Hi Philip, just to make sure, are you aware of the email under the topic "REPLY TO: News about CTeam transitions from Wikimedia Foundation" ? I believe that was sent within the day.
Best, Lodewijk On Sun, Jul 25, 2021 at 2:18 PM Philip Kopetzky <[email protected]> wrote: > I find it quite worrying that after a month no one has deemed it necessary > to reply to the concerns voiced by a former chair of the WMF Board of > Trustees. There isn't even a PR-level denial of there being a crisis. > > The C-Suite turnover would be a major challenge for any company or > organisation. Just describing it as a "natural part of evolution" doesn't > explain what direction this "evolution" is taking and why so many of the > C-Suite don't deem this worth sticking around for. In the meantime, the > "smooth operation" is leading to uncertainty and stagnation that is wasting > valuable time and momentum for the implementation of the 2030 strategy. > > On Mon, 28 Jun 2021 at 23:36, Christophe Henner < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Heather, you have been someone I have always loved to talk with. >> >> >> I have fond memories with you there, such as talking with you and Zack on >> Thanksgiving eve having beers in the Foundation office creating the Museums >> of Things People don't Want To Know. Or crafting my email in Esino Lario to >> announce my term as chair, everyone sitting on the floor in a room with >> you, Katherine, Greg, and Juliet. I have so many others. >> >> >> Wherever you will go next they will be as lucky as we have been to count >> you as part of our movement. Perhaps even more as you take your experiences >> with you. >> >> >> Most people in the movement might not know you, but you have made a big >> difference behind the scenes. >> >> >> You reshaped how we are positioning ourselves in the world and provided a >> speaker to our voices. I am sad to see you leave the Foundation, I only >> hope we will keep on seeing you around and that, life willing, we will have >> other drinks. >> >> >> Grant, I left when you joined so I can only remember the job interview I >> gave you. We never had the chance to create memories allowing me to make an >> email like I can for Heather. But nonetheless, I can only fare you well for >> the future. >> >> >> And remembering our discussions and your experiences, I can just hope you >> will start on your own project! >> >> >> Raju, thank you for the update. >> >> >> Change is natural in an org, but it had been years since we had that >> level of turnover. I do understand, running orgs myself and being a former >> chair of the board right after the last crisis, that those are very tough >> situations. >> >> >> I also know that when you are in the middle of change it is tough to make >> decisions that can be fully understood. >> >> >> However, it might be good if some better information about the situation >> were provided. >> >> >> Here one can only have theories about the situation, and remember with >> concern the the last time such turmoiled happened. >> >> >> In the span of 6 months the Foundation lost its CEO, COO, CCO, CTO, CoS >> (Chief of Staff). That is more than half of the C-Suite. When facing such >> turnover, it usually is a sign of deeper issues. >> >> >> As everyone in org theory loves to say, never waste a good crisis. >> >> >> As usual, we all have the best of the movement at heart. Any criticism >> comes from a place of deep care about our movement; as members of the loyal >> opposition. We can be wonderful allies and support if you allow us to be. >> >> >> Le lun. 28 juin 2021 à 9:14 PM, Raju Narisetti <[email protected]> >> a écrit : >> >>> Dear All, >>> >>> On behalf of the Foundation Board, I’m writing to share with you that >>> Chief Creative Officer Heather Walls and Chief Technology Officer Grant >>> Ingersoll will be leaving the Wikimedia Foundation, at the end of July. >>> >>> >>> We, along with the Foundation Transition Team, have been working with >>> them for several weeks on a smooth transition in their respective >>> functions. We are grateful to them for their service and dedication to >>> the Foundation and the movement. In their time with us, both Heather and >>> Grant have used their unique talents and skills to preserve and provide >>> free knowledge to the world while also elevating the voices of community >>> members around the globe. >>> >>> >>> >>> Heather has been with the Foundation for almost ten years, driving >>> creative and communication efforts. In that time we’ve seen a revolution in >>> how our projects are perceived by the world. She has played a pivotal role >>> at the Foundation, shaping its identity and strengthening our mission to be >>> a trusted and valued resource for sharing and accessing knowledge globally. >>> Heather brought communities around the world closer together by developing >>> and executing innovative means of communications and leading campaigns that >>> helped grow our community and elevated the voices of our community >>> members. Most recently, on Wikipedia’s 20th Birthday, she, with her team, >>> connected people in more than 70 countries so that we could celebrate “20 >>> Years Human” and our important movement together. >>> >>> >>> >>> In her words: >>> >>> “There is nothing that can sum up nearly a decade with Wikimedians. The >>> joy, the conflict, the evolution, and the unchanging. I’ve seen things >>> change for the better; focused effort to bring more equity into our >>> movement including a ground-breaking global code of conduct—and I’ve seen >>> things stay the same in ways that matter; Wikimedians holding true to their >>> values in face of new challenges like censorship and misinformation. As I >>> reflect on the past almost 10 years, I am amazed by the pace and strength >>> of our growth and the evolution of our brand from an internet experiment to >>> one of the most trusted places on the web. It was a pleasure to see this >>> work reach a pinnacle during Wikipedia’s 20th Birthday celebrations, with >>> headlines, brand partnerships, and community events that shine a light on >>> how far we’ve come. My appreciation of the people I have met through >>> this journey and the incredible team I leave behind, is immense.” >>> >>> Grant, who joined the Foundation two years ago and was based in North >>> Carolina, worked to strengthen Wikimedia’s online infrastructure to >>> increase its reliability and to ensure that people around the globe could >>> access free knowledge whenever they needed it. While Grant and his growing >>> team work largely behind the scenes, they are the reason we have the >>> platform and ability to elevate the voices of our community members and >>> provide free knowledge to the world. >>> >>> In Grant's words: >>> >>> “My last two years serving the free knowledge movement have been >>> incredibly rewarding and challenging. I’m so proud of what the Foundation >>> Technology team has accomplished, especially with the unique set of >>> challenges this year has brought. There is never a perfect time to leave, >>> but I am confident that this work is in the most capable hands. It’s been a >>> privilege to support my team as they have worked side-by-side with movement >>> volunteers to strengthen our online infrastructure and ensure that >>> Wikimedia remains a trusted source for open knowledge. Together, we evolved >>> and scaled our platform to ensure that people across the globe have 24/7, >>> uninterrupted access to our information when they need it most.” >>> >>> >>> While transitions are always challenging, they are also a natural part >>> of evolution and growth of organizations. The Foundation's Transition team >>> - Amanda, Jaime, and Robyn - is working closely with the Board Transition >>> Committee, as well as other relevant Board Committees, to ensure smooth >>> operations during this period. We remain very confident that together, >>> along with our communities, we can build a future for the Foundation that >>> will better serve our important movement goals and strategy. As we work >>> through the transition, including the ongoing process of identifying the >>> next CEO/ED, we will continue to provide relevant updates. >>> >>> >>> In the meantime, on behalf of the Board, please join me in wishing Grant >>> and Heather the best of luck. >>> >>> Best, >>> >>> Raju >>> >>> -- >>> Raju Narisetti >>> Home TimeZone: EST >>> My working day may not be your working day. Please don’t feel obliged to >>> reply to this email outside of your normal working hours. >>> >>> *Have you considered supporting Wikipedia? >>> Wikipedia is a non-profit website which provides free, open, reliable >>> knowledge to hundreds of millions of people around the world every >>> single day. >>> https://donate.wikimedia.org * >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- [email protected], guidelines >>> at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and >>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l >>> Public archives at >>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/[email protected]/message/T5B64AIN4C7HEDXEYVKWA26OHMWU7KT5/ >>> To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- [email protected], guidelines >> at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and >> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l >> Public archives at >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/[email protected]/message/L7V2RMEBZYXL6LONWVQPQLVSLWK3A46C/ >> To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list -- [email protected], guidelines > at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l > Public archives at > https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/[email protected]/message/BNTNNDSII36PNZ3F3DFHMJKNYGSYNOPR/ > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected]
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