OpenForum Europe Appoints Laszlo Igneczi as Executive Director

30^th of January 2026

OpenForum Europe (OFE) is pleased to announce the appointment of Laszlo Igneczi as its new Executive Director. The announcement marks the start of a new chapter for the organisation as it enters its twenty-fourth year of championing the transformative power of open technologies.

Laszlo brings three decades of experience spanning EU institutions, national ministries and the private sector to OFE. His career has combined in-depth policy work, liaising with EU institutions and private actors, organisational leadership, and operational execution, always focusing on the next step in technology and crafting a regulatory response to harness the opportunities ahead.

Most recently, he served for ten years as Director of the BEREC Office, the EU Agency supporting the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications. In that role, he led the agency through a period of significant change, enabling BEREC to extend its focus from traditional telecoms regulation toward emerging challenges in the data economy, artificial intelligence, and the shift to from hardware-centric networks to cloud-based and software-defined systems.

“In the fourth decade of my professional career, I want to contribute actively to strengthening a digitally sovereign Europe. OFE’s vision and its commitment to openness resonates with the values I have held throughout my career. I look forward to working with the team, our partners, and the wider community to advance open technologies as a foundation for Europe’s digital future.”
Laszlo Igneczi

Prior to that, he served at Hungary’s Permanent Representation to the EU and Hungary’s Ministry for Information and Communications and Ministry of Economy and Transport, coordinating legislative implementation and EU regulatory alignment. He represented Hungary in the Council Working Parties on information society and telecommunications, audiovisual media, postal services and space policy. During the Hungarian Presidency in 2011 he chaired three working parties and contributed actively to the relevant chapters of the Connecting Europe Facility, the Horizon 2020 and Creative Europe programmes. Laszlo began his career in the private sector, spending over a decade in telecommunications during the period of market liberalisation and mass digitalisation.

His experience positions him well to lead OFE at a time when open technologies are increasingly central to European digital policy. His background in regulatory coordination, interoperability, and standards work aligns closely with the policy questions OFE engages with.

“We are excited to welcome Laszlo as OFE enters this new chapter. His leadership experience, his deep understanding of EU policymaking, and his track record of working across institutions and partners give us confidence that he is the right person to take OFE to the next step and trust Laszlo to guide the organisation through the opportunities and challenges ahead.”
Sachiko Muto, Chair, OpenForum Europe

Laszlo formally takes up his duties on 1 February 2026. He succeeds Astor Nummelin Carlberg, who has served as Executive Director since 2022 and who will remain with the organisation until the end of March to support a smooth transition.

Laszlo’s appointment was announced by Sachiko Muto, Chair of OpenForum Europe during the opening at this morning’s OFE EU Open Source Policy Summit in Brussels, Europe’s foremost gathering on open source policy.

About OpenForum Europe

OpenForum Europe (OFE) is a not-for-profit, independent think tank based in Brussels, dedicated to championing the transformative power of open technologies in society. We advocate for a Europe where real user choice, fair competition, and open innovation drive digital sovereignty, economic competitiveness, resilience, and growth.

For more information, please read the press release.