Over the past seven years, we’ve built Ava Labs into one of the industry’s leading blockchain companies. As our business continues to evolve, so must our leadership.

Today, I have appointed Charley Cooper, current COO, as the new President of Ava Labs. I’ve worked closely with Charley and have seen firsthand his ability to build organizations, create alignment, and drive execution.

He’s an exceptional operator with deep experience at R3, State Street, Deutsche Bank, and the CFTC, navigating both the public and private sectors and bringing a unique perspective at a time when blockchain is becoming increasingly integrated into global finance.

As President, Charley will oversee the day-to-day operations of Ava Labs, helping the company execute against its long-term vision while continuing to scale our business around the world. As part of this transition, I will be stepping into the role of Senior Advisor. Going forward, I'll advise on the long-term strategy, and help shape what’s next for Avalanche.

I’m also pleased to share that Lydia Chiu has been appointed Chief Financial Officer from Interim CFO. She is a seasoned financial services professional with experience as a former Credit Suisse banker and hedge fund analyst.

Looking at what has been built on Avalanche since mainnet, I am incredibly proud. It has firmly cemented its place as a premier, battle-tested L1 ecosystem and has positioned itself as the gold standard for institutions and global brands seeking unmatched performance and trust.

Ava Labs has an exceptional leadership team and a tremendous opportunity ahead. I’m confident these changes position Ava Labs to execute even more effectively in the years to come.

As I reflect on all that we’ve accomplished so far, I want to thank Gün and express my appreciation for our partnership. It was not so long ago when we were a team of ten Cornellians working out of a modest office in Brooklyn. We spent working dinners whiteboarding what the ideal user flow was for institutions to adopt asset digitization onchain and talking about more efficient ways to store state of blockchains. We are now a company of over 200 people powering the preferred platform for institutional operations. Gün’s foundational work, from anticipating the risks that led to the DAO hack to authoring the metastability whitepaper to educating the world on coin-operated agents, continues to shape Avalanche and the blockchain industry as a whole. Our collective future remains uncharted but the best chapters are still ahead of us. 

To the entire Ava Labs team, the Foundation, our business partners and vibrant community: thank you for standing alongside me during my tenure as President. It has been an absolute honor, and I am excited to continue championing our collective future.

— John Wu