Luis Bitencourt-Emilio joins Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees

The Wikimedia Foundation today announced the appointment of Luis Bitencourt-Emilio, a technology leader with two decades of global experience, to the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees.

Luis has extensive product development and technology engineering expertise, ranging from Fortune 100 technology companies like Microsoft, to online networking sites like Reddit, and startup technology ventures like Rappi focused on serving consumers in Latin America. He is currently based in São Paulo as the Chief Technology Officer at Loft, leading engineering, product, data and design teams to further the goal of home ownership for Latin Americans. 

“The Wikimedia projects are an example of harnessing the best of both technology and people to provide knowledge to everyone,” said Luis. “I have seen the impact that online communities can have on addressing challenges of access and information. As a longtime reader and supporter of the Wikimedia projects for almost two decades, I am excited to join and learn from a movement that has meant so much to me, and encourage the continued growth and innovation of one of the most important digital wonders of the world.”

Throughout his career, Luis has demonstrated his consistent commitment to growing diverse leaders in the field of technology. He has led product and technology teams across Latin America, the United States, Europe and Asia. At Reddit, Luis was a key member of the recruitment efforts that achieved equal gender representation among engineering directors. At Microsoft, he worked closely with universities across Brazil to place thousands of engineering candidates at Microsoft and expand global recruitment opportunities for engineers.

Luis brings in-depth knowledge in supporting critical technology infrastructure and consumer products. He led engineering teams shipping Microsoft Office products and managing data for over a billion Microsoft Office customers. At Reddit, he led the Knowledge Group, overseeing all data, machine learning, spam/abuse protection and search efforts for the platform, and was a core part of the leadership team coordinating closely with Reddit’s online communities during a period of significant growth.

“Luis is a global technology leader with a strong understanding of scaling critical technology infrastructure and supporting bottom-up innovation,” said Dariusz Jemelniak, chair of the Governance Committee responsible for the Trustee search and appointment. “His expertise working with communities around the world will be invaluable in globalizing the Foundation’s approach to product and technology.”

Luis joins ten other Foundation Trustees who collectively bring expertise in the Wikimedia community, financial oversight, governance, and organizational development; and a commitment to advancing Wikimedia’s mission of free knowledge for all. He was appointed to a Trustee position for a three-year term.