Shane Coughlan (MA International Studies, 2003)

'I am passionate about bringing together communities, organizations, and governments to solve complex challenges through open source collaboration.'

'Today, I serve as Global Ambassador for OIN 2.0 at Open Invention Network, where I work at the intersection of open source policy, international standards, and intellectual property strategy. My role focuses on helping organizations understand and adopt OIN 2.0, while strengthening the global patent non-aggression community that supports innovation across the open source ecosystem. I also serve on the Board of the InnerSource Commons Foundation.

'Before returning to Open Invention Network, I spent nearly nine years at The Linux Foundation as General Manager of the OpenChain Project. During that time, I led the development of ISO/IEC 5230 and ISO/IEC 18974, international standards covering open source compliance and security assurance. I also worked with industry leaders, governments, and non-profit organizations around the world on initiatives ranging from Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) quality to AI compliance and programme maturity.

'Over the past two decades, I have held leadership, governance, legal, and policy roles across the open source landscape. This has included a long-standing relationship with OpenForum Europe, helping guide its evolution into a project-funded policy think tank. In earlier work with Free Software Foundation Europe, I established its legal department, founded the European Legal Network, and co-founded both the International Free and Open Source Software Law Review and the International Free and Open Source Software Law Book.

'Based in Japan, I have spent my career building practical frameworks across technical, legal, and commercial boundaries, helping diverse stakeholders work together to advance open source on a global scale.'