Alexandra’s passion for merging cultures, embracing change, and streamlining systems came into play. Most recently, Alexandra serves as Chief of Staff for both FINOS and the newly launched Linux Foundation Europe, a new entity created to foster regional open collaborations in the European continent and expand the global platform of the Linux Foundation. 

Alexandra brings vast operational experience to startups in varying industries such as technology, publishing, training & development, health & fitness, and cryptocurrency. Her specialized background in executive coaching and training, combined with operations and infrastructure, positively influences collaboration and stronger performance at all levels of the start-up organization. She’s an avid gardener, cyclist and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Rimma is a business leader specializing in ecosystem development, fundraising and digital responsibility.  She thrives on collaborating with industry stakeholders on purpose-led initiatives which solve problems and leverage human-centric innovation to advance trustworthy technology solutions that deliver business value and social impact.

She joined the Linux Foundation in April 2023 as VP of Strategic Growth for LF Europe (LFE) and FINOS - its financial services foundation.  She is primarily focused on the growth of the FINOS Member base and the membership value globally – growing LFE’s footprint in Europe across the open technology collaboration spectrum.

Previously, Rimma served as Executive Director at Datum Future – a cross-sector ‘do-tank’ advancing a vibrant, people-centered Data Economy; Partnership Development Lead for Data Institutions at the Open Data Institute (ODI) and Head of Partnerships at the Internet Commission.

As the former CEO and Co-Founder of Mobile Ecosystem Forum (MEF), Rimma built the organisation from the ground up and led its rapid expansion across the diverse markets of Africa, Asia, EMEA and the Americas, establishing it as the influential global and cross-sector platform. Throughout 17 years of leading MEF, she collaborated with industry leaders to deliver key partnerships, initiatives and tools to accelerate a trusted and sustainable mobile ecosystem. 

In 2018, Rimma won the Trust Leader of the Year at the Know Identity Awards. She was an early supporter of Women Leading in AI and co-founder of mBolden’s UK chapter which championed women in mobile.

Rimma holds an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics (LSE) and a BSc in Industrial Relations from Cornell University.

Mirko Boehm is a Free and Open Source Software contributor, community manager, licensing expert and researcher, with contributions to major Open Source projects like the KDE Desktop (since 1997, including several years on the KDE e.V. board), the Open Invention Network, the Open Source Initiative and others. He is a visiting lecturer and researcher on Free and Open Source Software at the Technical University of Berlin. Mirko Boehm has a wide range of experience as an entrepreneur, corporate manager, software developer and German Air Force officer.

He joined the Linux Foundation in June 2023 as Senior Director for Community Development for LF Europe, where he focuses on driving engagement and collaboration between all European Open Source stakeholders.

Mirko speaks English and German and lives in the Berlin area.

Esther García is Program Manager and Chief of Staff at the Linux Foundation Europe. Her background is engraved in the startup world, spending more than ten years owning operations and people departments in companies from diverse sectors such as tech, AI, SaaS or events. She enjoyed building both the processes and culture of these companies from the get go till scaling their growth. Her open-source journey started at source{d}, where she helped to develop well-known OSS in fields like #MLonCode or #MiningSoftwareRepositories. Esther also played a key role in strengthening the European tech community by organising several meetups and tech-talks from Madrid to Moscow. She joined the Linux Foundation with the enthusiasm and eagerness to serve the open source community.

On a personal note, Esther is an avid soccer fan. You can find her every weekend supporting her team, Atlético de Madrid, at the stadium. Ludovico Einaudi is her daily musical delight, and she loves walking in forests especially for mushroom hunting.

Federica brings her extensive experience in open source, technology, and diverse industries like videogames, legal and finance to LF Europe. A passionate advocate for inclusive communities, she has championed initiatives for Google Women Techmakers Brussels and GDG Brussels.

As a keynote speaker, Federica has delivered presentations across Europe and beyond. Her collaborations with institutions and stakeholders have seen her organize impactful tech and gaming events, give marketing workshops and participate in industry-relevant podcasts and webinars. Through these events, Federica has explored innovative approaches, including gamification, to make tech learning more engaging and accessible, lowering barriers for aspiring developers.

Her expertise lies in crafting engaging content, fostering collaboration among developers, and empowering their voices within the open source community.

Cailean is a Researcher at the Linux Foundation and a PhD Candidate in Social Data Science at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford. His interests are in OSS, the digital commons, and public interest computing. Previously, Cailean worked as the International Policy Lead at the UK Government’s Centre for Data Ethics & Innovation and served as a UK Delegate at the Global Partnership on AI and the Council of Europe's Ad Hoc Committee on AI. Cailean is half-Scottish and half-German, and can be reached in English, German, or French.