uProfile July 2026 - Georgina Bidder

How did you first stumble into the Umbraco Community—and what made you stay?

When I joined true five years ago, I didn’t start out as a Developer, but I arrived eager to learn. I’d used CMS platforms before as a back‑office user, but nothing too thorough, so jumping straight into CMS‑focused projects at true felt like being thrown into the deep end. As I learned more, I started fixing small bugs across different projects, and I quickly realised I always gravitated toward the Umbraco ones. They felt “easier”, not just in terms of code, but because the CMS itself was genuinely enjoyable to use compared to others I’d worked with. That’s probably what first sparked my interest.

A few people at true talked about the Umbraco community, and one colleague was part of a community team, which I found intriguing. I joined hackathons, contributed where I could, and enjoyed it, but it wasn’t until my first Umbraco event that I felt like I truly got it.

That event was ‘Umbraco Together’ in London in 2023. From the start, it was the perfect introduction to what the Umbraco Community is all about. It really cemented the importance of open‑source collaboration. I met so many community members in person for the first time, and spent the day writing Playwright tests for the Umbraco CMS repo. I remember feeling daunted by the size of the codebase, but also amazed that anyone (including me?!) - could submit a PR and eventually have their name in the project. That experience was a turning point. It’s what ultimately encouraged me to apply for the Core Collaborators community team.

What do you do in the Community? Any special areas you’re passionate about?

I’m part of the Core Collaborators community team, which means I spend time reviewing community PRs and helping out wherever I can - whether that’s supporting hackathons, giving feedback, or brainstorming new ways to make contributing easier and more accessible for everyone.

Outside of that, I’ve spent the last few years speaking at different events. I’ve now had the chance to speak at Codegarden three times, which has been such a fun and rewarding way to contribute to the community. This year, I also had the opportunity to be part of the Package Awards Jury for the Codegarden Package Awards. I absolutely loved it, I got to test so many brilliant packages and see all the creative ways people extend Umbraco. I’ve already added a few of them to my own toolbox.

What are you working on right now—Community-wise or professionally?

I think I’m still decompressing from Codegarden this year! I left feeling incredibly motivated and inspired, and I even told my team that out of the three years I’ve attended, this one was my favourite. The talks were fantastic, and I kept finding myself walking away from each session with a head full of new ideas.

I also spoke at Codegarden this year, alongside my colleague Matt Sutherland. Our talk focused on AI and “product readiness” - how teams can make the most of tools like a PIM, and how Umbraco AI can even utilise your “source of truth” as a context. We had a great time on stage… and yes, we even had our own alcohol bar up there!

Outside of decompressing, I’m trying to carve out time to explore the new features announced at Codegarden, especially Umbraco Automate and the new features of Umbraco AI. I still need to upgrade my package to Umbraco 17, so that’s high on my list for the next couple of months.

Professionally, I’ve recently had the chance to work with Azure AI Search, which has been super interesting. I’m excited to dig deeper into it - and I’m hoping to explore the new Umbraco AI Search soon as well.

Your top 3 tips for someone new to Umbraco or the Community?

Jump in, don’t be shy and expect the unexpected!

What book/series/game are you into right now?

Over the years I tend to dip in and out of reading, it’s usually an all‑or‑nothing thing for me. Recently I’ve realised I stick with it much more when I read short stories or shorter books. One that I finished not long ago, and that really stayed with me, is “A Short Stay in Hell” by Steven L. Peck.

The premise is wild: a religious man dies, discovers he backed the “wrong” religion, and ends up in hell, which is essentially an infinite library. The only way out is to find the book of your life, and it has to match exactly, word‑for‑word and letter‑for‑letter. It’s such a simple concept, but it really gets to you.

When I looked up the author afterwards, I found a Reddit post titled: “Just finished A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck, and I no longer know if life has any meaning.” And honestly… that’s exactly how I felt when I put the book down. It’s short, unsettling, and absolutely worth reading.

What’s on repeat in your headphones?

It’s gotta be Lily Allen’s most recent album - West End Girl. I’ve listened to this non-stop since she released it at the end of last year, and that’s ramped up even more as I’ve just seen her live in Cardiff. I’ve loved her since her early days, and its been really nostalgic having her on repeat again!

How can we find you?

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/georgina-bidder

Github: https://github.com/georgebid