Well,
first of all, welcome Kourosh.
I'm looking forward to see how the reality of this exciting job description gonna look like. For me this also sounds like a clear move to a more politically positioned understanding of this aspect of the growing importance of the Wikimedia-Movment globally. "Advancement Department" sounds pretty neutral, but certainly it isn't at all.
When it comes to "collaboration with like-minded organizations" decisions surely are also carried by a stronger public postioning of the values of the movement. Some of the decisions in the past, especially when it comes to collaborations with commercial internet players maybe need to be openly and transparently re-evaluated.
If Kourosh is settled in I would like to see a global, transparent and open discussion about our program "Wikipedia Zero" which is under global critic by OpenWeb-NGOs and other worried members of the civil society in the US, in the "Global South" and in Europe.
Wikipedia Zero which for me is a straight marketing element of some clever telecoms to sell their mobile products in developing markets and therefore infusing an user-experience of data-specific payment habits, needs to be re-evaluated with a professional look that includes awareness of what implications strategic partnerships can have on our core values.
The well-meant intentions which carried the Wikipedia Zero programme inside WMF to the point where it is now maybe were a little starry-eyed. Let's not forget that a zero-rated Wikipedia which can't connect to the linked knowledge of the world is just a *Walled Wikipedia *and therefore a questionable contribution to our core belief of giving free knowledge to the people - by the people.
The intensity with which the global fight about net neutrality is lead because of the commercial interests of the telecoms surely doesn't stop at the markets of the Global South - therefore Wikimedia movement has to make perfectly clear which line is walked on this central matter of a free and open internet.
You see, Kourosh, the challenges are big and I'm looking forward to have an experienced person overlooking the future developments in this field.
best regards and a good start
Jens Best
2015-03-27 21:13 GMT+01:00 Lila Tretikov lila@wikimedia.org:
Dear Wikimedians,
In order to encourage the expansion of knowledge, we’ve been considering new ways to support and develop the work you do. Collaboration is an essential part of the Wikimedia movement, and today, I’m excited to let you know about a new addition at the Wikimedia Foundation that will support our collaboration with like-minded organizations.
For some time now, we’ve planned to hire a Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. Today, I am pleased to announce that Kourosh Karimkhany will step into this role on March 30, 2015.
Kourosh will be responsible for crafting a strategy to grow long-term value for Wikimedia projects through building meaningful partnerships, projects, and relationships on behalf of the Wikimedia Foundation. He will become part of the C-level team and will report to Lisa Gruwell. Kourosh will also oversee Wikipedia Zero, which will transition to the partnerships team.
The Wikimedia community has many fruitful and creative partnerships that help support knowledge creation and sharing around the world. The partnerships Kourosh will support will will help us better support these partnerships and your work, as well as grow strategic initiatives we take on at the WMF.
Kourosh was born in Iran and moved to the U.S. as a child with his family. Today, he is an experienced digital media professional with a passion for sharing information with the world. He started his career as a technology journalist covering Silicon Valley for Bloomberg, Reuters and Wired. He switched to the business side of media when he joined Yahoo as senior producer of Yahoo News. Later, he led corporate development at Conde Nast where he spearheaded the acquisition of Wired.com, Ars Technica and Reddit. He also cofounded Food Republic in 2009, which was acquired in 2013. He's an active angel investor and startup advisor.
In light of the expanded scope of the Fundraising team and the revamped partnerships team, we’re changing the team's name to better reflect their mission. The new name is the Advancement Department. To learn more about the new role, visit the FAQ here: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WMF_Partnerships_FAQ
Please join me in welcoming Kourosh as the newest member of the WMF leadership team. We have many exciting projects in 2015 and I’m looking forward to all the great things we will accomplish as we work together to support our mission.
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