Archive:Press releases/Jan2008 Staff Release

Wikimedia Foundation announces new CFOO; Heads of Business Development and Communications

San Francisco, CA January 29, 2008 — The Wikimedia Foundation is pleased to announce the addition of three new staff members: Veronique Kessler, Chief Financial and Operating Officer (CFOO); Kul Takanao Wadhwa, Head of Business Development; and Jay Walsh, Head of Communications. The new staff will be based in the Foundation's office in San Francisco. Veronique will join the Foundation officially in early February. The heads of business development and communications each started in January, 2008. In addition to the listing of new staff below, a complete list can be found at //foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Staff.

Veronique Kessler, Chief Financial and Operating Officer

Veronique Kessler joins the Foundation from the non-profit Jewish Community Center of San Francisco <http://www.jccsf.org/>, where she recently held the role of director of finance. Prior to her time at JCCSF, she was a financial consultant for Stanford University, the brokerage firm Charles Schwab, and the venture capital and investment firm Berkeley International Capital Corporation. She has also held the title of controller for the Walden International Investment Group, financial reporting manager for the private investment company The Fremont Group, senior accountant with the Wells Fargo bank, and senior auditor with Deloitte & Touche.

Veronique is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), with a B.A. in Economics from the University of California at Santa Cruz.

The Wikimedia Foundation’s CFOO oversees all of the Foundation's financial and operational activities.

Kul Takanao Wadhwa, Head of Business Development

Kul Takanao Wadhwa joins the Foundation following his role as manager of partnerships and new business with Stanford University. He brings more than a decade of management and business development experience, including senior roles at CyberTrust Japan <http://www.cybertrust.ne.jp/>, B.U.G. Inc. <http://bug.co.jp/>, and Pangea2, where he worked on deals throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas. Kul has also been involved in economic research with the nonprofit global policy think tank, RAND Corporation <http://www.rand.org/>.

Kul has both undergraduate and graduate degrees form Stanford University. He will lead the Foundation in the creation of new business and revenue-generating collaborations that support the Foundation's mission. Kul Takanao Wadhwa can be reached at kul@wikimedia.org>.

Jay Walsh, Head of Communications

Jay comes to Wikimedia from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation <http://cbc.ca>, Canada's national public broadcaster, where he worked in issues management and media relations. Before joining CBC, Jay worked in communications for various departments of the Canadian government, including Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Health Canada, the Department of National Defence, and the Department of Justice. Before that, he worked in communications at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University. He has also led volunteer PR and fundraising efforts for several Canadian non-profits.

Jay holds a B.A. from Concordia University in Montréal. Jay will oversee the Foundation's internal and external communications activities and develop new outreach strategies for the Foundation's projects. Jay Walsh can be reached at jwalsh@wikimedia.org

About us About the Wikimedia Foundation The Wikimedia Foundation got its start in 2003 and is the non-profit organization that operates Wikipedia. Based in San Francisco, California, we currently employ over 150 staff and contractors globally. The Wikimedia Foundation is committed to creating a world in which every single human being can freely and easily share in the sum of all knowledge. Wikipedia and the other projects operated by the Wikimedia Foundation receive nearly 500 million unique visitors per month, making them the 5th most popular web property worldwide. Wikipedia is available in more than 280 languages, containing more than 51 million articles contributed by a global volunteer community of over 100,000 people. In an effort to continue our mission, we are hiring talented and creative individuals to join the team. wikimediafoundation.org blog.wikimedia.org

Press inquiries Head of Communications Jay Walsh WikimediaFoundation.org blog.wikimedia.org +1 (415) 839 6885 x 609 jwalshwikimedia.org Regional press contacts (by language and by country) Regional contacts