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# Meeting Minutes 01/13/2026
## Attendees:
| Name | Attendance | Role | Voting Seat (Y/N) | Election Cycle |
| --------------- | ---------- | --------- | ----------------- | -------------- |
| Tim Harrison | Yes | Chair | Y | April 2026 |
| Lara Bonasorte | Yes | Secretary | N | N/A |
| Andy Hung | Yes | Member | Y | April 2026 |
| Anuj Chaudhary | Yes | Member | Y | April 2026 |
| Hasitha Raymond | Yes | Member | Y | April 2026 |
| Laura Mattiucci | Yes | Member | Y | April 2026 |
| Maggie Schmidt | No | Member | Y | October 206 |
| Otavio Lima | No | Member | Y | October 2026 |
| Reshan Fernando | Yes | Member | Y | October 2026 |
| Wes Parkinson | Yes | Member | Y | October 2026 |
| Yoram Ben Zvi | No | Member | Y | October 2026 |
Other Guests:
* Andy Wyeth
* Fergie Miller
* Marco Petraca
* Natalie Tillack
* Niamh Ahern
* Patrick Tobler
* Pedro Lucas
* Terence McCutcheon
* Yves Bollinger
**Recording:** [Growth & Marketing Committee - 2026/01/13 - Recording](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dj93EDOpHD8MCIvVOChPdTqlRIfQnPbM/view?usp=sharing)
**Transcript:** [Growth & Marketing Committee - 2026/01/13 - Transcript](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yABlb831sEpHVoU2sv5f30O3HBVxtv9RCp0YFlHOQJ8/edit?usp=sharing)
**Chat Transcript:** [Growth & Marketing Committee - 2026/01/13 - Chat](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1p1en9iytMFHR6TThjMUmFz-Y86HpVjX3/view?usp=sharing)
## Intros/COI
Andy: Pacific Meta\
Anuj: Yoroi Wallet & EMURGO India Lead\
Hasitha: Elected Member(GMC), Intersect / Cardano Ecosystem Contributor since 2020\
Laura: Director Marketing and Comms at CF\
Maggie: TBD\
Otavio: TBD\
Reshan: TBD\
Tim: EVP Community & Ecosystem, Input | Output\
Tex: Open Source Program Manager(Intersect), OSC Secretary, Committee Liaison\
Wes: Rare Network\
Yoram: TBD
## Agenda 1.13.26
* Open Forum
## Decisions/Actions
**Decisions**
* **Adoption of a "Serious Business" Narrative:** The committee reached a consensus on repositioning Cardano as a mission-critical infrastructure for "serious business" to bridge the gap between technical excellence and public perception.
* **Agency Strategy:** It was decided that Service Plan will move forward with a proposal to act as a central marketing agency to provide the governance and brand alignment currently lacking in the ecosystem.
* **Research Prioritization:** The committee acknowledged and accepted the transition of research streams (like LEOS) into the engineering and implementation phases.
* **Election Timeline:** The Vice Chair election process was confirmed to begin with a 5-day window for declarations of interest, followed by a formal vote.
**Actions**
* **Lara:** Send an official email to all committee members today to solicit formal interest for the Vice Chair position.
* **Service Plan Team:** Incorporate the committee's feedback regarding "boring vs. fun" and "blockchain terminology" into the upcoming creative assets.
* **Service Plan Team:** Draft and submit a Treasury withdrawal proposal to fund ongoing marketing and brand governance work.
* **Laura:** Share the research document regarding "Digital Trust Infrastructure" with the Service Plan team to help refine the brand terminology.
* **Fergie & Niamh:** Finalize the 2025 research reports by the last week of January after incorporating any community feedback from the Cardano forum.
* **All Members:** Review the draft research reports on the Cardano forum and provide feedback before the end-of-month deadline.
* **Niamh:** Publish the upcoming blog post summarizing the 2025 research streams for the wider community.
| Topic | Discussion | Notes |
| -------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Welcome & Introductions | Lara and Tim welcomed the committee and introduced the Service Plan team (Yves, Marco, and Andy), who are currently working on marketing initiatives within the Cardano ecosystem. | Tim emphasized that the goal is to create a knowledge-sharing environment with agencies. |
| Service Plan Overview | Yves introduced Service Plan as a global, independent, family-owned creative network with 56 years of history and over 6,500 employees. | Service Plan operates on three pillars: Creative Agency, Media Agency, and Platform Business (Planet). |
| The "Uncomfortable Truth" | Marco discussed the gap between Cardano’s strong product and its "catastrophically bad communication." He noted the internal pride versus an external perception of the project as volatile or overly academic. | The team highlighted that Cardano’s engineering-driven reputation is often misunderstood by the "outside bubble." |
| Repositioning Strategy | Marco proposed shifting the narrative from technical features to "Trust Narratives." The goal is to move from "Casino/Playground" perceptions to a "Mission Critical" infrastructure. | The core hypothesis is: "Cardano is the one and only blockchain for serious business." |
| Target Audiences | The team identified three primary targets: Enterprises/Public Sector (reliability), Builders (trust/stability), and Governments (governance-ready infrastructure). | The positioning focuses on integrity by design and fail-proof systems. |
| Discussion on "Blockchain" Terminology | Natalie questioned whether the term "blockchain" should be used, or if it's better to lead with value (e.g., "Trust Infrastructure"). Marco argued for keeping it initially for clarity in new markets. | Laura noted that recent research suggests using "Digital Trust Infrastructure" as a benefit-led alternative. |
| Balance: Serious vs. Fun | Tim raised the challenge of being "the adult in the room" without being "boring" or "boomer-like." Andy agreed, noting the creative challenge of being robust yet human and playful. | The goal is to be "boringly robust" in tech but entrepreneurial and fun in community spirit. |
| Agency Governance | Patrick explained that Service Plan aims to position itself as a lead agency for the Cardano ecosystem to provide a unified brand governance structure. | Marco noted that successful brands require central steering to align sentiments and demands. |
| Next Steps for Service Plan | Yves stated the team will incorporate committee feedback to develop creative assets and aims to submit a Treasury proposal for funding soon. | The team wants to move quickly to capitalize on momentum from the Cardano Summit. |
| 2025 Research Reports | Fergie and Niamh presented the 2025 Year-End Research Reports, covering 20 prioritized research streams, including Ouroboros, Hydra, and Zero Knowledge. | The team achieved 24 research outputs (exceeding the committed 20), published at leading conferences. |
| Research Dissemination | Anuj asked about reaching audiences outside the "eco-chamber." Fergie noted a revamped 2026 plan will include more external communication and blog summaries. |
|
| Vice Chair Election | Lara provided an update on the Vice Chair election. A formal email will be sent to members to finalize the candidate list. | Members have 5 days to express interest; Laura has already committed. |
| Voting Method | The committee discussed whether to vote via the Intersect members' area tool or live during the next call. | Tim emphasized ensuring all potential candidates have a chance to step forward before the vote. |
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