Board and Steering Committee elections in 2022
Run for a leadership position in the globally recognised nonprofit, bringing together experts and organisations to empower individuals with their personal data.
The application form for receiving candidates’ full information is now closed. Please note that all members of MyData Global are still eligible to step up as a candidate up to the elections on 1 Nov. Please reach out to Director of operations Sille Sepp at sille (at) mydata.org for more information.
To cast your vote, please use the form below (button). All members received their unique voting code by email on 31 October.

Timeline
Sep 1
(2 months before the elections)
Candidate form opens.
Oct 16
Candidate form closes at the end of the day (23:59:00 HST (UTC -10h).
Deadline for submitting complete applications, used for elections communications and campaigning.
Oct 18
(14 days before the elections)
The candidate list and profiles will be sent to the members.
Oct 20 at 2pm CET
Online “town hall” meeting to introduce the candidates and respond to any questions from the membership.
Nov 1 – 4
Autumn General Meeting (online), during which elections take place (72 hour online voting period).
10:45 AM EET on Nov 4
The autumn general meeting resumes in Zoom and the election results are announced.
Background information & Candidates
Currently, in 2022, MyData Global has an international leadership team consisting of nine Board members, four Steering Committee members, and three staff members. The continuing board members are:
- Marlies Rikken (Netherlands)
- Paula Bello (Ireland)
- Viivi Lähteenoja (Finland)
- Antti “Jogi” Poikola (Finland)
- Christopher Lee (South Korea)
We expect to have open positions in the leadership team as follows:
- Up to five candidates as Directors to the Board
- One candidate as individual member representative and one candidate as organisation member representative to the Steering Committee
Those elected for the first time to MyData Global’s leadership team will begin their term January 1st, 2023. All Board and Steering Committee members are also asked to nominate an alternate.
Requirements and preferences
All candidates for the board must be individual members of the Association. In the Steering Committee, there is one open position for the individual members’ representatives and one open position for organisational members’ representatives. If you are unsure of your membership status, please contact sille at mydata dot org.
We are looking for candidates with varied backgrounds of expertise and personal networks that can help the organisation succeed.
Leadership positions in international teams are professionally and personally very rewarding experiences and we hope that serving on the MyData Global Board and Steering Committee will be especially so.
Role and responsibilities of the Board and Steering Committee
The Board and the Steering Committee have distinct roles in leadership as defined in the association bylaws:
- “The affairs and the activities of the Association are managed by its board of directors (hereafter “the Board”)” (Art 4.1)
- “The Steering Committee is responsible for assisting the Board in its oversight of the Associations’ internal regulations and following the approved strategy.” (Art 5.2)
- “The Steering Committee shall conduct the annual performance audit and report it in the spring general meeting.” (Art 5.2)
What it means to be a member of the Board
The activities of the MyData Global association are managed by its Board of Directors. Board membership is an unique opportunity to be involved in shaping a young and growing global nonprofit and helping it become an impactful actor in society globally.
What it means to be a member of the Steering Committee
Purpose of the Steering Committee is to help provide good governance in the Association. Steering Committee assists the Board in its oversight and conducts the annual performance audit. These governance duties contribute to the wellbeing of the organisation and give Steering Committee members good visibility to the global organisation. The current Steering Committee members have defined their role in this document – https://mydata-global.org/steering-commitee-charter-2022
Time commitment
The Board of Directors and the Steering Committee each meet online monthly and in-person during the bigger MyData events if possible. Board and Steering Committee members also may participate in the local hubs, thematic groups, and other activities of the Association.
There is no direct monetary compensation for the Board or Steering Committee members, but depending on the Association’s financial situation we intend to cover travel costs to the face-to-face leadership team meetings at least once a year.
BOARD | STEERING COMMITTEE |
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Board members elected for the first time in 2022, begin a two-year term on 1 January 2023 after which they can stand for re-election. | Steering Committee members elected for the first time in 2022 begin a two-year term on 1 January 2023 after which they can stand for re-election. |
Monthly Board meetings (1.5h) and preparation (1h), total 2.5h per month | Monthly Steering Committee meetings (1h) and preparation (1h), total 2h per month |
Recommended commitment |
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Following and contributing to MyData Global developments asynchronously on a weekly basis (1h), total 4h per month. |
Participation in general meetings (spring and autumn), annual MyData conferences, and smaller local meetups, total from few days to 1,5 weeks per year. |
Any questions about the election process or your candidacy are welcome. All interested candidates can further request a short meeting with the current leadership team member. Please reach out to Sille Sepp, Deputy General Manager, at sille at mydata dot org or Viivi Lähteenoja, the Board chair at viivi at mydata dot org.