At the Blender Conference, Ton Roosendaal, the creator of the Blender 3D modeling system, announced his departure from the position of head of the organization Blender Foundation after 30 years of service. Roosendaal, who recently turned 65, will now take a place in the observation council of Blender Foundation. The reason for his departure is his desire to transfer management to a young and talented team that can lead the project in the next decade.
Effective January 1, 2026, the responsibilities of the chairman of the board of directors and CEO will be transferred to Francesco Siddi, the current operating director. Siddi has been with Blender Foundation since 2012 and has held various roles such as animator, web developer, producer, manager, Blender Studio manager, and operating director. Additionally, Sergey Sharybin has been appointed as the development manager, Dalai Felinto as the director of product development, and Fiona Cohen as the operating director.