{{Personnel}}
__NOTOC__

The Board is responsible for the strategic governance of the charity. It normally consists of up to 11 members who act as both trustees of the [[charity status|charity]] and as directors of the company. The majority of board members are [[Election Rules|elected]] by the membership, usually an [[Annual General Meeting]], while some are co-opted for specific skills and experience. See [[#Duties|below]] for the legal duties and responsibilities of board members.

==The role of the Wikimedia UK board==
Wikimedia UK's volunteer board provides strategic guidance, direction and oversight for the charity as a whole while recognising and respecting the domain of staff and volunteer responsibility. In particular, it:

* sets and maintains our direction, vision, mission and values, and helps develop [[Strategic goals|strategy]] for effective charitable impact
* sets and maintains the policies, practices, budgets and other processes necessary to deliver those aims
* selects and supports the CEO who has oversight of operations, staff and employment procedures
* maintains fiscal oversight and accountability, including risk management and ensuring that the charity operates in a prudent and solvent manner
* ensures that the law and our [[Articles|Articles of Association]] are complied with
* promotes and champions the charity
* maintains its own effectiveness as a board

==Board members==

*[[Board#Caroline Ball|'''Caroline Ball''']] - Trustee and Chair of Community Development Committee (re-elected July 2024, term expires 2027)
*[[Board#Adrian Beidas|'''Adrian Beidas''']] - Trustee and Chair of Audit and Risk Committee (elected July 2022, term expires September 2025)
*'''[[#Mark Cruickshank|Mark Cruickshank]]''' - Trustee (co-opted April 2022; renewed April 2024, term expires April 2026)
* '''[[#Vivian Wineman|Vivian Wineman]]''' - Trustee (elected July 2022, term expires September 2025)
* '''[[#Sammy Fox|Sammy Fox]]''' - Trustee (elected July 2023, term expires 2026)
* '''[[#Alex Ashby|Alex Ashby]]''' - Treasurer and Vice-Chair, serving as interim Chair (co-opted September 2023, term expires 2025)
* '''[[#Sarvesh Ramachandran|Sarvesh Ramachandran]]''' - Trustee (co-opted September 2023, term expires 2025)
* [[Board#Monica Westin|'''Monica Westin''']] - Trustee (elected September 2024, term expires 2026)
* [[Board#Andrew Russell|'''Andrew Russell''']] - Trustee (elected September 2024, term expires 2026)
* '''[[Board#Abhik Sen|Lucy Yu]]''' - Trustee (appointed by trustees June 2025, must stand for election September 2025)
* '''[[Board#Abhik Sen|Ian Watt]]''' - Trustee (elected 27th September 2025, must stand for election September 2027)
* '''[[Board#Abhik Sen|Douglas Scott]]''' - Trustee (elected 27th September 2025, must stand for election September 2027)

See also [[Trustee officer roles]].
 

==Biographies==
==== Caroline Ball ====
[[File:Caroline Ball.jpg|alt=Caroline Ball, woman, trustee|thumb|Photo of Caroline Ball|293x293px]]
Caroline Ball has been an editor of Wikipedia since 2018. She is an academic librarian at the University of Derby, supporting programmes in the fields of Business, Law and Social Sciences, and has also worked as a copyright and licensing advisor. She is an organiser of the #ebookSOS campaign, advocating for fairer pricing, licensing and access for academic ebooks.

She has been active in promoting Wikipedia within the higher education sector, bringing Wiki editing into the curriculum of several programmes, writing and presenting at conferences on the numerous ways Wikipedia editing can be used as a teaching and learning tool within higher education. She was awarded the UK Wikimedia of the Year Award in 2020.

She is interested in strengthening Wikimedia’s existing links with educational and cultural institutions, and is particularly keen to build on the work embedding Wiki editing within school curricula.

Email: caroline.ball@wikimedia.org.uk

Caroline's elected term runs until the 2024 AGM.
 

 
[[File:Adrian Beidas.jpg|alt=Adrian Beidas|thumb|Adrian Beidas|241x241px]]

==== Adrian Beidas ====
Adrian has supported Wikimedia UK's Audit and Risk committee since March 2021, and joined the board as a trustee in July 2022. He has been working in finance for over two decades, advising many of the UK's largest companies. Prior to his finance career, he earned a Masters in Chemistry at Imperial College. He has acted as a trustee of an educational charity, and as a school governor.

Adrian believes that the Wikimedia projects rank among the greatest achievements of the Information Age, and are an important public utility. He believes the Wikimedia projects' global impact are still in their infancy, and believes that Wikimedia UK can help that potential be fulfilled through further collaboration with our country’s great cultural and educational institutions.

Adrian's elected term runs until the 2025 AGM.
 

 

==== Mark Cruickshank ====
Mark is a lawyer with over 16 years’ experience in Intellectual Property and copyright, adding value to the Wikimedia UK Board with his legal and advisory skills. He has managed a diverse range of copyright issues, including licences, fair use exemptions and dispute resolution, much of which has related to new and emerging technology. In his role at the Bank, he works closely with strategic partners for which open sourcing and sharing information is a key deliverable. As a member of the Law Society of Scotland’s IP Committee, Mark has also gained experience of creating and influencing policy at national and UK level through drafting responses to requests for evidence and consultations. He therefore has a detailed working knowledge of the benefits of making content available to the public as well as the political and economic challenges that may arise.

Mark has worked with a number of BAME and socially disadvantaged organisations to increase access to the legal profession and has seen first hand the barriers that exist when there is a lack of resources, information and opportunities. He's passionate in helping redress these issues and providing service to an organisation that has open knowledge as one of its main goals.

Mark's co-opted term runs until April 2024.
 

 [[File:Vivian Wineman.jpg|alt=Photo of Vivian Wineman|thumb|Vivian Wineman]]

==== Vivian Wineman ====
Vivian went to of City of London School, a Rabbinical College in Israel and then read History and Philosophy at Caius College Cambridge gaining BA and then an MA. More recently, he gained a masters at University College London (Merit) and is currently doing a PhD there.

Subsequently Vivian qualified as a solicitor setting up his own firm, David Wineman, with a partner which they ran for just over 25 years. It grew to be a 10 partner firm until we merged it in 2008.

Vivian has appeared on numerous Radio and Television channels and published various articles on legal topics and topics of Jewish History as well as a book on the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 published by the Estates Gazette. For a number of years he was a Licenced Insolvency Practitioner.

In addition to running his own property investment and development company, Vivian has been an underwriter at Lloyd’s of London since 1984.

In the Jewish community, Vivian was President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and Vice President of the World Jewish Congress until 2015 and Vice President of the European Jewish Congress. From 2007 till 2013, Vivian was Vice Chair of the Inter Faith Network for the United Kingdom and from 2013 till 2016 was the Co-Chair of the Network. He is currently a Trustee of the Council of Christians and Jews and of the Next Century Foundation a track two diplomacy group which is a UN registered NGO. Vivian is president of the Institute of Polish Jewish Studies.

Vivian is married with three children and lives in London. His hobbies include music, skiing, mountain walking and surfing Wikipedia. He is a keen cyclist and has raised money for various charities by participating in cycle challenges including international ones on five different continents.

Vivian’s elected term runs until the 2025 AGM.

==== Sammy Fox ====
[[User:TheresNoTime|Sammy]] has been a Wikimedian since 2008, serving on the English Wikipedia and globally across Wikimedia projects in a variety of functionary and governance roles.

Through their work as both [[:meta:User:TheresNoTime|a volunteer]] and a member of [[:meta:User:TheresNoTime-WMF|Wikimedia Foundation staff]], they've worked closely with communities to implement technical solutions to issues they face in building and accessing the sum of all human knowledge.

They have an active interest in fostering closer collaboration between the editing community and the Wikimedia Movement.

Sammy's elected term runs until the 2026 AGM.

==== Alex Ashby ====
[[File:Alex Ashby.jpg|thumb|328x328px|Alex Ashby]]
Alex has been Treasurer and trustee of Wikimedia UK since September 2023. He is a chartered accountant, chartered treasurer and fellow of both the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and the Association of Corporate
Treasurers.

Alex has been a treasurer and finance leader for all his career with over 15 years of experience in the treasury field and has worked in the media, energy, and retail sectors. Alex is a big believer in open knowledge and with the expansion of social media and AI believes Wikimedia UK continues to have a major role to play in growing and preserving this for future generations. He was previously a Trustee of the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation. Alex also sits on the [[Audit and Risk Committee]].

Alex’s term runs until September 2025.

==== Sarvesh Ramachandran ====
[[File:Sarvesh Pic.jpg|thumb|307x307px|Sarvesh Ramachandran]]
Sarvesh is an accomplished business leader with many years of experience leading and advising large and complex international organisations. He is currently the UK head of a listed insurance business, where he is responsible for setting up and scaling the company’s presence in the UK. Prior to his current role, he spent over a decade in management consulting advising clients on strategy, operations and M&A topics. He is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion and strongly believes that access to information and education, has the remarkable power to contribute to a more just and equitable society.

In his spare time, he works with various fintech and start-up organisations in an advisory capacity and serves as a Trustee on the board of an educational charity. He studied Financial Strategy at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford and has qualified as a Chartered Certified Accountant.

Sarvesh’s term runs until September 2025.

==== Monica Westin ====
[[File:Westin photo.png|thumb|257x257px|Monica Westin]]
Monica Westin is a librarian passionate about Open Access, scholarly search, and the future of fair use/fair dealing. She currently serves as Associate Director, Content and Discovery, at Manchester Metropolitan University Library, where she leads teams of librarians working on collections investment strategies, access & discovery, and digital transformation. With a background in copyright policy, web indexing, digital preservation, and product management, Monica's career spans roles at the Internet Archive, Google Scholar, and the University of California Libraries. Monica is also a member of the Board of Directors for COUNTER Metrics and an active volunteer in various Open Access and scholarly communication membership groups and initiatives.

Monica has been editing Wikipedia since 2014 and organizing Wikipedia edit-a-thons and other events for new editors since 2018. She's particularly interested in strategies to retain new Wikipedia editors and to ensure a welcoming space for all editors.

Monica’s term runs until September 2026.

==== Andrew Russell ====
[[File:Andrew Russel.jpg|thumb|220x220px|Andrew Russell]]
Andrew is a policy, public affairs and communications consultant with over fifteen years of experience advising CEOs, founders and charity leaders on political engagement and thought leadership. He has worked for global brands including McDonald’s and Pearson, and social impact start-ups focused on improving education, skills and health outcomes.
Passionate about access to knowledge and respectful dialogue, between 2015 and 2022 he served as a trustee of The Philosophy Foundation, a charity that promotes the teaching and practice of Philosophy across the UK. At present, he is also on the Board of Trustees for Humanists UK.

Andrew’s academic background is in Philosophy and he holds a BA and MA from the University of Cambridge and King’s College London, respectively. In his spare time, he runs two book clubs with a combined membership of over 6,000 readers.

Andrew’s term runs until September 2026.

==== Abhik Sen ====
[[File:Abhik Sen headshot.jpg|thumb|316x316px|Abhik Sen]]
Abhik is a public policy and sustainable development professional with the United Nations where he leads and facilitates research and collective action on sustainability-focused digital transformation and innovation in partnership with governments, civil society organisations and others. Previously Abhik was the inaugural head of innovation and partnerships and head of policy and research for social and youth development at the Commonwealth Secretariat, the inter-governmental organisation for 56 Commonwealth member countries. He launched the Commonwealth’s ‘innovation ecosystem, data science and digital transformation programme’, advised governments on innovation, technology and social policies, and established pan-Commonwealth knowledge sharing digital platforms and data analysis portals. Abhik has also served in leadership roles at The Economist and Bloomberg. He has been awarded fellowships by Cambridge, Oxford and Yale universities and was previously a member of the Board of Trustees at Apples and Snakes, the UK’s national organisation for championing spoken word artists and poets.

Abhik was appointed by the trustees to replace elected trustee Sangeet Bhullar, who retired before the AGM. Abhik must stand for election in September 2025 fo continue on the board.

 

==Duties==
Board members are directors of the charity, and trustees. They have certain legal duties and responsibilities, which include: <ref>See [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts2006/ukpga_20060046_en_13#pt10-ch2-pb1-l1g170 here], guidance [http://www.bytestart.co.uk/content/legal/35_2/companies-act-directors-duties.shtml here] and [http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/publications/cc3.asp#d here]</ref>

#to act only within the powers given to them by the [[Articles of Association]]
#to act in good faith and with integrity to promote the success of the charity in achieving its objects
#to use the charity's resources reasonably and only for the promotion of its objects
#to exercise independent judgement and reasonable care, skill and diligence and consider getting external professional advice on all matters where there may be material risk to the charity
#to avoid conflicts of interest, declare them where necessary in accordance with applicable law and not to accept benefits from third parties where these may give rise to a conflict of interest
#to avoid undertaking activities that might place the charity's assets or reputation at undue risk, and to ensure that the charity remains solvent.

In addition, trustees are required to ensure that the charity complies with its other legal duties such as those arising from being an employer and its reporting obligations to Companies House, the Charity Commission, and the tax authorities. Trustees are in addition required to comply with the charity's [[Conflict of Interest Policy]].

To be eligible to act as a trustee, you must:

*be member of the charity
*be prepared to publicly disclose your real name, date of birth, and the names of any other companies of which you are a director
*be over the age of 16.

You cannot act as a trustee if you are disqualified under the Charities Act<ref>See [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1993/ukpga_19930010_en_10#pt9-pb2-l1g72 Charities Act 1993]</ref>. This includes if you:

*are disqualified as a company director
*have an unspent conviction for an offence involving dishonesty or deception (such as fraud)
*are an undischarged bankrupt (or subject to sequestration in Scotland), or have a current composition or arrangement including an individual voluntary arrangement (IVA) with your creditors
*have been removed as a trustee of any charity by the Charity Commission (or the court) because of misconduct or mismanagement

==See also==

*[[Trustee Code of Conduct]]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Board]]
__NOEDITSECTION__

2025-09-29T13:21:44Z

Chuks Ogbonna (WMUK):

=== Introduction ===
Wikimedia UK is committed to fostering an equitable, diverse, and inclusive environment within our community, our workforce, and our services. We recognise that achieving equity goes beyond equal treatment, it requires proactive efforts to identify and remove systemic barriers that prevent full participation. This policy affirms our commitment to ensuring fairness, dignity, and respect for all individuals (including staff, volunteers & Trustees), regardless of background, identity, or personal characteristics.

==== Scope ====
The policy applies to all Wikimedia UK employees (including prospective employees), agency workers, contractors, Trustees and volunteers in terms of service provision. It is supported by an EDI Framework and Action Plan which encompasses all aspects of Wikimedia UK’s operations.

The policy adheres to the principles of the Equalities Act 2010 and other relevant UK legislation, covering the following protected characteristics::

* Age
* Disability
* Gender Reassignment
* Marriage and civil partnership
* Pregnancy and maternity
* Race
* Religion or belief
* Sex
* Sexual orientation

The policy applies across the range of employment policies and practice, including those relating to Discipline, Grievance, Harassment and Complaints.

=== Responsibilities ===
Wikimedia UK values its staff, contractors, workers, Trustees and volunteers, and expects them to be treated in a respectful manner and contribute to an inclusive culture. The Chief Executive is responsible for providing advice and guidance , and ensuring this Policy document is implemented, monitored and reviewed regularly.

==== Aims & Commitments ====
As part of its commitment to EDI, Wikimedia UK aims to:

* Advance equity by recognising and addressing systemic inequalities.
* Celebrate diversity by valuing and respecting differences within our workforce and community.
* Ensure inclusion by creating spaces where everyone can participate fully and meaningfully.
* Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, and victimisation under the Equality Act 2010.
* Promote accessibility in all Wikimedia UK projects, ensuring digital and physical inclusivity.
* Monitor progress through data collection and feedback mechanisms to assess impact and improve practices.

==== Anti-Discrimination & Harassment Measures ====
Wikimedia UK has a zero tolerance policy towards discriminatory language or actions that could create a hostile environment, and does not accept behaviour that amounts to harassment or exclusion of any individual. Wikimedia UK’s commits to preventing and addressing all forms of discrimination including:

* Direct discrimination - where someone is treated less favourably than another because they have a protected characteristic
* Indirect discrimination – when a requirement or a condition is applied which has a detrimental effect on a particular group or individual. This applies even if there was not a deliberate intention to discriminate.
* Associative discrimination – direct discrimination against someone because they associate with another person on the grounds that they have a protected characteristic.
* Perceptive discrimination - direct discrimination against someone because others think they have a protected characteristic even if they do not possess that characteristic.
* Harassment – unwanted conduct related to a protected characteristic which violates a person’s dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them. This applies even if the conduct is not directed at the individual or if they do not have the protected characteristic.
* Third party harassment – potential liability for the harassment of staff by others such as clients or volunteers.
* Victimisation – when someone is treated badly because they have made or supported a complaint under the Equalities Act or it is thought that they have done so.

=== Employment & Organisational Practices ===
Wikimedia UK is committed to equitable employment practices and will:

* Ensure fair and inclusive recruitment, selection, and promotion processes.
* Provide reasonable adjustments to accommodate employees and volunteers with disabilities.
* Support ongoing training and development in EDI for staff, Trustees, and volunteers.
* Enforce a zero-tolerance policy on discrimination, harassment, bullying, and victimisation.
* Regularly review employment policies to ensure alignment with best practices.

=== Wikimedia UK as Service Provider ===
In offering events or materials Wikimedia UK will seek to ensure equal access for everyone to our programmes:

* Ensure that venues chosen for events or meetings are as accessible as possible to all participants.
* Provide reasonable accommodations to ensure full participation in events and activities.
* Ensure that programmes and projects do not disproportionately disadvantage any group.
* Foster an inclusive Wikimedia UK community where all individuals feel respected and valued.

=== Data Collection & Monitoring ===
Wikimedia UK complies with the requirements of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018. Any data, either qualitative and or quantitative, required in order to monitor the requirements or the impact of the Equalities Act 2010, will be collected where it is reasonable, proportionate and practical to do so. Any such requirements will be notified to Wikimedia UK volunteers, participants, partners or prospective employees customers and will follow a common data format.

Review & Continuous Improvement

This policy will be reviewed annually to ensure it reflects current legislation, best practices, and Wikimedia UK’s evolving commitments to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Amendments will be made as necessary to strengthen our approach and accountability.

Wikimedia UK’s Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Policy

Date Created: February 2012

Date Last Reviewed: June 2020

Date of this review: March 2025

Date for next Approval: March 2028

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Policy

2025-09-29T13:19:53Z

Chuks Ogbonna (WMUK): Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Policy created

2025-09-11T16:29:18Z

Chuks Ogbonna (WMUK):

This page is for voters who would like to ask questions of the candidates for the 2025 Wikimedia UK Board elections. You can either post your question here, or email it to tellerswikimedia.org.uk Candidates may choose to answer on this page, but they are not obliged to do so.

Further information on the candidates is available on [[2025 Annual General Meeting/Candidate Statements|2025 Annual General Meeting/Candidate statements]].

2025 Annual General Meeting/Candidate Questions

2025-09-11T16:28:35Z

Chuks Ogbonna (WMUK): Created page with "This page is for voters who would like to ask questions of the candidates for the 2025 Wikimedia UK Board elections. You can either post your question here, or email it to tellerswikimedia.org.uk Candidates may choose to answer on this page, but they are not obliged to do so. Further information on the candidates is available on 2025 Annual General Meeting/Candidate statements."

This page is for voters who would like to ask questions of the candidates for the 2025 Wikimedia UK Board elections. You can either post your question here, or email it to tellerswikimedia.org.uk Candidates may choose to answer on this page, but they are not obliged to do so.

Further information on the candidates is available on [[2024 Annual General Meeting/Candidate Statements|2025 Annual General Meeting/Candidate statements]].

2025-06-27T12:13:03Z

Chuks Ogbonna (WMUK):

Abhik Sen headshot