Team

Astor Nummelin Carlberg is OFE’s Executive Director, responsible for the overall vision, activities of the organisation and policy development. He has extensive experience of European policy making processes, communications and network-building. Astor leads conversations on Europe’s digital challenges and the role of open technologies in achieving its full potential. He sits on the board of APELL, the European Open Source Business Association. Prior to OFE, Astor worked in the European Parliament and he was educated at Middlebury College, the Free University of Berlin and Solvay Business School.

Sivan Pätsch is OFE’s Finance and Operations Director. He held the role of Policy Adviser and Research Director at OFE. Before he joined OFE, he gained experience in EU policy making at the Council of the European Union. He also worked as an Information Security Officer and Data Protection Officer for arvato Bertelsmann and before as a Quality Coordinator, among other responsibilities. He has a master’s degree in European Affairs from Lund University, Sweden with a thesis on the global expansion of the European data protection standard, a topic he is also personally interested in. In addition, he holds a bachelor’s degree in European Public Administration from the University of Twente, Enschede and from the University of Münster. Sivan is a native German speaker, is fluent in English and is learning Dutch and Swedish.

Sachiko Muto is the Chair of OpenForum Europe and a senior researcher at RISE Research Institutes of Sweden. She originally joined OFE in 2007 and served for several years as Director with responsibility for government relations and then as CEO. Sachiko has degrees in Political Science from the University of Toronto and the London School of Economics; she received her doctorate in standardisation policy from TU Delft.

Jaakko Karhu is the Communications and Policy Advisor at OFE. He has a strong background in communications, technology, and EU policy. Before joining the OFE team, he was at the service of the European big data and AI research and innovation community at the Big Data Value Association. Having worked as a professional web developer for over 5 years, Jaakko has hands-on experience with open source software and its impact on innovation. His communications career started as a radio and TV journalist in a Finnish national broadcasting company. Jaakko has a Master’s Degree in Communication Studies (New Media and Society in Europe) from Vrije Universiteit Brussel. He speaks Finnish and English.

Axel Thévenet is a Policy Advisor at OFE. He studied European law in France and Germany, followed by a double master’s degree in European Studies at Sciences Po Strasbourg with a specialisation in public affairs. He developed his expertise on subjects such as data protection, copyright law and digitalisation while working in the European Parliament. His role at OFE has been mostly focused around public sector open source, OSPOs and interoperability. Axel is a native French speaker and fluent in English and German.

Ola Adach is a Policy Advisor at OFE. Prior to joining OFE, she worked in consulting firms in Brussels, where she advised clients on EU tech and digital policies. Her prior experience also includes fundraising, climate activism and legal research. She has a Master’s degree in European Union Law from University of Amsterdam. Her thesis analysed the sociolegal impact of the Platform Workers’ Directive on third country workers in the EU. She is interested in all things tech, especially their interactions with competition law and human rights. She speaks Polish and English, and is (passively) working on improving her German.

Aimilia is a Senior Policy Advisor at OpenForum Europe. With a solid track record in EU tech regulation and strategic advocacy, her expertise spans key areas including content moderation, accountability frameworks, and privacy law. Prior to joining OFE, she worked as a digital policy advisor in the European Parliament for seven years contributing to the development of flagship legislation, such as the Copyright Reform, the Digital Services Act and the European Health Data Space. She holds a Master’s degree in Internet law and policy and speaks Greek and English while she remains motivated to advance her fluency in French too.

Clara Thébert is a Policy Advisor at OFE. Prior to joining OFE, she worked for three years in the European and International Affairs department of the European Patent Office (EPO) in Munich, Germany. She holds a B.Sc. in Political Science and an M.Sc. in Politics and Policy Analysis from Bocconi University in Milan, Italy. Clara is a native French speaker and fluent in English, Italian and Spanish.

Alvaro Vilas Gomez is a Policy Advisor at OFE. Alvaro has significant experience in EU digital policy and advocacy, having worked for policymakers and business associations on Telecoms regulation, interoperability, data-sharing and digital trade. Thereby, he developed his expertise in digital policy analysis, and the EU policy-making process. He studied a double degree in Law and Political Science in Spain, and holds an MA in European political and governance studies from the College of Europe, Belgium; and an Executive Master in Digital and IT essentials from the Université libre de Bruxelles. He speaks fluently Spanish and English, and an intermediate level of French.

Cybelle Rai is the Administrative and Finance Assistant at OpenForumEurope. Her journey in customer service has been a valuable period of ethical and professional growth, showcasing a proven aptitude for managing diverse administrative tasks. She possesses strong organizational skills and is committed to delivering high-quality results. Cybelle is a dedicated and self-reliant individual with a collaborative spirit. Recently relocating to Brussels, she is embracing new challenges and actively seeking to advance her career in Belgium. She is proficient in Arabic, English, and French, and is currently learning Dutch.

Christian Kummer is a Communications analyst at OFE. He holds a Bachelor Degree in Creative Business from NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences in Leeuwarden, Netherlands. His previous work experience includes an 8-month internship at the Culture and Media Agency Europe, in which he gained insight into Communication strategies and project management of European Arts and Culture projects. Christian is a detail-oriented person, who shines in tasks involving creative problem-solving, conceptual thinking and visual communication. Moreover, he is a proficient user of various graphic design software programs and has hands-on experience with social media and web management. He is a native Luxembourgish speaker, is fluent in English, French, German and currently learning Spanish.

Éléonore Daxhelet is a research intern at OpenForum Europe. She holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from the Free University of Brussels and has recently completed an international master’s in Security, Intelligence and Strategic Studies across the universities of Glasgow, Dublin City and Charles, specializing in technology and security studies.
Éléonore brings practical research experience from her traineeship at FINABEL and journalism background from Le Soir. She currently serves as a voluntary researcher for Europinion, working on counter-disinformation initiatives and media literacy projects targeting young Europeans. Her technical expertise includes Python coding, API usage, and OSINT investigative methods for data collection and analysis.
Fluent in French and English with good German skills and developing Dutch proficiency, Éléonore is passionate about how technology intersects with security, information integrity, and human rights in the digital age.

Matilde Serrau is a research intern on semiconductors at OpenForum Europe. She has a background in International Relations and Diplomacy. Holding a master’s degree from LUISS Guido Carli University in Rome, her master’s thesis explored the role of semiconductors and chips in the global landscape, particularly in the competition between China and the USA, while also analysing the European Union’s position and public policies on technology and digital matters.
Prior to her current role, Matilde gained valuable experience as an ESG intern, working within an international team and also having the opportunity to engage in stakeholder engagement. She also completed an internship at the Economic and Commercial Office of the Mexican Embassy in Italy, where she had the opportunity to conduct policy analysis and data analysis.
Matilde is a member of a European think tank for students and young professionals. She has studied in Italy, Spain, and Canada, and speaks Italian as native language, English, French, and Spanish fluently, continually working on improving her language skills.

Leandra Voss is a policy assistant at OpenForum Europe. She completed her Master’s degree in Political Science at the University of Amsterdam, where she focused on topics such as data protection, digital rights, migration technology and critical socio-legal approaches. She is especially interested in infrastructure policy and geopolitical dynamics in tech policy. Before joining OFE, Leandra interned in the Resilience & Infrastructure Policy team of a tech trade association, focusing on cybersecurity, cloud, public administration and telecommunication. In her free time, Leandra engages in youth feminist and tech advocacy. She is a native German and English speaker and is currently learning French and practicing her Spanish.

Graham Taylor co founded OpenForum Europe in 2002 and is now its Chairman, having retired as CEO. As Chairman of the Board of OFE Ltd he continues to have legal and fiscal responsibility for the organisation, continues to work on specific OFE projects, and acts in an ambassadorial role for OFE.  He has some 40 years of experience in the ICT industry, and prior to OFE was a Director at ICL (now Fujitsu). He is married, with two grown up daughters, lives mainly in the UK, just outside London, but with a ‘maison secondaire’ in South West France, from which he regularly commutes to Brussels. In the dim and distant past he gained a Bsc Honours degree from the University of Sussex in Mathematics and Computer Engineering. Not a linguist, other than English he gets by in French.

With over a decade of experience in running international advocacy and outreach programs Marcus is well placed to support OFE with its mission to be a relevant voice for digital openness in the public debate. Marcus started his career in Brussels working for a number of think tanks and consultancies but has since then ventured into various business areas in the digital space. Marcus is based in Switzerland and is particularly interested in issues around open source and cyber security, open digital supply chains and public policy choices around international digital governance. 

Tony joined us in March 2015 as a Legal Consultant. He studied law for 4 years at Cambridge University, qualified as a solicitor in 1979, and has practised law in the IT industry ever since. Before creating Fordlaw Ltd. and providing consultancy services, Tony held a dedicated global legal role with TCS, aligned specifically with a new software group. Before TCS, Tony acquired his professional experience as an IBM UK lawyer for nearly 35 years. As well as his ‘pro-bono’ support for OFE and FAST (another UK not-for profit, of which he is also a non-Executive Director), Tony also consults for a global IT manufacturer.

Tony is married (to another solicitor), with three adult daughters. His recreational interests include scuba diving (warm water!), underwater photography, downhill skiing, genealogy, theatre, opera and wine appreciation. Tony was born in France, holds a French passort (and also speaks French), and aims to improve his rather rusty German.

Dr Richard Archer is the owner and managing director of Bramble Hub that provides SMEs with routes to public sector contracts through framework agreements. Originally a mathematician and a programmer, he has been an IT and business consultant, and run consultancy and recruitment businesses. He has a particular interest in public procurement policy and practices, and making sure it advances Open Standards and is a level playing field for small companies and for Open Source solutions. He advises OFE with his knowledge of running companies over many years.

An expert in communication methods and business development.

He is best known for building bridges between commercial and non-commercial stakeholders in the technology sector. His professional accomplishments include establishing a legal department for the main NGO promoting Free Software in Europe, building a professional network of over 270 legal counsel and technical  experts across 4 continents, and aligning corporate and community interests to launch the first law review dedicated to Free/Open Source Software. Shane has extensive knowledge of Internet technologies, management best practice, community building and Free/Open Source Software. His experience includes engagement with the server, desktop, embedded and mobile telecommunication industries. He does business in Europe, Asia and the Americas, and maintains a broad network of contacts.

Prof. Efthymios (Efty) Altsitsiadis is an Associate Professor at Copenhagen Business School, a board member of OpenForum Europe – after first joining as a Fellow at the OFE Academy- and co-founder of the research consultancy White Research. Using insights from psychology, economics, and technology, he studies how people adopt sustainable and digital innovations, and how ethics, transparency, and fairness make change stick. His open-source policy priority is widening real-world OSS impact by closing the gap between institutional discussions and everyday users.

Efty collaborates with engineers, life scientists, and modelers, and is currently involved in 30+ large EU projects spanning energy, food, mobility, health, and sustainability. He serves as an evaluator for the European Commission and as a peer reviewer for several top-tier journals. Across roles, his approach is practical and people-centred: co-designing interventions that communities can understand, trust, and choose – so open, sustainable technologies deliver lasting social value.