The Swiss-based not-for-profit Crypto Valley Association (CVA) has announced the election of two women on their board boosting it from five to seven.

They will be joined by Maria Gomez, as lead for Ecosystem Development at blockchain-based Aragon, and Jenna Zenk (pictured with Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin), CTO of Zug-based startup Melonport.

The women will help the association in its mission to build an open, inclusive and world-leading blockchain and cryptographic ecosystem.

With diverse backgrounds in finance law and asset management, the pair bring a wealth of experience to the board, while boosting its membership.

The organisation says the appointments are part of ”a concerted effort by the CVA to improve gender diversification in the blockchain space.”

Concerted effort

Oliver Bussmann, president of Crypto Valley Association, said: “We are thrilled to have found two competent and committed new board members, who are equally committed to the success of Crypto Valley and will help us continue our efforts.”

Gomez has a track record in corporate and finance law and has worked on business development, operations and strategy in leading crypto organisations. She was a corporate lawyer before she joined Aragon as Lead for Ecosystem Development. She worked in mergers and acquisitions practice and corporate finance.

Paris and New York

Meanwhile, Zenk is a software engineer who also has experience in finance. She graduated from ESCP Europe in Paris with a Masters in Management and Financial Engineering. Before joining Melonport, she worked in Paris and New York in the hedge fund industry.

Gomez said she was “happy to join the board and have the opportunity to help build a strong, diverse and international ecosystem where the values and vision of the projects, teams and people working on an open, neutral, borderless and censorship-resistant blockchain technologies are represented.”

Zenk said she was “excited to join the CVA board to represent the voice of the crypto startups and technologists in their efforts to build cutting-edge technology and drive innovation forward.”