NEAR Foundation’s CEO Marieke Flament Steps Down, Chris Donovan Takes the Helm

New Delhi(CoinChapter): Marieke Flament, the CEO of the NEAR Foundation, has officially stepped down from her position. Flament, who has led the organization for the past two years, has played a pivotal role in the growth and development of NEAR.

Taking the reins as the new CEO is Chris Donovan, the General Counsel of the NEAR Foundation. This transition of leadership was announced in a blog post on Thursday, signaling a strategic move for the organization. While Marieke Flament may no longer hold the CEO title, she will maintain her presence within the NEAR council board.

Reflecting on her time as CEO, Marieke Flament expressed the growth of the NEAR ecosystem. 

“When I joined two years ago, NEAR had around 50,000 users, and now we have over 2.5 million daily active users,” Flament stated. This surge in user adoption demonstrates the platform’s success under her leadership.

Marieke Flament also emphasized the importance of choosing Chris Donovan as her successor, citing the evolving regulatory landscape. She noted that such leadership changes are not unique, as other ecosystems are also making similar strategic moves.

Furthermore, Flament revealed that the Near Foundation’s current treasury holds a substantial 330 million NEAR tokens, with an approximate market value of $350 million. To encapsulate her leadership approach, Flament wrote:

“My strategy has been one of driving mainstream adoption, enabling and empowering grassroot communities and continuing our journey to decentralization. Bringing onboard large web2 players, while nurturing web3 innovators has also been key to our growth.”

NEAR Protocol’s Current Standing

At present, the NEAR protocol ranks 34th in terms of Total Value Locked (TVL), a key metric measuring the amount of assets within a blockchain ecosystem. This information is based on data from DefiLlama.