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About the DE SIG

Our Mission​

"Our mission is to build a trusted community of distinguished engineers and senior technology leaders that provides independent advice and mentorship to worthy causes, enables cross‑organisational collaboration on shared challenges, and champions inclusive engineering — publishing the results of that collaboration as open, freely reusable resources."

Who We Are​

We are a Community of Distinguished Engineers (DEs) — among the most senior technologists in leading multinational financial institutions. As a Special Interest Group (SIG) within the Fintech Open Source Foundation (FINOS), we provide a neutral, open space for DEs from competing firms to collaborate, share expertise, and apply their experience for positive societal impact.

Many DEs spend the majority of their careers focused on internal initiatives and tooling. The DE SIG changes that: by bringing DEs together as a community, we enable them to engage with open‑source initiatives, connect with FINOS ambassadors and projects, and contribute their expertise beyond their own organisations — individually and collectively.

Three Purposes​

The DE SIG has three interconnected purposes:

1. Enable Cross‑Organisational Collaboration​

Distinguished Engineers face common challenges — in architecture, strategy, talent, and technology adoption — but rarely have a forum to address them together across firm boundaries. The DE SIG provides that forum. We collaborate to:

  • Share experience and tackle issues that affect our organisations collectively.
  • Produce and publish thought leadership content as open, Creative Commons‑licensed resources that the whole industry can use.
  • Engage with FINOS projects and open‑source initiatives through regular meetups and webinars. FINOS ambassadors and DE SIG members are natural partners: DEs are exactly the people who can carry open‑source insights back into their organisations, influence strategy, and direct colleagues toward relevant projects.
  • Support DEs who are newer to open‑source contribution by connecting them with those who have deep experience, raising the whole community's ability to engage.

This cross‑firm collaboration is made possible by FINOS governance: all participants are subject to the LF Antitrust Policy, the FINOS Community Code of Conduct, and all other FINOS policies. Meetings are held under the Chatham House Rule — participants are free to use information received, but may not reveal the identity or affiliation of any speaker, nor attribute remarks to any individual. Together these create the trust and safety that make genuine cross‑firm collaboration possible.

2. Provide Pro‑Bono Technical Outreach​

Smaller charities and community organisations often lack access to the calibre of engineering expertise that DEs represent. Large enterprises frequently have volunteering programmes, but rarely deploy their most senior technical talent in them. The DE SIG changes this through the Outreach Working Group, which partners with charities and social impact organisations under established Terms of Engagement that protect all parties from liability while ensuring engagements are conflict‑free and organisation‑led.

3. Champion Inclusive Engineering​

Diversity issues in technology are most acute at the top of the career ladder — precisely where DEs sit. The Inclusive Engineering Working Group addresses this directly through mentoring, ethical behavioural design, and education. This work aligns naturally with open‑source principles: open‑source communities succeed through inclusive governance, consensus‑building, and enabling participation rather than restricting it.

How We Work: Our Working Groups​

Our work is organized into focused working groups, each tackling a distinct area of our mission:

Outreach Working Group (active)​

Partners with charities and social impact organisations that would not normally have access to independent, high-level technical guidance. DEs from different firms collaborate to conduct technology landscape reviews, provide strategic technical guidance, enable in-house teams, and deliver open-source driven support — always through respectful, organisation-led partnerships.

Learn more about the Outreach Working Group →

Inclusive Engineering Working Group (active)​

Focuses on mentoring, allyship, and inclusive technology practices — mentoring across career stages, prioritizing underrepresented groups, ethical behavioral design (Nudge Unit), and education through talks, webinars, and school outreach.

Learn more about the Inclusive Engineering Working Group →

DE Role Definition Working Group (completed)​

Delivered a standard definition for the Distinguished Engineer role in Financial Services, providing clarity and consistency for organisations establishing or evolving their own DE programmes.

Why the DE SIG?​

We operate by a core set of guiding principles:

  • We listen first
  • We collaborate openly, across firm boundaries
  • We learn continuously — from each other and from the open‑source community
  • We innovate with purpose

DE programmes within large organisations often mirror open‑source and InnerSource principles: enabling the most senior engineers from different teams and franchises to collaborate, share knowledge, and influence strategy. The DE SIG extends this model across firm boundaries, with FINOS providing the neutral governance and infrastructure that makes it possible.

Above all, we share our expertise with humility, passion, and dedication — without judgment, and without prejudice.