Dr. Jeffrey Jaffe steps down as W3C CEO; Ralph Swick appointed Interim CEO

After serving as W3C Chief Executive Officer for 12 years, Dr. Jeffrey Jaffe stepped down. From March 2010 till December 2022, Jeff led the Consortium with purpose and skills informed by several different careers as a researcher, manager, and executive, for a succession of organizations. He was responsible for all of W3C's global operations, for maintaining the interests of all of W3C's stakeholders, and for sustaining a culture of cooperation and transparency, so that W3C continues to be the leading forum for the technical development and stewardship of the Web.

Jeff's three-pronged strategic focus on participation, potential of the web and Member value led to key successes such as increasing participation by a factor of 10, growing our global footprint, a stronger technical agenda, agility in our W3C Process, addressing industry and societal needs, member growth, and some progress on inclusion and diversity.

Jeff noted "This work has enhanced the web, whose role as the center of modern infrastructure only gains in importance over time. The web's essential role during the COVID-19 pandemic punctuated the criticality of the web and of our work."

Jeff was a critical force in the World Wide Web Consortium's transition to its own legal entity, set to launch in January 2023.

Ralph Swick has agreed to be Interim CEO until a permanent CEO is named by the Board of Directors which initiated critical functions of W3C Inc. starting in October 2022. Ralph who joined W3C in January 1997 to work on privacy, semantic web and RDF, is W3C's Chief Operating Officer since 2010 and previously acted as Interim CEO in June 2009.

Farewell and best wishes to Jeff!