Hi, I'm Italo Vignoli, or just Italo. I'm running for election to one of the two affiliate member seats on OSI board of directors, on behalf of Associazione LibreItalia.

Why I'm running

I've been active in OpenOffice and LibreOffice marketing, communications and community building projects, in Italy and abroad. I've handled marketing and media relations for OpenOffice from 2004 to 2010, and LibreOffice since 2010, and I've acted as a spokesperson for the LibreOffice project since 2010. In my opinion, Free Software must grow beyond the boundaries of the Free Software community. I would like to help OSI in achieving this aim, by providing my experience in marketing, communications and community building.

I'd also offer my management experience, and my foundation/community related experience. I've been involved in the process of setting up The Document Foundation, and launching LibreOffice in the market. I've also managed to grow the Italian LibreOffice community from 0 to 2,500+ members in just 3 years, and Associazione LibreItalia to 250+ members in just over one year.

About me

I'm 61, Italian from Assisi, living in Milan since 1968.

I'm rather different from the usual Free Software advocate. I've been a marketing and communication professional for over 35 years. I've been a top manager of large US based corporations and large US based PR agencies, and then a freelance consultant.

I've discovered Free Software with OpenOffice, looking for an alternative to Microsoft Office. It was 2002, and I was already in my late 40s. Since 2004, I've been a member of the OpenOffice community. I've handled marketing and communications, advocating Free Software with the media, and I have contributed to the growth of the Italian community. I've also been a regular speaker at conferences.

In 2010, I've been a founding member of The Document Foundation and LibreOffice. Since then, I've managed marketing and communications and represented the project at conferences worldwide. I've also been a member of the Board of Directors from 2010 to 2014. Since 2014, I'm working as a consultant to manage marketing and media relations for LibreOffice, and to grow the community both at global and local level. I'm also an official spokesperson for the project.

In 2014, I've been a founding member of Associazione LibreItalia, the house of LibreOffice in Italy. I'm a Director, and the Honorary Chairman (elected by other Founders and Directors). I represent the association at conferences and events, and within Italian government agencies. Associazione LibreItalia is an OSI Associate Member, to complement the Free Software advocacy in Italy.

I've also helped the Italian government to define their software procurement guidelines. Free Software is now the default choice for public administrations in Italy, although many organizations ignore the rule and keep on buying proprietary software. In addition to that, I'm an advocate of open standards, and especially of the Open Document Format (ODF) standard. I've studied the advantages of open document standards and the disadvantages of proprietary standards for interoperability, and I try to educate enterprises and public administrations on the topic.

I've been involved in the migration of the Italian Ministry of Defense to LibreOffice and ODF since the first meeting back in June 2015. When completed, it will be the second largest migration project in the history of free office suites, with over 100,000 desktops involved in the process. Amongst my duties, training the trainers about free software, mentoring IT managers and educating top military ranks about free software and the LibreOffice project.

I also love digital photography, and traveling the world to know other countries and their culture.

You can learn more about me by accessing my LinkedIn profile. I am also on Twitter and Google+. I also like writing. I blog in Italian and English. I have also published many posts on TDF Blog.

Thank you for reading thus far. I'm available for any further question both here and via email: [email protected].