IDSA appoints Gianfranco Cecconi as new CSO

Nov 2, 2023 | News

The International Data Spaces Association (IDSA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Gianfranco Cecconi as Chief Solution Officer (CSO), effective from November 1st. In this role, he will ensure that companies engaged in the development and provision of commercial solutions based on the IDS standard have optimal access to information and a thriving community of practice. He will bring light in the still complex and new market of data spaces by insightful communication and hands-on go to market support. Additionally, Gianfranco Cecconi will take on the role of Executive Manager for the Data Spaces Support Centre (DSSC).

Gianfranco Cecconi brings extensive experience in leading projects and initiatives in the field of open data and data sharing. Just over 10 years ago, in 2013, his first ever project in this field, at the Open Data Institute in London, validated the Mayor’s decision to close ten fire stations, using only open-source software, government open data, and a sample of commercial data offered by a local mobile operator. Doing so, he empowered citizens to conduct their own analysis and made the Mayor’s decision better explainable to the people most impacted: the Fire Brigade and the neighbors of the closed stations. Most recently, Gianfranco Cecconi led the global collaborative data ecosystems community of practice in the management consulting practice of Capgemini.

In addition to his role as CSO at IDSA, Gianfranco Cecconi will work closely with the Fraunhofer Institute for Software and System Engineering ISST to lead the European Commission’s lighthouse project DSSC in his capacity as Executive Director at the service of Project Coordinator Prof. Boris Otto.

“We are currently at a pivotal moment: the first commercial IDS-based solutions are available on the market, and numerous use cases and projects have already reached a high level of maturity. Now, the task at hand is to bring these solutions to market readiness on a large scale. I look forward to assisting organizations on this journey – also with the help of the Data Spaces Support Centre.”

Gianfranco Cecconi, at CSO IDSA

“With Gianfranco Cecconi on board, IDSA and Fraunhofer ISST are investing further in their contribution to the Data Spaces Support Centre. We are convinced that Gianfranco is the right person to lead this new chapter of IDS-based data spaces in Europe and around the globe. We will inspire and ignite more companies to erect data spaces and build the much-needed software components and services to let them flourish at scale”

Lars Nagel, CEO at IDSA

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