Declarations of Interest/Archive

This page holds the historical record of Declarations of Interest from past trustees and staff.

2014-15

Simon Knight

Some of my research is in the area of collective intelligence and analytics – of relevance to Wikimedia – should any interests arise in the course of my work I’ll update my declaration of interest as appropriate and recuse myself where conflicts arise. An employer with whom I have an on-going (unpaid) working relationship at the University of Cambridge is currently bidding for funding from WMUK and our contractors for a specific Mediawiki project. I am not involved in those decisions nor would I benefit financially from the project (see IT_Development/Technology_Committee_meetings/Minutes_1_April_2014). Aforementioned aside, I am not aware of any current or likely potential conflicts of interest or loyalty arising from my current position (as a PhD student at the Open University) or any previous positions and associations.

Saad Choudri

Saad Choudri, a qualified and practising solicitor, has previously held or currently holds the following positions:

Current

• Employee of Miniclip (UK) Limited as Vice President of Business Affairs;
• Director and CEO of Legend Express Limited; and
• President of AdJunction Private Limited (Pakistan).

Past

• Employee of SEGA Europe Limited as Legal Counsel; and
• Special Constable (Metropolitan Police).

DoI with contractors

• Mark Robinson is a lawyer that WMUK contracted in March 2013 to advise on QRpedia privacy issues. Mark Robinson was seconded to Miniclip before Saad started working at the company. Saad has not engaged Mark in his capacity as a lawyer at Miniclip. Mark has been recommended as a good lawyer through colleagues of Saad's who have recommended him highly.

Alastair McCapra

Salaried post: (after 1 November 2013) Chief Executive, Chartered Institute of Public Relations; (to 31 October 2013) Chief Executive of the Landscape Institute/Company Secretary of Landscape Services Ltd.

Former salaried posts: Chief Executive, Icon the Institute of Conservation; Head of Policy Communications and Membership, the Royal Society of Public Health

Current and former Directorships: None

Current voluntary roles:Mentor to Ancient Materials, Technology & Conservation, a Kent-based heritage co-op.

Former voluntary roles: Honorary Treasurer, Landscape Architecture Europe, a Netherlands NFP; joint web editor, British Harpsichord Society;

Memberships: Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London; Fellow of the Institute of Association Management; Fellow of the Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing; member of ACEVO; member of The National Trust; member of the Art Fund; member of Fawcett Society

Political affiliation: none

A full statement on the managing of potential conflicts arising from Alastair's salaried role with CIPR can be seen here.

Jon Davies, Chief Executive

I was bought lunch, no alcohol, once in 2012 and once in 2014 by our Lawyers Stone King. I am a member of Artslav Community Interest Company and a Trustee of the Cinema Museum.

Toni Sant, Education Organiser

Toni made the following declaration to the Chief Executive and Programme Manager in May 2013. It is no longer active as the tender was awarded in June 2013:

Colleagues from the University of Hull's School of Arts and New Media, where I am Director of Research, are planning to bid for the tender issued by JISC for the work WMUK is co-financing. They have asked me for my input both at the application stage and, should their bid be successful, on the eventual proposed work plan. This would be in line with my duties as DoR at the university and would in no way conflict with my WMUK role.

Nevertheless, to avoid any potential CoI issues, I'm asking to be excluded from the adjudication process. I would also suggest that I don't offer support for any other potential applicant as this would be unfair to both my UoH colleagues as well as the other potential applicant, in that I may be seen to hold back useful information to benefit my university colleagues.

I don't think we need to take this any further, as long as we proceed with the suggestions I'm here making to ensure we avoid any CoI issues.

2013-14

Michael Peel

• Mike is an employee of the University of Manchester. Some of our activities take place at this University, and he will abstain on all decisions relating to the University of Manchester.
• Mike is a member of the Wikimedia Foundation's Funds Dissemmination Committee. The WMF provide an annual grant to WMUK as per the FDC's recommendation. Mike's COI here is managed as per the document at meta:User:Mike Peel/FDC Declaration of Interest.
• Non-COI disclaimer: Mike is a admin on the English Wikipedia, and is an editor on a number of other Wikimedia projects. He uses Single User Login to unify his accounts on all WMF-hosted wikis. His edits on this wiki are a mix of edits made on behalf of the charity (in his role as Secretary), and those made on his own behalf; unless clearly stated otherwise, edits are made on his own behalf. All edits that are associated with his account and are made to any wiki aside from this one are unambiguously made on his behalf, and do not represent the charity.
• Non-COI disclaimer: Mike is subscribed to a number of closed-subscription mailing lists as a result of being a WMUK trustee. These include internal-l (the internal Wikimedia mailing list), the chapters mailing list (restricted to employees and staff of Wikimedia chapters) and wmfcc-l (the "Communications Committee"). He also uses his WMUK email address to subscribe to a number of public mailing lists. Emails send to these lists represent his individual viewpoint unless it is made clear in those emails that they represent the charity.

Ashley Van Haeften

I was paid a nominal rate for 3 weeks of software development with University College London (UCL) in 2010 (before I was involved with the Wikimedia UK board) and retain an unpaid voluntary interest in these projects. I have always avoided, and will recuse myself from, any discussion or proposals for projects, events or relationships between Wikimedia UK and UCL to ensure there can be no question of a conflict of loyalties.

I am the Wikimedia UK representative on the Wikimedia Chapters Association Council. Wikimedia UK is kept informed relating to my role as the Chapter representative at each Board meeting and by email to the trustees for any relevant issues as they arise. There are no current conflicts of interest or loyalty. I shall recuse myself from trustee decisions relating to any grants to support the WCA.

I am the co-founder and named on the "proposed initial board" of the outreach project and potential thematic organization Wikimedia LGBT, first established in April 2012. There are no current conflicts of interest or loyalty. I shall recuse myself from trustee discussions relating to any future grants to support the Wikimedia LGBT organization.

As a consultant I have worked with a large number of organizations in the past, and will declare these to avoid any potential claim of a conflict of loyalty, either publicly or in confidence to the Board as appropriate, actively to be managed should Wikimedia UK ever enter into a relationship with any of them. --Fæ (talk) 16:53, 8 February 2013 (UTC)

2012-13

Doug Taylor

Although now retired, there are some areas where I may still retain a financial interest, or may appear to have an interest that could potentially conflict:

• I used to have a part of UHY Hacker Young, our auditors, as a client for my company over four years ago.
• I may still carry out some work for Metropolis 2 Ltd.
• I am Chair of the Board of Trustees of the charity, Job Change, and Chair of the social enterprise, Job Change 2007.
• I am Vice-Chair of the Regulations Committee of OCR.

My directorships, past and present, may be viewed at http://company-director-check.co.uk/director/903881846

I have agreed to serve on the initial board of Wikimedia Medicine, a thematic organisation to promote the development of medical content on Wikimedia projects. Although the objects of the organisation align with our own, I will nevertheless recuse from all discussions or decisions related to WMMED to ensure that any conflict of loyalties is avoided.

John Byrne

• WMUK: In June 2011 I was asked by the Board to work with Steve Virgin, then a Trustee, as a volunteer to choose new solicitors to handle our application to the Charity Commission to become a Registered Charity. In late August, when the amount of work involved in drafting submissions etc had become clear it was agreed that WMUK pay me £2,500 as a flat fee for this work, which was recognized as well below an arms-length figure for the work. This was invoiced and paid soon after. The main work was preparing the submission sent to the CC on September 23rd, and the work concluded in early November after some tidying-up after the application was agreed by the CC on November 5th 2011. I was appointed acting Treasurer on a voluntary basis in April 2012, and then stood for and was elected to the Board at the AGM on May 12 2012.

• WMUK: The 2nd Wikipedia Core Contest closed on March 31st 2012, before I was a Trustee, or indeed Acting-Treasurer. The prizes (a total of £250 Amazon vouchers) were sponsored by WMUK, but WMUK took no part in the judging, which was by a panel of 3: Casliber (Australia), Brianboulton (UK) and Sue Gardner (WMF/US). The winners were announced on May 29th, by which time I was a WMUK trustee. I won £30, which was paid not long after. I entered the 3rd contest, closed Auguest 31st 2012, but was ineligible for the money prizes, as they are again being sponsored by WMUK.

Roger Bamkin

• Roger was a paid consultant for Monmouthshire County Council and Nottingham Museums. He also runs a company, Victuallers Ltd. As documented in Wikipedia and elsewhere Roger, like everyone else, has IPR rights over things that he has invented, developed or written. e.g. Before Roger became a board member he developed QRpedia with Terence Eden. These interests were declared to the members before the last election.
• Roger's associations with other companies and councils in the past are well documented on-line.
• At the end of June Roger signed a contract with the Government of Gibraltar. There is no known COI as WMUK does not have a relationship with this Government but it is hoped that one may develop. Roger has a business relationship with John Cummings and Steve Virgin. The contract includes the delivery of training and the creation of QRpedia plaques - there is no paid editing involved.
• Roger is part of a successful Geovation bid with Andy Mabbett, Robin Owain and John Cummings. This means that he is likely to be talking to many councils in Wales.
• Roger is receiving £100 from De Montfort University, Leicester for talking about Wiki-Town and new business models and will receive free accommodation when talking at Oxford University in October 2012.

Joscelyn Upendran

• Joscelyn is Public Project Lead for Creative Commons in the United Kingdom.