Cardano Foundation expands its technology capabilities with new appointments
ZUG, 11 JUNE 2020. The Cardano Foundation — in line with its goal to expand third-party integration capabilities and strengthen relationships with exchanges — has appointed Mel McCann as Platform Integrations Engineer and John MacPherson as Exchange Relationship Manager, effective immediately. The latest additions significantly expand the Foundation’s technical offerings ahead of the Shelley Mainnet launch later this year.
Both roles were created as the Foundation assumes more responsibilities for Cardano and as it accelerates its technical capabilities.
Mel and John join Frederic Johnson, Technical Project Manager, and Steve Wagendorp, Head of Technical Operations, and will work closely with EMURGO and IOHK as Cardano heads into the Goguen era. New appointments will further solidify essential relationships within the ecosystem, as well as maintain robust technical links between the three Cardano entities.
@Hinrich Pfeifer, General Secretary of the Cardano Foundation, says:
“This year the Cardano Foundation is significantly expanding its capabilities by bringing top talent into key departments as we gear up for a busy second half of 2020. We are adding shortage and critical skills and will continue to do so. Mel and John’s appointments will enable the Foundation to serve third parties and exchanges better and are key for the advancement of Cardano.”
Based near Dublin, Ireland, Mel leads the technical integration initiatives. He facilitates the adoption of Cardano by guiding third parties to integrate the Cardano suite of products into their businesses and systems while meeting the most stringent industry standards. He guides cryptocurrency exchanges, wallet providers and other third parties in developing technical solutions using Cardano. Mel received a Master of Arts and a Bachelor of Arts degrees in Information and Communications Technology from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
John, based in Toronto, Canada, leads the Cardano Foundation’s relationships with exchanges and his remit includes growing the number of quality exchanges listing ada (₳), Cardano’s native token. He trained to be a police officer at the Georgian College in Ontario and has been involved in the blockchain industry for the last decade.
Continuing with its geographic and team expansion plans, the Cardano Foundation plans to further strengthen its technical, communications and executive functions, with more appointments expected in key positions in 2020. Presently, the Foundation is present in 13 countries in the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe, with its diverse team fluent in 22 languages of key markets.