On Thu, 24 Jun 2021 at 12:56, Chris Keating <[email protected]> wrote:
> Thanks for the detailed comments. However, still, this doesn't really help > that much. > > From your email it seems that over several months the WMF has created a > new role which just happens to be ideal for its outgoing Chair to fill, and > indeed could scarcely be filled by anyone else because it so closely > relates to the Board's priorities. > > If this is allowed to happen then it raises serious questions about > whether Board members make decisions about the WMF's priorities in order to > create consultancy posts for themselves. As it happens I don't believe that > is what has happened here, but one could be forgiven for drawing that > conclusion. There is a clear appearance of a conflict of interest. And > there is a real risk of undermining the credibility of pretty much any > decision the Board might take in future, if people - the community, donors > or the media - start to believe that those decisions are being taken > because Board members will be eased into paid positions to implement them. > > No amount of reassurances that conversations happened in a particular > order can avoid this. The letter and indeed the spirit of the WMF's > conflict of interest policy may have been followed. But the object of the > WMF's conflict of interest policy has not been achieved, quite the > opposite. One can follow a policy and end up making the wrong decision, and > that's what's happened here. > I agree wholeheartedly with Chris's eloquent comments on this situation. What has happened here is very inappropriate, and deeply troubling. Dan
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