Strategic Partnerships Ecosystem Growth Decentralized Technology

Karen L.
Ottoni

I build the partnerships and communities that make decentralized open source technology work in the real world — from central banks and multilaterals to grassroots developer ecosystems spanning five continents.

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Karen L. Ottoni

About

Bridging open source
and institutional trust

I've spent the last decade working at the intersection of emerging technology, institutional strategy, and international development. My focus is decentralized open source — the kind that central banks, regulators, and global financial institutions can actually adopt.

Today I'm Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives & Business Development at the Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC), where I drive strategic initiatives across financial services, global commerce, supply chain, and commodities for 500+ institutional members across 124 jurisdictions. I co-chair the Global Standards Mapping Initiative and lead GBBC's Risk Mitigation Framework for responsible blockchain adoption.

Before GBBC, I spent eight years at LF Decentralized Trust (formerly Hyperledger Foundation), where I helped reposition an open source community into a globally recognized institutional convener. I brought in the Central Bank of Brazil, Banque de France, Bundesbank, Mastercard, and Citi as members; grew Brazil's open source chapter from 20 to 200+; and co-launched the Open Digital Currency Initiative at Davos. My approach is simple: institutions move when they trust the people and the framework, not just the technology. I speak English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian, and I've worked across Latin America, Europe, and Africa.

200+
Community members grown in Brazil's open source chapter — from 20 at launch
33+
New institutional partnerships closed, including central banks and Tier 1 financial institutions
$2M+
Annual membership portfolio managed, with $350K+ new business generated in year one
5
Languages: English, French, Portuguese (fluent) · Spanish (advanced) · Italian (intermediate)

Experience

Career

April 2026 – Present
GBBC
Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives & Business Development

Global Blockchain Business Council · Washington, D.C.

  • Managing strategic initiatives across financial services, global commerce, supply chain, and commodities verticals for 500+ institutional members across 124 jurisdictions.
  • Driving GBBC's Risk Mitigation Framework for responsible blockchain adoption across financial services and digital assets.
  • Steering the Global Standards Mapping Initiative 7.0 working groups on digital payments infrastructure and cross-border standards.
July 2022 – March 2026
LF Decentralized Trust
Senior Director, Ecosystem & Strategic Initiatives

Linux Foundation · Washington, D.C.

  • Led thought leadership agenda via annual summits, BIS Innovation Summit panels, Capitol Hill briefings, and publications shaping enterprise blockchain direction.
  • Delivered high-level briefings to SEC, BIS, and central banks on open source adoption in CBDC pilots, resulting in strategic organizational investments.
  • Generated ~$2M annually in membership renewals; closed 33+ new members over four years; $350K+ new business in year one.
  • Led the Hyperledger → LF Decentralized Trust rebrand, including narrative, brand pillars, and external communications.
March 2018 – July 2022
LF Decentralized Trust
Director of Ecosystem

Linux Foundation · New York, N.Y.

  • Launched Brazil regional chapter; grew membership from 20 to 200+, securing first paid memberships including the Central Bank of Brazil.
  • Created and scaled 10+ Special Interest Groups across finance, supply chain, and social impact sectors.
  • Built ecosystem strategy for CBDCs, tokenization, interoperability, and public sector to drive organizational growth and thought leadership.
Aug 2016 – March 2018
Tata Consultancy Services
Strategic Business Manager – Blockchain

Tata Accelerated Leadership Program · New York, N.Y.

  • Directed 15+ consulting engagements for Fortune 500 executives on blockchain business transformation using design thinking.
  • Developed go-to-market blockchain workshops combining industry research with tailored client content.
Nov 2010 – May 2014
USAID · Independent
Communications Specialist & International Development Consultant

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

  • Led communications and program management for USAID initiatives across East Africa.
April 2006 – Nov 2010
Chemonics International
Senior Program Manager → Acting Project Director

Washington, D.C.

  • Managed $60M+ USAID portfolio across Africa, leading cross-functional teams, vendor systems, and multi-country field operations.

Publications & Research

Thought Leadership

GBBC · Global Standards Mapping Initiative 6.0 · 2025
Digital Identity and Privacy
Co-Chair — Led GBBC's GSMI 6.0 report mapping global regulatory and standards frameworks for digital identity and privacy across 124 blockchain jurisdictions.
Read the report →
World Economic Forum · 2024
Modernizing Financial Markets with Wholesale Central Bank Digital Currency
Contributor — WEF Insight Report on wCBDC design, interoperability, and implementation pathways for wholesale digital currency in institutional financial markets.
Read the report →
LF Decentralized Trust · 2024
CBDCs & Open Source: Building Trusted Digital Currency Infrastructure
Author & Co-Chair — LFDT's definitive ebook on the case for open source development in central bank digital currencies, drawing on global pilot experience.
Read the ebook →
Digital Euro Association · 2024
Open Source CBDC: The Case for Collaborative Infrastructure
Contributor — DEA research paper making the case for open source development in CBDC infrastructure, covering governance, interoperability, and institutional adoption.
Read the paper →
LF Decentralized Trust · Brazil Edition
Open Source & Blockchain in Brazil: Community & Ecosystem Report
Author — Documents the growth of Brazil's open source blockchain ecosystem and the case for decentralized infrastructure in Latin America's largest economy.
Read the ebook →
World Economic Forum · DCGC
Defining Interoperability of Digital Currencies
Contributor — WEF Digital Currency Governance Consortium paper on technical and governance frameworks for cross-border digital currency interoperability. Karen's photo appears on the series landing page.
Read the paper →
GFTN
GFTN Global Digital Assets Report
Contributor — Analysis of global digital assets landscape, regulatory trends, and institutional adoption patterns across key markets.
Read the report →
World Economic Forum · 2021
Digital Currency Governance Consortium White Paper Series
Contributor — Foundational WEF white paper series on governance frameworks, policy design, and cross-sector collaboration for digital currencies globally.
Read the series →

Speaking

On the global stage

I speak regularly at high-level institutional forums on open source, digital currencies, CBDCs, interoperability, and decentralized infrastructure for regulated environments.

Global Blockchain Business Council
2025 – Present · GBBC Annual Summit & Member Events
Representing GBBC at flagship events and member forums, advancing the organization's voice on digital assets regulation, blockchain standards, and responsible adoption frameworks across 124 jurisdictions.
BIS Innovation Summit
Bank for International Settlements
Facilitated a closed-door roundtable with global central banks and multilateral institutions on open source adoption in CBDC development, reinforcing LFDT's role as a neutral convener in the digital public infrastructure space.
Bank of England Innovation Summit
UK Central Bank
Presented on open source approaches to digital currency infrastructure, engaging senior policymakers on the governance and technical frameworks needed for trustworthy institutional CBDC development.
World Economic Forum · Davos
Annual Meeting
Launched the Open Digital Currency Initiative at Davos alongside partners from FINOS, the Digital Dollar Project, and Accenture — bringing cross-sector leaders together around open standards for digital currencies.
U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission
Closed-Door Briefing
Delivered a high-level briefing to SEC leadership on the case for open source adoption in CBDC pilots and open standards in digital asset regulation, contributing to the agency's strategic thinking in this area.
Point Zero Forum
Zurich
Participated in the annual gathering of global fintech innovators and policymakers to advance dialogue on digital assets, open standards, and the role of decentralized infrastructure in regulated financial systems.
U.S. Capitol Hill
Congressional Briefings
Delivered briefings to Congressional staff and members on open source in digital assets and CBDC policy, connecting technical innovation to the legislative and regulatory frameworks under development.

Contact

Let's connect

I'm open to conversations about strategic partnerships, ecosystem leadership roles, speaking engagements, and collaborations at the intersection of open source, digital assets, and institutional strategy.

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