Wikimedia Foundation/Chief Executive Officer/Updates/May 2025 Update

A personal update

Hi all,

Since meeting many of you in late 2021, I have tried to share regularly about my journey as CEO, and I intend to do more of that in the year ahead. I am writing today with more personal news.

Over a year ago, I asked the Board of Trustees to begin succession planning for the next Wikimedia Foundation CEO as I also began to reflect on my future. Today, I’m letting you know that the Board will begin a search for the next CEO with the goal of having a new leader in place by January 2026, when Wikipedia turns 25. I will stay on as CEO until I hand over to the next leader early next year, providing a long timeframe for a thoughtful, orderly, and deliberate transition. I have been preparing this carefully with the Board for some time, and we plan to do it well.

What gives me the confidence to share this decision now, even as we face an external environment full of change, is that our next leader will inherit an organization that I believe is ready for what’s ahead and stronger than it’s ever been. I am certain that we have the right people in place across the Foundation to deal with anything that comes our way, now and into the future. The Wikimedia movement has collectively overcome challenges all over the world for the past two decades. That is not going to change at this moment, or anytime soon.

This community over the past 25 years has matured from a small project run out of a closet to a powerful global force that has been described as the "factual netting that holds the whole digital world together." We have collectively improved our capabilities as a movement by growing technical infrastructure and expanding content that helps close knowledge gaps. We have seen more support globally and a higher level of trust in Wikipedia amid the rise of AI tools and chatbots. Recognition of the Wikimedia projects continues to increase as the hallmark of a digital public good.

Responsible transitions are not just about continuity — they are about imagining an even greater future. As we begin preparations to mark Wikipedia’s 25th anniversary next January, I believe we have a rare opportunity to more visibly promote Wikimedia’s values, principles, and policies. This can be the simple act of talking to more people around us about why Wikipedia is uniquely different compared to many other online platforms. It can be educating more lawmakers about Wikipedia’s distinct policies and practices, designed to produce neutral and unbiased content in an increasingly polarized world. It can be joining more community discussions and movement conversations about how to support the volunteers trusted to implement these critical policies. It can be welcoming and mentoring new generations of contributors to sustain Wikipedia’s policies and values into the future. And it can be collaborating to spread the word about why the Wikimedia projects are a cherished public good that deserve nurturing and protection.

We all have a role to play in ensuring Wikipedia never stops evolving, improving, and living up to its remarkable vision for every single human to share in the sum of all knowledge. People everywhere love Wikipedia and they are inspired by this vision.    

The Foundation is ready to lead and support these vital contributions. In my time here, our  planning has been redesigned to respond to global trends, persistently asking what the world needs from us. We prioritized product and technology to remain firmly at the center of our investments and attention. We slowed and right-sized the Foundation’s growth in line with responsible financial planning, while consistently increasing funding to volunteers and movement entities. We have worked hard to significantly improve our communications with all of you. And we have very deliberately strengthened our risk preparedness to continue protecting volunteers and defending the Wikimedia projects.

I am proud of what has been accomplished to make us stronger and ready for the future. My focus now is to continue moving the Foundation’s important work forward. Much remains to be done before next year – finalizing and executing our annual plan and budget, managing our risks, growing our technology investments and grants, iterating on pilots to decentralize decision-making, and so much more.

Together with the Board of Trustees, we have been carefully and intentionally planning to make this the most stable, orderly, and successful CEO transition the Foundation has ever had. The next CEO will lead an experienced and committed executive team who you recently heard from in their January letter. This team includes Chief Product and Technology Officer Selena Deckelmann, General Counsel Stephen LaPorte, Chief Advancement Officer Lisa Seitz Gruwell, Chief Communications Officer Anusha Alikhan, Chief Financial Officer Jaime Villagomez and Chief People Officer Courtney Bass Sherizen.

I will talk to many of you at upcoming calls, events, conferences and meetings, including Wikimania. And I will thank you for supporting me and my journey here. You are welcome to reach out to me directly for a conversation, or a member of the Foundation’s executive team, or the Board of Trustees. You can do this by emailing me directly or requesting a meeting with anyone in the Foundation’s leadership through Let's talk.

Maryana

Maryana Iskander, Wikimedia Foundation CEO