About us

GLOBAL PeerING FORUM

The Global Peering Forum (GPF) builds on an effort started by multiple commercial organizations over 18 years ago. GPF is an independent, non-profit organization designed to advance the business interests of individuals involved in peering and interconnection. GPF is a 501(c)(6) non-profit corporation operating as a business league. The current board consists of nine elected representatives from organizations who have supported the event for a number of years.

GPF is a not-for-profit membership organization governed by a Board of Directors. This board is composed of industry volunteers elected by GPF members. The structure ensures that GPF remains a true representation of its members’ interests and needs, and the event not run for commercial gain.

Matt Griswold

President

Matt Griswold

President

With a passion for automation and interconnection, Matt Griswold has spent over two decades building technology companies and contributing to the development of critical infrastructure. His work includes founding 20C, United IX (Chicago Internet Exchange), and helping establish PeeringDB as a non-profit. Matt has also supported the broader internet community by volunteering with organizations including OIX and NANOG.

Wouter Van Renterghem

Secretary

Wouter Van Renterghem

Secretary

Wouter Van Renterghem has been a member of the Global Peering Forum organizing committee since 2013 during his role as Global Business Development Director at NL-IX, and is a founding board member of Global Peering Forum Inc, established in 2015. On August 1st 2024, Wouter joined RETN as a Commercial Director and took a break from the GPF Board from 2018-2019 (re-elected in June 2019) and from 2022-2023 (re-elected in June 2023). Wouter loves his kids, partner, traveling and music.

Alejandro Silvestre

Treasurer

Alejandro Silvestre

Treasurer

Alejandro leads partnerships, hyperscaler relations, datacenter strategy, and peering for Telecom Argentina. A long-time Internet enthusiast, his journey began in the early BBS days, running "ALA BBS" from his home. He attended the first peering forums and has remained deeply engaged in the ecosystem ever since. Alejandro has served on NANOG’s DEI and Education Committees (2023–2025) and is also an adjunct professor of Finance at Miami Dade College. Based in Miami, Alejandro joined the GPF board in July 2025.

PJ Gallagher

Board Member

PJ Gallagher

Board Member

Fastly Inc. Manager | Network Strategy

Tom Hodgson

Board Member

Tom Hodgson

Board Member

Tom has worked for Lumen Technologies since 2018, where he is currently serving as Director of Interconnection Strategy with responsibility for Lumen’s global strategic interconnection relationships. Over his 20 year career in the industry he has worked for several service providers ranging from small to large in roles covering network engineering, architecture and strategy. Based in the UK, Tom joined the GPF board in 2023

Ester Paal

Board Member

Ester Paal

Board Member

Ester recently joined the Flexoptix’ Evangelical Optician team and she is the lead for the CEE region. She previously worked at the NIX.CZ Association from 2013-2022, as an Accounts and Communication Manager/Peering Coordinator. She was responsible for communication with the Association's members and customers, and also the main organiser of the annual Peering Days conference. She also represented the Association at domestic and international fora and conferences. Prior to joining the Czech Neutral Internet Exchange, she worked as a Liaison Manager for EURid, the registry of the .eu top-level domain. Ester has joined the GPF board in 2021 and is currently the board secretary.

Richard Petrie

Board Member

Richard Petrie

Board Member

Chief Technology Officer LINX

Isabel Odida

Board Member

Isabel Odida

Board Member

Isabel Odida is the Peering Manager at Gcore and the Founder and Chair of UGNOG. She also serves on the board of Utali Creative, a brand dedicated to countering negative stereotypes of Africa, and is part of the AfPIF and SAFNOG Program Committees. Previously, Isabel was on the Board of Directors of the ICT Association of Uganda (ICTAU). She has held roles such as Data Planning Engineer at MTN Uganda, Business Development Director for the African region at TNC-FZE, and Country Director at Fontes Foundation. Isabel has also been a Trainer for the African Network Operators Group (AfNOG), delivering the Scalable Internet Services course. She is a Fellow of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). A strong advocate for free and open-source software (FOSS), Isabel based all her training on these platforms. She is passionate about knowledge sharing and promoting the potential of the Internet and ICTs to advance and empower the technical community.

Andreas Sturm

Board Member

Andreas Sturm

Board Member

Andreas Sturm has been a member of the Global Peering Forum organizing committee since 2010 and is a founding board member of Global Peering Forum Inc, established in 2015. During the initial three years of the GPF Board of Directors' operation, Andreas had the privilege of serving in the capacity of Secretary. Andreas is the Chief Business Development Director at DE-CIX.