Amber Baldet, the face of JPMorgan’s corporate blockchain project Quorum and former head at the bank’s Blockchain Center of Excellence, has stepped down from her post. Baldet is reportedly seeking to head up her own blockchain startup, after having set the direction for much of JPMorgan’s blockchain ventures.
According to Fortune, a JPMorgan spokesperson confirmed Baldet’s resignation, adding in a statement that “We respect her desire to start her own venture and we wish her nothing but the best.”.
An internal bank memo released on Monday indicated that Baldet’s replacement had already been appointed. She will be replaced by Christine Moy, currently a senior product manager at the bank’s blockchain center. Moy, incidentally, was the first hire made by Baldet during her tenure, hinting that she had handpicked her successor.
Moy will be expected to continue JPMorgan’s push into corporate blockchain technology, primarily through its Quorum private blockchain, which is self-described as “an enterprise-focused version of Ethereum”. Its popularity has already fueled rumors of a spinoff, in the belief that a platform independent from the bank could appeal to a wider audience.
Moy had been working closely with Bardet in JPMorgan and was most recently leading product development across its investor services and capital markets businesses.
Bardet “overwhelmed” by support
A popular figure in the industry, well-wishers and offers appear to be inundating Baldet’s social media accounts. She today tweeted that “… I currently have 2,080 LinkedIn requests and my DMs are basically melting. This level of support is amazing and a bit overwhelming.”
So I currently have 2,080 LinkedIn requests and my DMs are basically melting. This level of support is amazing and a bit overwhelming. Please hang tight if I don’t respond right away, I’m working on it! ???
<underconstruction.gif> https://t.co/Ho9TGOxaeu— Amber ☘️ (@AmberBaldet) April 3, 2018
Amber Baldet, 35, is a regular attendant at hacker conferences, seen as one of the few in the blockchain industry to successfully assume the seemingly contrasting landscapes of the corporate realm and crypto sphere. Bloomberg has described her as “comfortable in the bank world as well as the cypherpunk or crypto community, and she seems equally authentic for both”.
