Marieke is a French-born computer engineer who has worked across the globe: from the luxury giant LVMH of Louis Vuitton fame to Expedia’s Hotels.com and now CEO of the NEAR Foundation, one of the fastest growing Layer1 blockchains. Before joining NEAR, Marieke pioneered turning niche blockchain products into globally recognised brands, scaling Circle from zero to two million users in less than two years and launching USDC. A passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, Marieke was recognised in the Women in FinTech Powerlist for 2017 and 2019 and she is frequently quoted by the press; including The BBC, The Telegraph, Fortune, The Financial Times, Reuters, Forbes, and City AM.