Introducing Our New Members of the Scrum Alliance Board of Directors

As a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization, Scrum Alliance has supported the agile movement as the only member-driven nonprofit certifying body in the agile space. As a trade association, we were founded and funded by the community for the community, a privilege we take seriously. Our organization is governed by a Board of Directors, who is tasked with guiding the organization towards a sustainable future by advising on strategy, ensuring legal and financial best practices, and advancing the mission of the organization.

Who Makes up the Board of Directors?

The Scrum Alliance Board of Directors has a minimum of nine members. Of these, at least five are appointed by a subcommittee on the board and known as Board Elected Directors. Three are elected by members of Scrum Alliance like you and referred to as Scrum Certified Members or SCM. One member is the current Chief Executive Officer of the organization.

In building the composition of the Board of Directors, it’s important to have members with a variety of backgrounds and skill sets, including legal, financial, business, leadership, and communication. When new members join the board, they evaluate their skills and attributes on a board skills matrix, which can include categories such as demographic information, previous experience serving on a board, industry, areas of expertise, governance competencies, and more. This gives the board and the executive team more insight into how the new board member can contribute to the board, as well as learn what skills gaps need to be filled. It’s important for the board to have a diverse array of experiences, skills, and backgrounds in order to bring multiple worldviews to the table when discussing strategic objectives.

How the Board of Directors Contributes to the Mission

The Board of Directors develops and sets the strategic direction of the organization, all while keeping the mission and vision as their North Star. They provide advice and feedback to the executive team in order to approve the strategic plan and budget for the organization. As part of this, they are also there to help foster ethical and responsible decision-making by management and the executive team. They are also responsible for approving any changes to the governance documents for the organization. 

The board also works with the Chief Financial Officer and accounting team to maintain audit and accounting practices to ensure that the organization is in good financial health. To do this, they make sure that the correct policies and procedures are in place for financial and non-financial risks and reporting.

Meet the New Members of the Board

In 2023, Scrum Alliance is excited to welcome two new members to the Board of Directors, Malene Jacobsen and Michael Schiebel. Jacobsen was chosen by you, the Scrum Alliance community, during our 2023 Scrum Certified Member election that took place in 2022. Schiebel is joining our board as a Board Elected Director, bringing an impressive background in finance with him.

Malene Marie Bendixen Jacobsen, Scrum Certified Member

Scrum Foundations Educator, CST®, CSM®, CSPO®, CSP®-SM, CSP®-PO

Malene has dedicated her career to empowering people to be the best version of themselves, and challenging companies to create the right environment for these people to thrive. She is a true believer in agile: you don’t do agile, you become agile!

Her dedication to the scrum and agile community shows in her volunteer work throughout the years (Gathering Reviewer, User Group Leader, Regional Scrum Gathering^SM host, Scrum Alliance Community Advisor, and Public Speaker). For the last 3+ years, she served as the Chairperson of Scrum User Group South Africa (SUGSA) with the mission to improve agile and scrum maturity in South Africa. 

On What Being a Board Member Means & Her Goals

“Firstly, I am honored to have been selected to be part of the board by our community. I feel a big obligation to serve the people the best possible way - give them a voice at the table.

I have a strong belief in Scrum Alliance’s vision and feel proud to be able to support the strategy through the work we do on the board. My goal is that we create a strong board that supports the Scrum Alliance management in keeping Scrum Alliance relevant, sustainable, diverse, and of course working towards our vision of making agile the way of working so universal, it's simply called working.”

Michael Schiebel, Board Elected Director

Michael Schiebel joins the Scrum Alliance board with an impressive background in finance and technology. He is the Chief Financial Officer of Allianz Technology U.S. and has held finance roles in technology and financial service companies in Europe and in the U.S. He is passionate about business growth, digital transformation, team building, and agile ways of working. 

Schiebel is passionate about building strong teams, growing companies, and supporting business partners in ambiguous, fast-paced environments. Recently, he led Allianz’s business transformation from on-premise data centers to cloud and achieved the AWS Partner certification of Allianz Technology U.S.

On What Being a Board Member Means & His Goals

“I have long shared Scrum Alliance’s belief that the agile way of working empowers people and organizations to build a better world. I look forward to working with Tristan, Michael and the other board members to help Scrum Alliance pursue its vision of a world where an agile way of working is so universal that it’s simply called working.”

How to Get Involved

Every year, Scrum Alliance holds a Scrum Certified Member election, where active members of Scrum Alliance can nominate and elect a board member to act as their voice and advocate for the interests of the community. We encourage all of our members to nominate a candidate, as well as vote in the election. Keep an eye out for a call for nominations in late spring and the election later in the summer.