Hendrik Ebbers 2026 candidate
Founder, Open Elements GmbH
Nominee for Contributing Member representative
Like many people, the first time I heard about Eclipse was when I used the Eclipse IDE at the beginning of my career as a Java developer. After using the IDE for several years and even doing some SWT projects, I realized that "Eclipse" is much more than just an IDE. As I became more familiar with open source development, I realized how positive and even necessary centralized and independent management of open source software is.
With my work in the Eclipse Foundation Board of Directors, Jakarta EE, and the Adoptium working group, I can see the organization's benefits daily. The foundation helps the working groups in areas like marketing, community management, and infrastructure.
In addition, several big and prominent players want to add their opinion and view to the OSS projects of the foundation. The Eclipse Foundation creates workflows and rules that allow me, as a minor member, to be on the same level as the big players and discuss our thoughts in a remarkable community by creating a big picture together that is just a benefit for all of us.
email: hendrik.ebbers at open-elements.com
Vision
The Eclipse Foundation is a place that allows individual open source enthusiasts and companies – big or small – to work together at eye level. While this is already an incredible achievement, I often see that the hurdle to starting with open source development and understanding its workflows and benefits is still high for many people and small companies. I would like to have the Eclipse Foundation as one of the best addresses for getting into OSS. Next, I would like to have more small companies join the foundation to support critical OSS on which they already depend today.
The Eclipse Foundation has an ever-growing Java community, and it is important to me to continue to strengthen it and bring it together. In addition, the Eclipse Foundation is already a well-known player in the global Java community. It is essential to expand its position as the OSS Foundation for Java and to make the Eclipse Foundation visible as an essential pillar of the global Java community.
With the Open Regulatory Compliance Working Group, something huge and important was created last year: several open source foundations and stewards collaborate as an Eclipse Foundation Working Group to work united on sustainable, solid, and open solutions for the Cyber Resilience Act and other regulations on (open source) software. This is an essential step in positioning the Eclipse Foundation as a global and especially European leader for solid open-source projects and stewardship, including essential connections to politics and governments.
About the candidate
Hendrik Ebbers is a Java Champion, a member of JSR expert groups, and JavaOne Rockstar. He has achieved all this through his belief in open source and open communities. Hendrik is the founder and leader of the Java User Group Dortmund and gives talks and presentations in user groups and at conferences worldwide. Hendrik is a member of the Jakarta WG and the Adoptium WG. In both projects, he was already involved before they became Eclipse working groups: Hendrik was a member of the AdoptOpenJDK TSC and part of the Java Bean Validation expert group.
Hendrik is founder and CEO of Open Elements, a company focusing on open source software and the open source community. The main goal of Open Elements is to strengthen open collaboration. Open Elements is partnering with Eclipse Foundation, Linux Foundation and Apache Foundation to move critical OSS forward. Especially in the Java ecosystem Open Elements is currently responsible for moving the Apache Maven project forward by managing investments of the German government for the project.
Hendrik is an Eclipse Foundation Board of Director since 2023. That position helps him to have an even better insight on the Java related working groups and communities at Eclipse Foundation. With that background he started the “Eclipse loves Java” series by doing several sessions about that topic and co-organising the Java Community Day at EclipseCon/OCX.
Next to Eclipse-related projects, Hendrik is leading the TSC for the Hiero project at Linux Foundation and is a member of a technical advisory committee at Linux Foundation.