Fotis Routsis receives the Yoast Care fund for his contribution to the WordPress community

Meet Fotis Routsis, a valued member of the WordPress community! Lena Stergatou nominated his for the Yoast Care Fund for his commitment and valuable contributions. Let’s learn more about this WordPress enthusiast.

Nominator Lena Stergatou: “I strongly nominate Fotis for the Yoast Care fund to recognize his incredible, hands-on dedication to the global and local WordPress communities. His passion truly shines through in event organization and volunteering. He has devoted immense personal time as a dedicated organizer at flagship events like WordCamp Europe 2025 and WordCamp Europe 2026, while also contributing to numerous local WordCamps and meetups. Managing the logistics, welcoming attendees, and building inclusive environments at this scale takes immense unpaid effort, especially for a self-employed professional.“

Let’s get to know Fotis Routsis

Those are some lovely words by Lena. Let’s get to know Fotis a bit better and ask him some questions about his work and passion for WordPress:

Hi, Fotis! What do you do in the WordPress space?

Hello hello! I am Fotis, a full-stack WordPress developer based in Athens, Greece. I have been working with WordPress as a freelancer and as a part of bigger teams. I had the honor of implementing some very large-scale projects for the Greek Government based on WordPress. I love finding solutions to complex problems and implementing interoperability solutions!

How did you first discover WordPress, and why did you start contributing?

It was a tool I stumbled upon back in 2008. It was a project that needed a blog-type solution for a research project. I was captured by its simplicity and ease of work. Over the next few years, I worked on more projects, and in 2014, I volunteered at the second edition of WordCamp Europe in Sofia!

Since then, I have been attending, volunteering, and organizing WordCamp Europe, WordCamp Athens, and WordCamp Greece nonstop! Being in the same space as people from around the world was something I had never experienced before. Everyone was (and is) there as part of a Global Community, not just a simple attendee. It is a feeling that has grown in me, and until today, it has fueled my contribution to the WordPress community.

If you could shape the future of WordPress, what would it look like?

I have been reading a lot about the current state of WordPress and the direction it should take. I am not referring to the technical stuff, although it all comes down to the right Governance. I am not sure I have enough knowledge to suggest things myself, but I would like to see a more Community-oriented governance of the project.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people out there who could help shape the future of WordPress, but this needs to be structured and supported in a systematic way to be fruitful. As I mentioned in my opening presentation for the Contributor Day in WordCamp Europe in Krakow: “It is all about the Community” – and therefore the Community should have a say.

What’s your favorite WordPress memory or something you’re most proud of?

That is easy. WordCamp Europe in Athens back in 2023 was my peak moment as a member of the Greek Community. We did our best to put on a great event, and I still love it when people mention how good it was.

This year was also good, as my team and I at WCEU 2026 managed to build a great Community booth with high engagement and fun for all attendees!

Where can people connect with you? Online, at WordCamps, or other meetups?

WordCamp Europe and WordCamp Athens are definitely the places to meet me in person. If you happen to be there, come by and say hello. I love meeting people and especially members of the Community.

You can also find me on Social Media, such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn . You can also visit my website, but like many of us, it never got the attention it deserved. Hopefully, this will change soon!

Thank you for this interview, Fotis, and for all your contributions to the WordPress community! Do you know someone like Fotis Routsis who also deserves to be in the spotlight? Go to our Yoast Care page and nominate them right away.