A self-described “homegrown product” of DIGIT, Leontina has spent years working on digital solutions for public services. In this conversation, she reflects on leadership, and her personal take on interoperability, AI and the craft of digital public service.
Q: As of 1 February 2026, you were nominated Director of Directorate B “Digital Enablers & Innovation”. What does this change mean to you personally, beyond the new title?
A: I have been a Head of Unit in this directorate for the past four years, and I got to see first-hand its potential. This is the directorate that provides critical enablers for the digital transformation of the Commission and public administrations across the Union: from digital identity to data and AI solutions, interoperability policy and toolboxes to cloud services. For me, these are the forces that shape how we work, how IT works and, ultimately, how policy is made. What changes for me is that now I have my opportunity to use my well-rounded experience to orchestrate these forces and make the most impactful contribution.
Q: If someone outside DIGIT asked you what your work is about, what would you say?
A: I’m a civil servant. My work is about serving EU citizens through the policies we implement, the European funds we manage and the legislation we enforce. This directorate helps make that possible by putting in place the digital building blocks that the Commission and public administration need to deliver public services. Everything that I mentioned before; data and AI platforms, authentication, electronic signatures, technical reference architectures, cloud and interoperability - all this exists to make public administration work better and deliver value for citizens and businesses.
Q: When you look back, can you identify the experiences that shaped the way you lead, especially in an organisation like the Commission?
A: I take and learn something from everything I do, at work and at home.
From my early days as a software engineer in the private sector, I learned to keep challenging the purpose of the work and to make sure that we stay relevant and competitive in a very fast-moving field.
Then, from my experience as a manager, first as Head of Sector and then as Head of Unit, I learned how important it is to identify opportunities, understand the impact and get the timing right. You may have a great opportunity and the right people to make it happen, but if the timing is wrong, it will not happen.
Getting to work with diverse teams and in diverse environments taught me to always be clear on expectations and on how I operate. It also taught me to show vulnerability to build trust and overcome perfectionism.
I get to do a lot of learning at home too. My 12-year old son is like a 3D mirror of my actions and emotions. This makes me much more self-aware about the impact I can have on the people around me.
Q: When you look at the time you spent leading the “Interoperability and Digital Government” Unit, what achievement are you proud of, and what changed because of it?
A: I think one of the biggest achievements of my time in the “Interoperability and Digital Government” Unit is that, together, we built an extraordinary team of talented and extremely diverse individuals. What makes this team such an achievement is that it works as a collective genius. It is thanks to this team that we delivered one of the most impactful projects of the past four years: the Interoperable Europe Act.
The Interoperable Europe Act is much more than a regulation, it was the trigger to many projects that are now helping public administrations deliver better public services for citizens and businesses.
For the Commission in particular, it has also laid the foundation for boosting Digital-ready Policymaking. It helps bridge the gap between policy design and implementation. It makes sure that we can assess the digital dimensions of our policies, anticipate implementation and use digital for all the potential it can bring.
Q: What is a misconception about digital government and interoperability that you wish to correct?
A: Most people simply want public services that work. They do not care about interoperability or digital government as concepts. They just want things to happen and services to be available at their fingertips, or with as little intervention as possible.
Yet, we know that for public services to work, we need interoperability and performant digital governments.
A common misconception is that interoperability does not matter because it is too technical. In reality, it matters precisely because it is the key ingredient that enables public services to work better and with one another.
We need to step out of the echo chamber, out of the interoperability bubble, and explain more clearly why interoperability needs to be part of the conversation, so that we can all benefit from better services and more effective public administrations.
Q: You were recognised in Apolitical’s “Government AI 100” list for 2025 (and 2024). What part of your work do you think that recognition reflects?
A: That is a question I ask myself as well. When I look at the list, I recognise some names of people who are very active, either in creating AI policy or in developing models and solutions for users. And at least up until now, I was not doing any of those things directly.
I think I have been included because of the recognition of the value of interoperability. For AI to work, we need AI-ready data. And for AI-ready data, we need interoperability. The work we do in DIGIT in this area is worthy of such recognition.
Q: Looking at your first year in the role, what would you put on your list of priorities? What would you like to protect or accelerate?
A: While I don’t have a pre-cooked list of priorities in my pocket, I would like to focus on three areas.
It would be very tempting to start with hype technologies like AI. Instead, my first priority is to run the business and perform well when it comes to providing critical foundations, such as identity management or communication websites. I’d like to work on enhancing resilience, preparedness, and digital sovereignty for our services.
Second, I’d like to fast-track initiatives that hold the highest transformative potential and can help bridge the performance gap for our administration. And, yes, that means data and AI at scale. Digital-ready Policymaking and Interoperable Europe actions are also high-potential areas for making Commission policies digital ready and Europe simpler and faster through interoperable digital public services.
Third, we have to perform better as a directorate. We are four quite different units. I want to make sure that each unit works very well on its own, but I also want us to work more closely and make better use of our collective genius as one directorate.
Before we close, I would like to draw a parallel between my leadership style and the way I cook, because cooking is something I truly love. I look at recipes for inspiration, but I never follow them exactly. I always do things a little bit my way. That is how I lead too. I know what has been done, what works and what does not. I want to mix things up a little, bring a different flavour to the directorate, and make sure that there is a tasty meal at the end of the day.
Blitz questions
