About Leo
Hey, my name is Leonard Pahlke, and I am a software engineer with a focus on cloud, open source and sustainability. I like to build systems that tend to get big and complex. I am a CNCF Ambassador, Chair for the CNCF TAG Environmental Sustainability, Emeritus Advisor for the v1.28 Kubernetes release, lead the Kubernetes release team for v1.26 and organize meetups in Hamburg. I am currently working on my open source project called Carbonaut.

I think that thanks to computers, we are in the process of digitally transforming every business, and now in the middle of the transformation we are again challenged to rethink everything and incorporate sustainability in all aspects. We are on the way to inventing a sustainable and digital economy, and we have to be careful not to lose touch with each other and the world in this journey.
Am Meer, am wüsten, nächtlichen Meer
Steht ein Jüngling-Mann,
Die Brust voll Wehmut, das Haupt voll Zweifel,
Und mit düstern Lippen fragt er die Wogen […]
Es murmeln die Wogen ihr ew’ges Gemurmel,
Es wehet der Wind, es fliehen die Wolken,
Es blinken die Sterne, gleichgültig und kalt,
Und ein Narr wartet auf Antwort.
von Heinrich Heine, Die Nordsee: Fragen
Volunteering
Date | Org | Info |
---|---|---|
April 2023 - Present | Kubernetes | Emeritus Advisor v1.28 |
Mar 2023 - Present | CNCF | Ambassador, cred.ly |
Oct 2022 - Present | CNCF | Co-Chair CNCF TAG Environmental Sustainability |
Aug 2022 - Dec 2022 | Kubernetes | Kubernetes Release Lead 1.26 |
May 2022 - Sep 2022 | CNCF | Member and Author CNCF WG Environmental Sustainability |
May 2022 - Aug 2022 | Kubernetes | Kubernetes Release Lead Shadow 1.25 |
May 2022 - Present | CircleCI | CircleCI Champion |
Dec 2021 - May 2022 | Kubernetes | Kubernetes CI Signal Lead 1.24 |
Aug 2021 - Dec 2021 | Kubernetes | Kubernetes CI Signal Shadow 1.23 |

Experience
Date | Org | Info |
---|---|---|
Nov 2021 - Present | Liquid Reply | Consultant Cloud Native Engineering |
Jan 2020 - Nov 2021 | Storm reply | Consultant AWS Solutions Architect |
Education
Date | Org | Info |
---|---|---|
Mar 2022 - Present | Hamburg University of Applied Sciences | Master of Science - Computer Science |
Feb 2018 - Oct 2021 | Hamburg University of Applied Sciences | Bachelor of Science - Computer Science |
Aug 2020 - Feb 2021 | KEA - Københavns Erhvervsakademi | ERASMUS+ - Bachelor of Science - Computer Software Engineering |
Talks and Webinars
Date | Org | Info |
---|---|---|
Apr 2023 | KubeCon / CloudNativeCon EU 2023 | Speaker - The State of Green Software + Cloud Native |
Mar 2023 | CNCF Community Group | Organizer and Host - Reboot Cloud Native Hamburg Meetups in Person |
Mar 2023 | karlsruhe.digital | Green Software x Kubernetes |
Jan 2023 | CNCF | CNCF Live Webinar: Kubernetes v1.26 Release |

Podcasts
Date | Org | Info |
---|---|---|
May 2023 | The Cloud Cast | Behind the Scenes of a Major OSS Release |
Dec 2022 | Kubernetes Podcast from Google | Kubernetes v1.26 Electrifying, with Leonard Pahlke |