New Board Member Interview: Andrew Wafaa

Tell us a little about yourself, and how you got involved with FreeBSD?

I’m a member of Arm’s Open Source Software Engineering leadership team, and head up Arm’s Open Source Office, covering both internal and external open source engagements. I got involved with FreeBSD over 8 years ago when I joined Arm (back then it was spelt ARM), tasked with building a relationship with the project and getting support for the new 64bit ARMv8.0 architecture into FreeBSD.

Why are you passionate about serving on the FreeBSD Foundation Board?

Over the years I’ve met many members of the FreeBSD family, either at BSDCan, EuroBSD or the various Vendor Summits. I always looked forward to meeting old and new faces at the events and it always felt welcoming. The diversity of the Foundation’s Board and knowing who they serve is a big attraction, and I’m looking forward to learning from my new colleagues

What excited you about our work?

The diversity. Whilst I’ve been involved with FreeBSD for a while, it has mostly been from a non-technical perspective. Many of my peers are well seasoned FreeBSD engineers so the learning opportunities are plenty. I’m also excited to see how the Foundation works compared to other Boards I have served on.

What are you hoping to bring to the organization and the community through your new leadership role?

Diversity and insight. I have served on the openSUSE project’s Board as a member for two terms and was then appointed as Treasurer for another two terms, totalling 8years. I am involved in various Linux Foundation projects, I continue to serve as a member on the Xen Advisory Board and I am also the Chair of the Yocto Project. I’m hoping that my experience from these projects can benefit the Foundation. I am hoping that I can be a bridge between FreeBSD and some of these projects and help both grow and continue to prosper.

How do you see your background and experience complementing the current board? 

As mentioned I serve on a couple of Linux Foundation projects Boards, and I think there is plenty to be learnt from how they operate. I am also looking forward to taking some of the lessons learned from the Foundation back to those projects.I think as a fresh pair of eyes, and one that has no technical responsibilities can bring a different perspective and also leveraging my network in the wider industry to help expand FreeBSD’s influence.