4 MIN READ
Gabriele Columbro | 24 February 2026
I couldn’t be more excited to share that Linux Foundation Europe is entering a new chapter as it continues to strengthen its role as a neutral, trusted hub for open collaboration across Europe’s technology, policy, and infrastructure landscape.
A little over three years ago I was honored to take the lead of Linux Foundation Europe, following a formative period in which the organisation was launched, established, and scaled. Since its launch in September 2022, Linux Foundation Europe has grown into an established, vendor-neutral home for Europe-strong open source projects bringing together individual contributors, enterprises, public institutions, and global foundations to collaborate across software, infrastructure, standards, and data.
With the support of our now almost 200 Members and our Advisory Board, we now host 7 collaborative projects and have grown an amazing team who, through relentless work across Brussels and virtually every European capital, has supported the community to address long-standing challenges and seize opportunities across the European open source ecosystem, while providing a clear on-ramp for European projects and companies to collaborate and succeed on a global scale.
As I look back, I am particularly proud of the constructive role we played in uplifting the needs of the open source ecosystem in European policy conversations, from the CRA to Digital Sovereignty, helping policymakers better understand how open collaboration works in practice. I like to think both Europe and the Open Source community are in a better place because of it.
My memory goes back to our inaugural LF Europe Member Summit in Bilbao in 2023: this moment will forever be a highlight, as we were fortunate enough to be able to host our Members for a reception at the Guggenheim Museum. The beginning of something truly special.
Linux Foundation Europe Member Summit 2023
Welcome Thierry Carrez!
While it’s always been my goal to relocate back to Europe as part of this new role, unfortunately personal reasons have prevented me from following through with this plan. So, as the role of open source is ever more critical in the Digital Sovereignty conversations, it’s ever more urgent for LF Europe to have LF European leadership.
So, effective March 1st, I will be stepping down as General Manager of Linux Foundation Europe. As part of this transition, Thierry Carrez will take on the role of General Manager of Linux Foundation Europe, bringing deep experience in open infrastructure, community governance, and global collaboration.
Thierry will continue to be General Manager of the OpenInfra Foundation, a nonprofit within the Linux Foundation that supports some of the world’s most widely deployed open source infrastructure software. A systems engineer by trade, Thierry was involved in the inception of the OpenStack project 11 years ago, and continues to contribute to its release management today. He previously served as Technical Lead for Ubuntu Server at Canonical, led the Gentoo Linux Security Team, and has spent more than 20 years facilitating open collaboration at the intersection of technology, governance, and community sustainability.
He is also Vice-Chair of the Open Source Initiative and a Python Software Foundation Fellow, bringing deep experience in open governance, neutral stewardship, and global community building experience closely aligned with Europe’s priorities around open infrastructure, interoperability, and digital sovereignty.
Thierry’s appointment strengthens the alignment between Linux Foundation Europe and the OpenInfra Foundation, reinforcing Linux Foundation Europe’s role as an arena of choice for intra- and inter-regional collaboration across public and private sectors.
I can’t think about a better candidate for our next phase, so I am very excited to welcome Thierry at the helm of Linux Foundation Europe.
Gabriele Columbro and Thierry Carrez at the European Open Source Academy Awards 2026
Looking Ahead
While transitioning from day-to-day leadership of Linux Foundation Europe, I will continue in my role as Executive Director of FINOS (the Fintech Open Source Foundation) and remain actively engaged in supporting Europe. By continuing on the Linux Foundation Europe Advisory Board and working closely with the EU office in San Francisco, my goal is to continue facilitating two-way connectivity between European initiatives and the Linux Foundation, ensuring alignment, shared learning, and increased participation in the global commons.
With this leadership transition, Linux Foundation Europe enters its next phase with strong momentum, a growing community, and renewed focus on open infrastructure, digital sovereignty, and sustainable collaboration. With Thierry Carrez as General Manager and my continued engagement, we’re ever better positioned to support Europe’s digital future grounded locally and connected globally. In the open.