Many aspects contribute to making W3C a great venue to work on standardisation, but we should not rest on our laurels. The world does not sit still, and we need to constantly work at making W3C better, so that existing projects and working groups have the best working conditions possible, and so that we get a healthy inflow of new projects choosing the W3C as the best host for their standardization efforts.
I have had the opportunity to wear many hats at the W3C: representative of a browser vendor (Opera) to the CSS Working Group, Invited Expert to the same CSS-WG and a few others, AC Representative of a small company (Vivliostyle), co-chair of a Community Group, workshop organizer, AB member, participant in PSIG… I have edited specifications through the whole life cycle, from incubation (in a Working Group & in WICG) to REC. All that to say that I know how things work at W3C, and also how they sometimes don’t.
Topics I am particularly interested in for the AB:
Since joining the AB, I have taken on the role of Editor of the W3C Process document. This past year, I have worked on delivering a major update to the Recommendation Track to allow continuous development and simplify maintenance of our specifications while reducing overhead, and participated in the related effort in PSIG to update the Patent Policy. Once this is in place, a future development I would like to deliver is a process to handle registries at W3C.
But the Process isn’t only about how our specifications are developed. It also defines many of the responsibilities of the W3C Director. As we are preparing for the date where our founding Director eventually steps down, the AB has started to look into how we need to evolve the Process and other related documents to define how W3C would work without him. Leading this project to completion is one of my key goals for this coming term, and I want to make sure this shift puts the Membership squarely in control.
Another major project is our move towards W3C becoming a standalone legal entity. For this to be the empowering transformation we want, it will need to be set up with the right checks and balances, making sure that the elected bodies can fulfill their roles, and that W3C management is both actually in control of the staff, and is fully accountable. We also need to get our accounting in order, and to set up clear financial reporting. I will be paying close attention to both the governance model and bylaws and the operational aspect of this transition.
Initially trained as a software engineer in France, I later complemented this with an MBA from INSEAD. I’ve worked as an engineer in companies large and small, as a product owner and an executive in two startups, and been a non-profit board member (currently treasurer of the board at the Kyoto French International School). These experiences help me understand the perspective of different kinds of members, the tech side of things as well as the business one, and inform my views on governance and finances, which is very relevant as we look into restructuring the consortium into a legal entity. I am French, live in Japan, have lived and worked in Norway and China in the past, have business relations with Korea, the US, Sweden, Canada… Diversity and global participation are important to me. In particular, I intend to make sure that Asian members get their voices and concerns heard. Other aspects of diversity are not lost on me, and I will support all efforts to make W3C an inclusive and welcoming place to all.
I run my own consulting company and am an independent W3C participant; however my expenses for this role will be covered by Kodansha, Shueisha, and Media Do (3 major actors of the Japanese publishing industry).