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Leadership Transition: NEAR Foundation Bids Farewell to CEO Marieke Flament

Following the departure of Marieke Flament from her role as CEO of the NEAR Foundation, Chris Donovan, the organization's General Counsel, is set to step into the leadership role within the NEAR protocol.
Flament, who oversaw the NEAR protocol (NEAR) for two years, has made the decision to resign. In a blog post released on Thursday, it was revealed that Chris Donovan, the current General Counsel of the foundation, will be assuming the position of CEO. Flament will continue to offer strategic guidance to Donovan until the end of the year, after which she will remain involved with the foundation in a council board capacity.
Reflecting on her time in the role, Flament noted:
"When I joined two years ago, NEAR had around 50,000 users, and now we have over 2.5 million daily active users." She also stressed that given the current regulatory environment, Donovan is well-suited for the CEO position. Flament added, "We are not the only ecosystem making a move like that."
According to data sourced from DefiLlama, the NEAR protocol currently holds the 34th position in total value locked (TVL), indicating the combined capital invested in a specific blockchain ecosystem.
Read more: Ripple's Legal Defense Reinforced by Top-Notch Lawyers as SEC Showdown Nears
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