/Statement by D'Arcy Myers, interim chief executive:/
Following on from my statement on 9th March, in which I explained that the board had asked me to undertake a review of the charity's structure, I am now able to give you an update.
The period since March has been one of active review, though out of respect for individual staff and to ensure an objective and fair process we have not been providing a public narrative. I can however now announce that the staff discussions, review, appeal periods and subsequent restructure have just been concluded.
In order to ensure that the charity is best resourced to deliver impactful projects we have made a number of staff role changes, and the total staff headcount has been reduced from 14 to 9. Initially, 8 positions were proposed, but following full discussions with the staff it has been decided that we do actually require 9. The new organogram can be seen at [1]. The staff page [2] will be updated to reflect the new staffing over the next two weeks.
It is always regrettable to have to restructure in a way that loses staff who have contributed much to the charity. We thank the departing staff and wish them all the best. If anyone would like to make personal contact, please note that staff emails and accounts on the UK wiki will continue to be active until month end.
I am confident that with the new structure we can be more responsive to new ideas, bringing volunteering into the heart of our projects, and I would encourage you to get involved.
Another change in the staffing of the charity is the quest to find our new CEO. We are looking for an ambitious CEO who will provide strategic leadership and supportive management to volunteers and staff alike. They will be working to increase our profile and impact with our partners, engage with the volunteer community and develop our programme activity. A major part of this leadership will be the development of new income streams. We have retained the charity recruiters Prospectus to manage the recruitment process. You can view the recruitment pack at [3].
We expect to make an appointment in early July, and until such time as the new CEO is in post and ready to take over I am honoured to be leading the charity.
D'Arcy Myers, interim CEO
[1] https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/File:Wikimedia_UK_Organisational_Structure_May...
[2] https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Staff
[3] http://prospect-us.co.uk/jobs/details/hq00156774
For the wiki version of this email, see: https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Engine_room#CEO_appointment_progress
(Sent on behalf of D'Arcy Myers by Michael Maggs, Chair, Wikimedia UK)
"A major part of this leadership will be the development of new income streams."
Yet we've just axed our entire fundraising department. How does that work?
Deryck
On 12 May 2015 at 13:31, Michael Maggs Michael@maggs.name wrote:
*Statement by D'Arcy Myers, interim chief executive:*
Following on from my statement on 9th March, in which I explained that the board had asked me to undertake a review of the charity's structure, I am now able to give you an update.
The period since March has been one of active review, though out of respect for individual staff and to ensure an objective and fair process we have not been providing a public narrative. I can however now announce that the staff discussions, review, appeal periods and subsequent restructure have just been concluded.
In order to ensure that the charity is best resourced to deliver impactful projects we have made a number of staff role changes, and the total staff headcount has been reduced from 14 to 9. Initially, 8 positions were proposed, but following full discussions with the staff it has been decided that we do actually require 9. The new organogram can be seen at [1]. The staff page [2] will be updated to reflect the new staffing over the next two weeks.
It is always regrettable to have to restructure in a way that loses staff who have contributed much to the charity. We thank the departing staff and wish them all the best. If anyone would like to make personal contact, please note that staff emails and accounts on the UK wiki will continue to be active until month end.
I am confident that with the new structure we can be more responsive to new ideas, bringing volunteering into the heart of our projects, and I would encourage you to get involved.
Another change in the staffing of the charity is the quest to find our new CEO. We are looking for an ambitious CEO who will provide strategic leadership and supportive management to volunteers and staff alike. They will be working to increase our profile and impact with our partners, engage with the volunteer community and develop our programme activity. A major part of this leadership will be the development of new income streams. We have retained the charity recruiters Prospectus to manage the recruitment process. You can view the recruitment pack at [3].
We expect to make an appointment in early July, and until such time as the new CEO is in post and ready to take over I am honoured to be leading the charity.
D'Arcy Myers, interim CEO
[1] https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/File:Wikimedia_UK_Organisational_Structure_May...
[2] https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Staff
[3] http://prospect-us.co.uk/jobs/details/hq00156774
For the wiki version of this email, see: https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Engine_room#CEO_appointment_progress
(Sent on behalf of D'Arcy Myers by Michael Maggs, Chair, Wikimedia UK)
Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediauk-l@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk
The CEO will do it. From http://prospect-us.co.uk/jobs/details/hq00156774 you can see:
*"The Chief Executive will also lead on our funding relationships, particularly with trusts and foundations, and develop propositions for donors as we look to diversify our income."*
In the absence of any other staff with those responsibilities, it should keep him/her busy.
With one hand tied behind his back, unless the Foundation has an unexpected change of policy. On 12 May 2015 17:14, "rexx" rexx@blueyonder.co.uk wrote:
The CEO will do it. From http://prospect-us.co.uk/jobs/details/hq00156774 you can see:
*"The Chief Executive will also lead on our funding relationships, particularly with trusts and foundations, and develop propositions for donors as we look to diversify our income."*
In the absence of any other staff with those responsibilities, it should keep him/her busy.
-- Rexx
On 12 May 2015 at 16:17, Deryck Chan deryckchan@gmail.com wrote:
"A major part of this leadership will be the development of new income streams."
Yet we've just axed our entire fundraising department. How does that work?
Deryck
On 12 May 2015 at 13:31, Michael Maggs Michael@maggs.name wrote:
*Statement by D'Arcy Myers, interim chief executive:*
Following on from my statement on 9th March, in which I explained that the board had asked me to undertake a review of the charity's structure, I am now able to give you an update.
The period since March has been one of active review, though out of respect for individual staff and to ensure an objective and fair process we have not been providing a public narrative. I can however now announce that the staff discussions, review, appeal periods and subsequent restructure have just been concluded.
In order to ensure that the charity is best resourced to deliver impactful projects we have made a number of staff role changes, and the total staff headcount has been reduced from 14 to 9. Initially, 8 positions were proposed, but following full discussions with the staff it has been decided that we do actually require 9. The new organogram can be seen at [1]. The staff page [2] will be updated to reflect the new staffing over the next two weeks.
It is always regrettable to have to restructure in a way that loses staff who have contributed much to the charity. We thank the departing staff and wish them all the best. If anyone would like to make personal contact, please note that staff emails and accounts on the UK wiki will continue to be active until month end.
I am confident that with the new structure we can be more responsive to new ideas, bringing volunteering into the heart of our projects, and I would encourage you to get involved.
Another change in the staffing of the charity is the quest to find our new CEO. We are looking for an ambitious CEO who will provide strategic leadership and supportive management to volunteers and staff alike. They will be working to increase our profile and impact with our partners, engage with the volunteer community and develop our programme activity. A major part of this leadership will be the development of new income streams. We have retained the charity recruiters Prospectus to manage the recruitment process. You can view the recruitment pack at [3].
We expect to make an appointment in early July, and until such time as the new CEO is in post and ready to take over I am honoured to be leading the charity.
D'Arcy Myers, interim CEO
[1] https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/File:Wikimedia_UK_Organisational_Structure_May...
[2] https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Staff
[3] http://prospect-us.co.uk/jobs/details/hq00156774
For the wiki version of this email, see: https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Engine_room#CEO_appointment_progress
(Sent on behalf of D'Arcy Myers by Michael Maggs, Chair, Wikimedia UK)
Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediauk-l@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk
Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediauk-l@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk
Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediauk-l@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk
On 12 May 2015 at 13:31, Michael Maggs Michael@maggs.name wrote:
We thank the departing staff and wish them all the best.
May we know their names?
On 12 May 2015 at 20:44, Andy Mabbett andy@pigsonthewing.org.uk wrote:
On 12 May 2015 at 13:31, Michael Maggs Michael@maggs.name wrote:
We thank the departing staff and wish them all the best.
May we know their names?
[Two days and no answer]
Any reason why not?
I don't want to speak for the WMUK board, but in my experience it would be most unusual to provide a list of names of people whose employment had ceased, at least without the written consent of those who would be named.
Cheers, Craig Franklin On 14/05/2015 5:06 PM, "Andy Mabbett" andy@pigsonthewing.org.uk wrote:
On 12 May 2015 at 20:44, Andy Mabbett andy@pigsonthewing.org.uk wrote:
On 12 May 2015 at 13:31, Michael Maggs Michael@maggs.name wrote:
We thank the departing staff and wish them all the best.
May we know their names?
[Two days and no answer]
Any reason why not?
-- Andy Mabbett @pigsonthewing http://pigsonthewing.org.uk
Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediauk-l@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk
On 14 May 2015 at 08:14, Craig Franklin craig.franklin@wikimedia.org.au wrote:
I don't want to speak for the WMUK board, but in my experience it would be most unusual to provide a list of names of people whose employment had ceased, at least without the written consent of those who would be named.
Then perhaps we could be told who still works for WMUK.
The new structure looks good, but it's missing details. Compare it with the current structure at: https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Template:Staff_hierarchy https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Template:Staff_hierarchy In particular, what does 'Project Coordinator' mean in terms of the established types of projects? Will they be general purpose, or focused on specific areas (GLAM/education/Wales/...?) Why does 'admin support' come under programs rather than operations/finance? Also, where do contractors (tech/accountancy) fall in this structure?
Thanks, Mike
On 12 May 2015, at 13:31, Michael Maggs Michael@maggs.name wrote:
Statement by D'Arcy Myers, interim chief executive: Following on from my statement on 9th March, in which I explained that the board had asked me to undertake a review of the charity's structure, I am now able to give you an update.
The period since March has been one of active review, though out of respect for individual staff and to ensure an objective and fair process we have not been providing a public narrative. I can however now announce that the staff discussions, review, appeal periods and subsequent restructure have just been concluded.
In order to ensure that the charity is best resourced to deliver impactful projects we have made a number of staff role changes, and the total staff headcount has been reduced from 14 to 9. Initially, 8 positions were proposed, but following full discussions with the staff it has been decided that we do actually require 9. The new organogram can be seen at [1]. The staff page [2] will be updated to reflect the new staffing over the next two weeks.
It is always regrettable to have to restructure in a way that loses staff who have contributed much to the charity. We thank the departing staff and wish them all the best. If anyone would like to make personal contact, please note that staff emails and accounts on the UK wiki will continue to be active until month end.
I am confident that with the new structure we can be more responsive to new ideas, bringing volunteering into the heart of our projects, and I would encourage you to get involved.
Another change in the staffing of the charity is the quest to find our new CEO. We are looking for an ambitious CEO who will provide strategic leadership and supportive management to volunteers and staff alike. They will be working to increase our profile and impact with our partners, engage with the volunteer community and develop our programme activity. A major part of this leadership will be the development of new income streams. We have retained the charity recruiters Prospectus to manage the recruitment process. You can view the recruitment pack at [3].
We expect to make an appointment in early July, and until such time as the new CEO is in post and ready to take over I am honoured to be leading the charity.
D'Arcy Myers, interim CEO [1] https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/File:Wikimedia_UK_Organisational_Structure_May... https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/File:Wikimedia_UK_Organisational_Structure_May_2015.pdf [2] https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Staff https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Staff [3] http://prospect-us.co.uk/jobs/details/hq00156774 http://prospect-us.co.uk/jobs/details/hq00156774 For the wiki version of this email, see: https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Engine_room#CEO_appointment_progress https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Engine_room#CEO_appointment_progress (Sent on behalf of D'Arcy Myers by Michael Maggs, Chair, Wikimedia UK)
Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediauk-l@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk
On 12/05/15 13:31, Michael Maggs wrote:
In order to ensure that the charity is best resourced to deliver impactful projects we have made a number of staff role changes, and the total staff headcount has been reduced from 14 to 9. Initially, 8 positions were proposed, but following full discussions with the staff it has been decided that we do actually require 9. The new organogram can be seen at [1]. The staff page [2] will be updated to reflect the new staffing over the next two weeks.
Shocking: one third of staff (35%). The small office (that is WMUK) will really be missing those that have gone. And if I was staying, I would be looking at the empty desks and wondering what the future holds.
I have never worked at WMUK, but I know many staff personally. I would imagine that the staff are all part of team, and hence will now be missing team members.
*************** Chief Executive Officer Wikimedia UK Circa £70,000 London
We are looking for an ambitious Chief Executive to build on our success to date and grow our reach and impact.
***************
I will not be applying.
Gordo
Your maths is wrong, Gordo. It appears that only 8 of the 9 posts have been filled internally (and I'm far from happy about that), so we're losing 6 out of 14 staff (43%).
The staff page [2] will be updated to reflect the new staffing over the next two weeks. [2] https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Staff
The page seems to be in the process of being updated, see: https://wikimedia.org.uk/w/index.php?title=Staff&diff=65842&oldid=63...
It sounds like Katherine Bavage, Toni Sant, Katie Chan, Jonathan Cardy and Fabian Tompsett have been let go, which is really sad news. :-(
(Also: Davina Johnson seems to have become a member of staff rather than a contractor? It's not clear what's happened with the tech contractors: they seem to have been removed from the page with no clear answer on their future role...)
Thanks, Mike
The numbers don't add up at present, as there's an advert for the third Project Coordinator at https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Project_Coordinator.
Also Davina is missing from the Staff Timeline right now:
https://wikimedia.org.uk/w/index.php?title=Staff&oldid=65842#Timeline
I expect the contractors (who ironically have no employment *contract*) have been taken out of the picture to avoid confusion with the staff restructuring.
Give it a little more time to settle down, I reckon.
As Rexx said:
Give it a little more time to settle down, I reckon.
Indeed. The pages are in flux at the moment. There is a heading to say so, and that's the typical nature of a wiki. As we move toward the volunteer strategy day on 25th July more details of activity plans will be available for community and volunteer discussion. Which specific programmes the new team will be concentrating on will depend on volunteer input.
Michael
Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediauk-l@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk Michael Maggs mailto:Michael@maggs.name 12 May 2015 13:31 /Statement by D'Arcy Myers, interim chief executive:/
Following on from my statement on 9th March, in which I explained that the board had asked me to undertake a review of the charity's structure, I am now able to give you an update.
The period since March has been one of active review, though out of respect for individual staff and to ensure an objective and fair process we have not been providing a public narrative. I can however now announce that the staff discussions, review, appeal periods and subsequent restructure have just been concluded.
In order to ensure that the charity is best resourced to deliver impactful projects we have made a number of staff role changes, and the total staff headcount has been reduced from 14 to 9. Initially, 8 positions were proposed, but following full discussions with the staff it has been decided that we do actually require 9. The new organogram can be seen at [1]. The staff page [2] will be updated to reflect the new staffing over the next two weeks.
It is always regrettable to have to restructure in a way that loses staff who have contributed much to the charity. We thank the departing staff and wish them all the best. If anyone would like to make personal contact, please note that staff emails and accounts on the UK wiki will continue to be active until month end.
I am confident that with the new structure we can be more responsive to new ideas, bringing volunteering into the heart of our projects, and I would encourage you to get involved.
Another change in the staffing of the charity is the quest to find our new CEO. We are looking for an ambitious CEO who will provide strategic leadership and supportive management to volunteers and staff alike. They will be working to increase our profile and impact with our partners, engage with the volunteer community and develop our programme activity. A major part of this leadership will be the development of new income streams. We have retained the charity recruiters Prospectus to manage the recruitment process. You can view the recruitment pack at [3].
We expect to make an appointment in early July, and until such time as the new CEO is in post and ready to take over I am honoured to be leading the charity.
D'Arcy Myers, interim CEO
[1] https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/File:Wikimedia_UK_Organisational_Structure_May...
[2] https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Staff
[3] http://prospect-us.co.uk/jobs/details/hq00156774
For the wiki version of this email, see: https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Engine_room#CEO_appointment_progress
(Sent on behalf of D'Arcy Myers by Michael Maggs, Chair, Wikimedia UK)
On 14 May 2015 at 04:38, Michael Maggs Michael@maggs.name wrote:
The pages are in flux at the moment. There is a heading to say so, and that's the typical nature of a wiki
Then perhaps it is not the best forum for an announcement (f we can call it that) of this important and sensitive nature?
FWIW I've had no communication about whether the charity wishes to retain my services as a contractor. So your guess is as good as mine :)
Tom On 13 May 2015 22:58, "Michael Peel" email@mikepeel.net wrote:
The staff page [2] will be updated to reflect the new staffing over the
next two weeks.
The page seems to be in the process of being updated, see: https://wikimedia.org.uk/w/index.php?title=Staff&diff=65842&oldid=63...
It sounds like Katherine Bavage, Toni Sant, Katie Chan, Jonathan Cardy and Fabian Tompsett have been let go, which is really sad news. :-(
(Also: Davina Johnson seems to have become a member of staff rather than a contractor? It's not clear what's happened with the tech contractors: they seem to have been removed from the page with no clear answer on their future role...)
Thanks, Mike
Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediauk-l@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk
Just had a look through the proposals; a reasonable start, but a lot to do. I'm not totally impressed with D'arcys plan overall, and I am concerned a lot of effort has been expended on this plan, at the expense of day-to-day operations of the. Charity (critical for a successful transitional role, typical of a downsizer CEO). There may be more to the plan for the future that has yet to be revealed (the process has been too non-transparent to date).
Very narrowed focus, but on things the charity does well, so that's nice. The lack of education is fairly concerning, Toni was an important asset.
Losing Kat is a huge blow.
Tom On 13 May 2015 23:54, "Thomas Morton" morton.thomas@googlemail.com wrote:
FWIW I've had no communication about whether the charity wishes to retain my services as a contractor. So your guess is as good as mine :)
Tom On 13 May 2015 22:58, "Michael Peel" email@mikepeel.net wrote:
The staff page [2] will be updated to reflect the new staffing over the
next two weeks.
The page seems to be in the process of being updated, see: https://wikimedia.org.uk/w/index.php?title=Staff&diff=65842&oldid=63...
It sounds like Katherine Bavage, Toni Sant, Katie Chan, Jonathan Cardy and Fabian Tompsett have been let go, which is really sad news. :-(
(Also: Davina Johnson seems to have become a member of staff rather than a contractor? It's not clear what's happened with the tech contractors: they seem to have been removed from the page with no clear answer on their future role...)
Thanks, Mike
Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediauk-l@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk
I echo your sentiments, Tom. Losing any of the staff who are departing is a blow.
As for IT support, the 2014 Activity Plan says:
"The development budget seeks to support the day to day system administration of the Chapter’s IT infrastructure, including the hosting of its community and internal wikis, databases, email accounts and so on. This is vital to ensure as a movement entity we are managing data and donations in a secure and professional way. In addition, it seeks to solicit, develop and deliver community generated ideas for software projects that will support content production or improvement." - https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/2014_Activity_Plan#Development_budget
Sadly there's no 2015 Activity Plan to guide us, but I'd be surprised if we could decide to drop the commitments outlined above. Of course, it's always possible the Board is counting on the third Project Coordinator's "Excellent software skills, including word-processing, spreadsheets, event management programmes, and CRM databases" to plug that gap. At £25K-£28K, full-time in Central London, I won't be holding my breath for that to happen.
Hi Tom - yes of course the charity does wish to retain your services. I believe that Richard just removed the contractors from the staff page with a view to making it clearer who is an employee and who is not. No doubt you'll be added back on the new contractors page within a day or so.
Best regards
Michael
____________ Michael Maggs Chair, Wikimedia UK
Thomas Morton mailto:morton.thomas@googlemail.com 13 May 2015 23:54
FWIW I've had no communication about whether the charity wishes to retain my services as a contractor. So your guess is as good as mine :)
Tom
Wikimedia UK mailing list wikimediauk-l@wikimedia.org http://mail.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk Michael Maggs mailto:Michael@maggs.name 12 May 2015 13:31 /Statement by D'Arcy Myers, interim chief executive:/
Following on from my statement on 9th March, in which I explained that the board had asked me to undertake a review of the charity's structure, I am now able to give you an update.
The period since March has been one of active review, though out of respect for individual staff and to ensure an objective and fair process we have not been providing a public narrative. I can however now announce that the staff discussions, review, appeal periods and subsequent restructure have just been concluded.
In order to ensure that the charity is best resourced to deliver impactful projects we have made a number of staff role changes, and the total staff headcount has been reduced from 14 to 9. Initially, 8 positions were proposed, but following full discussions with the staff it has been decided that we do actually require 9. The new organogram can be seen at [1]. The staff page [2] will be updated to reflect the new staffing over the next two weeks.
It is always regrettable to have to restructure in a way that loses staff who have contributed much to the charity. We thank the departing staff and wish them all the best. If anyone would like to make personal contact, please note that staff emails and accounts on the UK wiki will continue to be active until month end.
I am confident that with the new structure we can be more responsive to new ideas, bringing volunteering into the heart of our projects, and I would encourage you to get involved.
Another change in the staffing of the charity is the quest to find our new CEO. We are looking for an ambitious CEO who will provide strategic leadership and supportive management to volunteers and staff alike. They will be working to increase our profile and impact with our partners, engage with the volunteer community and develop our programme activity. A major part of this leadership will be the development of new income streams. We have retained the charity recruiters Prospectus to manage the recruitment process. You can view the recruitment pack at [3].
We expect to make an appointment in early July, and until such time as the new CEO is in post and ready to take over I am honoured to be leading the charity.
D'Arcy Myers, interim CEO
[1] https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/File:Wikimedia_UK_Organisational_Structure_May...
[2] https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Staff
[3] http://prospect-us.co.uk/jobs/details/hq00156774
For the wiki version of this email, see: https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Engine_room#CEO_appointment_progress
(Sent on behalf of D'Arcy Myers by Michael Maggs, Chair, Wikimedia UK)
wikimediauk-l@lists.wikimedia.org
