2026-10-05 –, Hangar
Switzerland is discovering open source, not as a niche, but as state policy. A new law makes open source the default for government software, the national E-ID is built on public code, and debates on a government cloud, digital signing of citizens' initiatives and digital sovereignty are reshaping the agenda. This keynote shows how these decisions came about and why open communities like QGIS are key to a sovereign digital future.
Gerhard Andrey (50) is a trained carpenter, wood engineer and postgraduate computer scientist.
He is co-founder of the digital agency Liip, with around 200 employees in six locations in Switzerland. Together with the musician Gustav, he founded the Akademie für aktuelle Musik Schweiz, which is dedicated to the extracurricular promotion of young talent in this field and which he now chairs. He is, among other things, President of the International Film Festival Fribourg (FIFF) and a member of the Board of Trustees of Seedcapital Fribourg and Applico.
Since 2019, Gerhard Andrey has been a member of the National Council of the Green Party of Fribourg. In 2023, he was officially nominated as candidate for the Federal Council. He is a member of the National Council's Finance and Security Policy Committees. He is politically committed in particular to more digital sovereignty and a sustainable finance sector.