It is with great pleasure that today I am officially announcing that Chris Hart has joined the Civic Board of Directors and has succeeded me as Civic’s CEO. On behalf of the board, I would like to congratulate Chris on this appointment and thank him for his contributions since 2017 as our COO!
Chris is deeply committed to our mission. He has an exceptional understanding of the ecosystem’s technology, and a compelling strategic vision for the company. I am confident that Civic will continue to reach new heights under his leadership. Chris’ background and track record as Civic’s long-serving COO make him particularly well qualified to assume the mantle of CEO, and I have every confidence that he is the right person to lead Civic into the future.
As part of this change I will become the Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors at Civic. In this new role, I will continue to be active at a Board and strategic level within the company, and look forward to contributing to Civic’s future successes. Jonathan Smith, our co-founder and CTO, will continue in his current role, and is more excited than ever about Civic’s next phase.
Over the past six years, Civic has become a leader in identity-based solutions for the fast-emerging blockchain compliance and identity space. Civic is in a great place, and my role change is timely given the many positive developments this year. This timing also coincides with the appointment of Maja Vujinovic to the board, which was done largely to support the company and advance our strategy.
Last summer, in light of the crippling impact of high ETH gas fees on Civic Wallet, we made a strategic decision to move our company to an ecosystem that can support a high volume B2B model. This was one of the primary reasons why we were one of the first crypto companies to be integrated with Solana. As the company shifts to scale sales and ramp up growth in this category, we will be well served by Chris Hart’s strong marketplace, mobile and crypto background.
Most importantly, in my final message as CEO I want to thank all of you, from our community to our team and our investors, for your tireless contributions to Civic’s success over the past many years. I know that in Chris and Jonathan’s able hands, our amazing culture will produce identity services that will support the viability of the digital asset ecosystem and make the world a better place. As Executive Chairman, I will remain heavily involved with Civic but from a different vantage point.
I’m looking forward to the many new milestones ahead for Civic. My conviction and excitement for Civic has never been stronger. Congratulations again to our new CEO, Chris Hart!