Hi Amanda,
Thanks for this.
I've noted a suggestion on the talk page to state explicitly that the Board
should include reputational concerns (including the reaction of community
members and affiliates) when weighing up whether to approve a transaction
where there is a conflict. I feel this is worth making explicit, otherwise
the policy can be read to only cover the Foundation's financial or
operational interests not the broader picture.
Thanks,
Chris
On Mon, Nov 1, 2021 at 1:01 PM Amanda Keton <aketon(a)wikimedia.org> wrote:
Hi all,
The Wikimedia Foundation legal team has posted a draft of an updated
conflict of interest policy on Meta-Wiki:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Conflict_of_interest_policy/2021_updates
We are collecting feedback on the policy for the next three weeks: today
until 22 November.
The updated policy will replace the current Conflict of Interest Policy
for Board Members, Officers, Executives, and Key Employees.[1] Note: This
is not related to any policies or issues regarding paid/conflict of
interest editing of the projects. It is about conflicts of interest that
may arise in connection with an individual’s executive or Board role at the
Foundation.
In preparing the updated policy, we consulted model conflict of interest
policies, guidance regarding best practices for conflict of interest
policies, outside legal experts on non-profit governance, and the points
raised in the community discussion on conflicts of interest earlier this
year.[2]
We invite you to review the draft policy and leave any feedback you have
on the talk page. In particular, we are interested in identifying any
aspects of the policy where the language or procedure is not clear. We also
want to know if there are any gaps in the policy: are there any conflict of
interest situations that cause you concern and that the policy does not
seem to cover?
The Governance Committee of the Board of Trustees has reviewed the draft
policy, and will review it again following the feedback period. It will
then go before the full Board to be approved and adopted.
Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read the draft policy. Please
leave your feedback on the talk page[3] so that we can best review and
respond to it in an organized manner.
In solidarity and with gratitude,
Amanda
Amanda Keton
She/They
General Counsel and Transition Team Member
Wikimedia Foundation
[1]
https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Conflict_of_interest_policy
[2]
https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org…
[3]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Conflict_of_interest_policy/2021_updat…
--
Amanda Keton (she/they)
General Counsel
Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/>
*NOTICE: This message may be confidential or legally privileged. If you
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mistake. As an attorney for the Wikimedia Foundation, for legal and ethical
reasons, I cannot give legal advice to, or serve as a lawyer for, community
members, volunteers, or staff members in their personal capacity. For more
on what this means, please see our legal disclaimer
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Legal_Disclaimer>.*
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