Open Food Facts Association - Election of the board - 2024

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Introduction

This page presents the elections of the Board of Directors at the Open Food Facts Association - General Assembly - 2024.

Article 13 of the Open Food Facts Association Statutes provides:

• "The association is managed by a board of 5 to 10 members. They are responsible for the legal personality of the association. The board of directors implements the orientations decided by the general assembly. [...]"
• "The members of the board of directors are elected for two years by the general assembly. Half of the Board of Directors is renewed each year, and in the first year the outgoing members are chosen by lot. [...]"

The Board of Directors currently comprises 10 members:

• 6 elected at the general assembly of 2023 : Alexandre Fauquette, Christian Quest, Florence Devouard, Léonore Wilhelm, Ludovic Dubost et Vincent Bataille.
• 4 elected at the general assembly of 2022 : Marie Fache, Éloïse Langer, Anca Luca, Sébastien Gathier

4 director positions are therefore potentially open.

• Application deadline: November 19, 2024

Members of the Open Food Facts association can submit their candidacy for the Board of Directors up to and including November 19, 2024, by sending their first and last names, Open Food Facts username and a short text introducing themselves and their motivation to contact@openfoodfacts.org.

List of candidates

In alphabetical order by first name, the list will be completed as we receive applications (you can also add yourself directly by editing the wiki page), and will be complete on November 19, 2024.

1. Marie Fache (chevalstar): As a committed contributor and member of the current Board of Directors, I reiterate my motivation and desire to participate in OFF's development and to see the projects submitted bear fruit.
2. Sébastien Gathier (sebleouf): As a contributor since 2013, and a board member since the association's creation in 2014, I've been lucky enough to witness the development of Open Food Facts. The size of the database has exploded, we've gone international with many volunteers from all over the world, we've secured significant funding and a salaried team has been formed. I wish to continue my investment in the association's governance in order to pursue the project's development and respond to the issues and problems encountered. I will continue to bring my profile and vision as a contributor.
3. My name is Marius Grote (marius-amb) contributor and ambassador of the Open Food Facts project in Germany and Denmark. I am motivated to join the Open Food Facts board to further contribute to the project's international success, amplify its impact, and support the development of a strong, well-functioning association that stays committed to achieving its visionary goals.
4. I'm Radhakrishna MV, a Solutions Architect from Hyderabad, India. I have benefited from open source & open data  and I try to contribute in any way I can. I love food and all aspects related to it (along with my wife who is a great cook). Last year, my interest in food, data and science converged. I was elated to find the citizen science project, Open Food Facts and I've been actively contributing to it since January 2023 (as @krishanti) by participating in both data collection and review. I'm thrilled that it has hit a milestone of 10,000 Indian products and it is growing fast. I've also started a blog titled "India Food Stats" to document my experiments, discoveries & learnings. Food transparency and good nutrition are more important for India than ever, given the rising incidence of non-communicable diseases. Through crowdsourced data and leading people to appreciate nutrition through data-driven choices, I believe Open Food Facts has a vital role to play in India and globally. I am excited about the opportunity to contribute further and would be honored to offer my candidacy for the Board of Open Food Facts, to strengthen my involvement and support its mission.
5. April Bilbrey (etherworlds): Hello! I am passionate about Open Food Facts’ mission to bring transparency to food (and other products) worldwide with accessible and open data. I am currently a member of the Open Food Facts groups focusing on Open Prices, Partnerships, and Going Global-Belgium. I hold an MBA and my professional background includes scaling innovative programs and tools, UX and user-centered design, fostering partnerships, and global technical sales management. In my current role as academic researcher for sustainable entrepreneurship and digitization, I am deeply committed to making food systems more inclusive and equitable through collective action. I believe my international experience and interdisciplinary approach can contribute to a representative and innovative Board like that of Open Food Facts. I am eager to help strengthen our global presence and amplify our community’s collective reach in ensuring a transparent food future.
6. Anca Luca (lucaa): current board member and volunteer president of Open Food Facts since 2019, I'm running for the association's board of directors, to accompany the association towards new successes, hoping, as every year, to be able to put in the time commensurate with my enthusiasm. (translated from French)
7. Eloïse Langer: After working at Google for almost 10 years, I was lucky enough to complete this professional experience by completing a 6-month skills sponsorship (via the Google.org Foundation) with the Open Food Facts team in 2022. During this assignment, I supported the launch of the eco score, helped redesign the application, worked on the new visual identity/logo, and helped set up partnerships with retailers and brands (Pepsico, Nestlé in particular). In addition, as I'm very sensitive to environmental and social issues, and involved in the voluntary sector, I recently decided to launch a tech project in social entrepreneurship, by creating with 2 co-founders an AI-based SaaS platform to facilitate the search for funding for associations. I'd like to put the knowledge we're developing about funding to good use with Open Food Facts. After having had the opportunity to apply in 2022 to become the association's administrator, a role I've held for 2 years now, I'd like to reapply for a new mandate to contribute to the association's mission. (translated from French)
8. My name is Caraldine Nolan, and I’m thrilled to submit my candidacy for the Board of Directors of Open Food Facts. I am currently completing a master’s degree at UCD in Nutrition Consumer Trends and Greencare Policy, which has deepened my understanding of food systems and sustainability completed December 2024. As the founder of Weighless Wonders and the NutraVerse app, I have been actively working on promoting food transparency and healthier choices in Ireland and beyond. Representing Ireland on international platforms has been an honor, and I aim to bring this perspective to the Board, helping to amplify Open Food Facts' global impact. Food transparency and empowering consumers to make informed decisions are values I deeply share with Open Food Facts. I believe my experience in launching impactful initiatives and navigating the intersection of technology, nutrition, and sustainability can help guide the association’s strategic growth. Thank you for considering my candidacy. I look forward to contributing to Open Food Facts' mission and working collaboratively with the diverse community driving this movement forward.
9. Charlotte Delhomme (cha-delh): a contributor since October 2023, I was part of the permanent team for a year as part of my work-study Master's program. Now a graduate and looking for new professional horizons, I remain firmly attached to the Open Food Facts project. I'm passionate about sustainable food and nutrition, and this application reaffirms my commitment to this international citizen initiative. Despite my young age, I think I'm in a position to bring dynamism and critical thinking to the table! :-)
10. Lise Chauvin (jusdekiwi / Alizarine) : As a long-time contributor to Open Food Facts, particularly in terms of data quality, I am deeply convinced of the importance of having a food database accessible to as many people as possible. I enjoy contributing to this project, which aligns with my values (nutrition, environmental impact, transparency), as part of a dynamic and welcoming team.

I'd now like to join OFF's board so I can gain a better understanding of the association's challenges and contribute in a new way to improving the tools and database. I'd like to work on making them even more accessible and reusable, while encouraging the commitment and cohesion of contributors, in order to reach a more diverse and international audience.

Date of election

The election will take place at the Open Food Facts general meeting on Thursday, December 05, 2024.

Online voting by e-mail will be possible from November 20, 2024 to December 04, 2024, and "physical" online voting on Slack on Thursday, December 05, 2024.

Voters

Voters are active members of the association. Don't forget to register or renew your membership to have the right to vote (mostly en French, should be understandable).

Voting presentation

Each voter may vote for zero, one or more candidates. Voters do not have to rank candidates in order of preference. Voting is public.

Advance online voting from November 20, 2024 to December 04, 2024

Voters wishing to vote online in advance must send an e-mail to votes@openfoodfacts.org before midnight on December 04, 2024, stating the names of the candidates they wish to elect (zero, one, several or all candidates).

In the same e-mail you can vote for:

• Approval of the 2023 Activity Report (French): yes, no, or abstention.
• Approval of Accounts 2023 (in French): yes, no, or abstention.
• motions : ...

Online voting on December, 05, 2024

Voters present at the meeting (physically or via the Internet on Slack, channel #ago) will be able to mark on a ballot paper (or in a message on Slack, channel #ago) the names of the candidates they wish to elect and will be noted as voting.

Results

The results of online votes and physical and online votes will be combined.

Candidates who obtain an absolute majority are elected.

If more candidates obtain an absolute majority than the number of positions to be filled, the candidates with the most votes are elected.