Shane Coughlan

Current

Senior Advisor at Free Software Foundation Europe
Committee Member at GNOME.Asia
Advisor at Afghan Copyright Office

Asia Representative at OpenForum Europe
Editorial Coordinator at International Free and Open Source Software Law Review
General Assembly Member at Free Software Foundation Europe
Director at Certified Open
CEO at Opendawn

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Past

Advisory Board Member at OSiM World 2009
Committee Member at Swiss Association for Standardization (SNV)
Coordinator at European Legal Network

Legal Coordinator at Free Software Foundation Europe
Member at SELinux Policy Editor Team
Member at Enigmail Project Team
Board Member at SELF Project
Project Leader at Mobility Email
English Instructor at Nova Group
Reservations Consultant at Lastminute.com
Content Editor at studentpaper.co.uk
Producer at Amateur Theatre Company

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9 more...

Education

The University of Birmingham
The University of Wolverhampton

Recommended

48 people have recommended Shane

Connections

500+ connections

Industry

Information Technology and Services

Websites

Shane Coughlan’s Summary

Shane Coughlan is an expert in communication methods and business development. He is best known for building bridges between commercial and non-commercial stakeholders in the technology sector. His professional accomplishments include establishing a legal department for the main NGO promoting Free Software in Europe, building a professional network of over 200 legal counsel and technical experts across 27 countries, and aligning corporate and community interests to launch the first law review dedicated to Free/Open Source Software.

Shane has extensive knowledge of Internet technologies, management best practice, community building and Free/Open Source Software. His experience includes engagement with the server, desktop, embedded and mobile telecommunication industries. He does business in Europe, Asia and the Americas, and maintains a broad network of contacts.

Shane Coughlan’s Specialties:

Team management, communication, marketing, policy formation, business processes, technology licensing, copyright, public speaking, teaching and mediation.

Shane Coughlan’s Experience

Senior Advisor

Free Software Foundation Europe

(Non-Profit; Computer Software industry)

October 2009 — Present (2 months)

Developing a growth strategy for FSFE's legal department and the European Legal Network. Identifying external supporters for these services and facilitating further interaction with FSFE's permanent staff. Representing the organization towards donors, at industry events, public meetings and private functions.
Committee Member

GNOME.Asia

(Information Technology and Services industry)

August 2009 — Present (4 months)

Providing business knowledge, contacts and process management skills to the GNOME.Asia conference and community. Particular focus on increasing mind-share and engagement in Japan.
Advisor

Afghan Copyright Office

(Government Administration industry)

August 2009 — Present (4 months)

Providing guidance regarding the formation of the copyright office, work-flow processes, issue resolution methods and integration with the international market. Building and managing communication with an international team of legal experts to contribute impartial, practical knowledge about Copyright, transaction management and cultural wealth.
Asia Representative

OpenForum Europe

(Information Technology and Services industry)

June 2009 — Present (6 months)

Charged with the development of contacts and opportunities for OpenForum Europe in the Asian region. Focused on examining and mapping the market dynamics in Japan, Korea, China and Taiwan. Providing advocacy for OFE projects and goals at conferences and meetings. Contributing directly to OFE special interest groups and initiatives when required.
Editorial Coordinator

International Free and Open Source Software Law Review

(Non-Profit; Legal Services industry)

October 2008 — Present (1 year 2 months)

Managed the founding of the publication and development of the administrative structure. Currently chair of coordinative meetings and liaison facilitating the implementation of Editorial Committee decisions. Contributions include drafting documents on behalf of the editors, tracking administrative matters, providing input on policy, and assisting with journal brand positioning.
General Assembly Member

Free Software Foundation Europe

(Non-Profit; Computer Software industry)

September 2007 — Present (2 years 3 months)

Providing strategic input on FSFE's direction, management and project focus areas. Contributed to the development of professional internal structures and assisted in change-management during the 2008/2009 period. Helped expand FSFE's operational influence in Europe and globally through building strong relationships with commercial and NGO project decision-makers.
Director

Certified Open

(Information Technology and Services industry)

July 2007 — Present (2 years 5 months)

Board member representing FSFE's stake in the company. Primary developer of the lock-in analysis framework product and technical liaison with parties considering adoption. Secondary responsibilities include open standards advocacy and showcasing the utility of Certified Open solutions at conferences.
CEO

Opendawn

(Information Technology and Services industry)

October 2005 — Present (4 years 2 months)

Consultancy provider to commercial and non-commercial organizations in the IT, standardization and security fields. Particular focus on software, Internet technologies, fast-track standardization, communication security and international community development. Experience in establishing productive discourse between Asian and European business interests, acting as a conference speaker, panelist and writer, and assisting development projects establish structure and commercial connections.
Advisory Board Member

OSiM World 2009

(Information Technology and Services industry)

October 2008 — September 2009 (1 year )

Provided advice on conference positioning, structure and program development. Assisted in the development of tracks and speeches. Delivered lectures and workshops on licensing issues.
Committee Member

Swiss Association for Standardization (SNV)

(Public Policy industry)

August 2007 — August 2009 (2 years 1 month)

Member of Swiss Association for Standardization sub-committee NK 149 UK 14 on behalf of FSFE. Charged with representing FSFE's perspectives on fair market access, Free Software, and technical or legal requirements for balanced standardization proposals.
Coordinator

European Legal Network

(Non-Profit; Information Technology and Services industry)

January 2007 — June 2009 (2 years 6 months)

Founded the non-partisan European Legal Network to promote Free Software licensing best practice as part of FSFE's legal department outreach activities. Led expansion of the network to 200 commercial and non-commercial members across 27 countries and 4 continents within two and a half years. Chaired special interest groups negotiating consensus on supply chain management, software patents and compliance issue resolution. Hosted the first two conferences dedicated to Free/Open Source Software licensing and business processes in Europe.
Legal Coordinator

Free Software Foundation Europe

(Non-Profit; Computer Software industry)

October 2006 — June 2009 (2 years 9 months)

Established and managed FSFE's legal department. Charged with developing internal policy for European legal proceedings, ISO standardization and engagement with commercial stakeholders, as well as assisting external projects with licensing management and organizational policy. Additional activities included created a training and consultancy program for audiences in Switzerland, Sweden and The Netherlands, and acting as speaker and panelist on Free Software licensing, business adoption, international standardization and software patent issues at conferences in Europe and the Americas.
Member

SELinux Policy Editor Team

(Information Technology and Services industry)

August 2006 — June 2009 (2 years 11 months)

Contributed English language editing and promotion, website design, and maintenance of the project mailing lists. Provided project advocacy at events and meetings.
Member

Enigmail Project Team

(Information Technology and Services industry)

August 2005 — June 2009 (3 years 11 months)

Contributed usability advice, application testing and website management. Provided project advocacy at events and meetings.
Board Member

SELF Project

(Information Technology and Services industry)

June 2008 — October 2008 (5 months)

Contributed to the delivery of the project on behalf of FSFE. Focused on the financial status, accountability and the contractual obligations of all parties involved. Assisted in the public presentation of the platform at the final conference.
Project Leader

Mobility Email

(Information Technology and Services industry)

October 2005 — October 2006 (1 year 1 month)

Founder and lead developer of Mobility Email, a secure mobile application derived primarily from Mozilla code. Charged with code development, product configuration and release testing. Coordinated development activities with three other team members and handled external project communication.
English Instructor

Nova Group

(Public Company; Education Management industry)

August 2004 — September 2005 (1 year 2 months)

Provided individual lessons for TOEIC and TOEFL examinations. Taught conversational English classes to adults and children. Delivered specialised business and travel courses to groups of ten. Developed customised training material for one-to-one classes and business studies.
Reservations Consultant

Lastminute.com

(Privately Held; Leisure, Travel & Tourism industry)

October 2002 — May 2004 (1 year 8 months)

Charged with direct and distance sales, branch office accounting and daily/end of month reports.
Content Editor

studentpaper.co.uk

(Media Production industry)

November 2001 — May 2003 (1 year 7 months)

Editor of the now defunct www.studentpaper.co.uk website, publishing student related news and articles. Secondary responsibilities included website design, system administration and public relations.
Producer

Amateur Theatre Company

(Entertainment industry)

July 2000 — February 2002 (1 year 8 months)

Producer of three plays in Siamsa Tire, the National Folk Theatre of Ireland. Charged with coordinating personnel, financial management and public relations activities.

Shane Coughlan’s Education

The University of Birmingham

MA , International Studies (Globalisation and Governance) , 2002 — 2003

Thesis subject: “Is there a common understanding of what constitutes cyber warfare?” (Distinction grade)

Activities and Societies:

Student Liaison, chair of political theory, security and globalization study groups.
The University of Wolverhampton

BA , English, Politics, Media and Cultural Studies , 1999 — 2002

Thesis subject: “A linguistic analysis of the representation of ‘foreign’ in the national news section of The Times and The Guardian during a one week period.”

Activities and Societies:

Media Representative, Editor of Student Newspaper.

Additional Information

Shane Coughlan’s Websites:

Shane Coughlan’s Interests:

Sailing, hill walking, skiing, badminton, reading, writing, painting, cooking.

Shane Coughlan’s Groups:

The University of Birmingham Alumni.

LInked Business Strategists
Supply Chain Movement
Business Intelligence Group
IT Governance
Legal IT Network
International Business
Free Software Foundation
Venture Capital
Global Logistics & Supply Chain Professional Group
Mobilists (Innovators in mobile industry - 3900+ members)
FLOSS Professional
Risk Managers
Licensing Executives Society International
LegalIT
Inspired Supply Chain & Logistics Executives
Japan Legal
FOSS Professionals
Europe 2.0 - web 2.0, startups, funding, & entrepreneurship in Europe
OpenCoffee Ireland
Intellectual Property Professionals
Japan Law Society (JLS)
Governance, Risk and Compliance Management (GRC)
Leadership for Lawyers
Software as a Service (SaaS) Group
US-Japan Law Group
Intellectual Property Strategists
Supply Chain Today: Continuous Improvement, Technology Innovation, Executive Jobs, Education 10,000+
Software Licensing Professionals
The UK Technology Network
e-LEGAL
DFD
Business Process Mapping Group
KERRY BUSINESS & TOURISM NETWORK
European Legal Network