Hi, I'm Italo Vignoli, or just Italo.

I'm running for election to one of the three open individual member seats on OSI board of directors.

About me

I'm 60, 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.

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. 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 part time as a consultant to manage PR and certification for LibreOffice. I'm also an official spokesperson.

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, i.e. a living monument of my own memory.

I represent the association at conferences and events, and within Italian government agencies. Associazione LibreItalia has applied for OSI associate membership, to complement its Free Software advocacy role 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.

I love digital photography, and traveling the world to know other countries and their culture. I also love cooking, and I usually attend LibreOffice hackfests to cook pasta for the hackers. It looks like "cacio e pepe" improves the quality of commits.

You can learn more about me by accessing my LinkedIn profile. I am also on Twitter and Google+, although I'm not a social media addict. In fact, I'm too old for social media.

I like writing, though. I blog in Italian and English. I have also published many posts on TDF Blog.

Why I'm running

I've helped OpenOffice and LibreOffice communications efforts, in Italy and abroad. I've handled media relations for LibreOffice since 2010, and I've acted as a spokesperson for the project.

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 and communications.

I'd also offer my management experience, and my foundation/community related experience. I've managed to grow the Italian LibreOffice community from 0 to 2,000+ members in less than 2 years.

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