Byron Holland
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Byron Holland is the President and Chief Executive Officer of CIRA (the Canadian Internet Registration Authority) since January 2008.[1] He is a Canadian entrepreneur and a member of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Board of Directors, serving on its Finance, Audit and Compensation Committees.
Holland is widely known for his work in internet governance, ccTLD operations and multistakeholder engagement in North America, Europe and Asia.
He has held executive roles in both the private and not-for-profit sectors, and is an expert in internet infrastructure, governance and organizational growth. He is responsible for CIRA’s growth, as the Canadian registry now manages 3.4 million .CA domain names and provides DNS services for more than 30% of the world’s top-level domain operators.
He played a role in positioning the organization as a global contributor to internet governance initiatives and technical collaboration. CIRA, under Holland’s leadership, became a founding member of A Technical Community Coalition for Multistakeholderism (TCCM), a group of technical operators from across the globe advocating for an evolved and strengthened multistakeholder approach to Internet governance to keep the Internet open, free, global, secure, resilient and interoperable for all.
Career History[edit | edit source]
- President and CEO of CIRA (2008-present)
- Former Chair, Customer Standing Committee (CSC)
- Former Chair and Vice Chair, Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO)
- Member, American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) Nominations Committee (2019–2022)
- Board Director, Council of European National Top-Level Domain Registries (CENTR), Brussels (2021–2024)
- Treasurer, CENTR Board of Directors, Brussels (2024–2025)
- Board Director, Toronto Internet Exchange (TorIX) (2019–2023)
- Vice Chair, Toronto Internet Exchange (TorIX) (2023–2025)
- Founding partner and former Chief Operating Officer of Futura Rewards
ICANN & Internet Governance Participation[edit | edit source]
- Board Director, ICANN (2025–Present)
- Board Director representative on Finance, Compensation and Audit Committees, ICANN (2025–Present)
- Founding Member, A Technical Community Coalition for Multistakeholderism (2022–Present)
- Vice Chair, ICANN – ccNSO (2017–2019)
- Chair, ICANN Customer Standing Committee (2016–2019)
- Chair, IANA Stewardship Transition and Accountability Coordination Committee (2014–2016)
- Chair, ICANN – Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) (2013–2016)
- Co-Chair, ccNSO Working Group to Develop an IANA Stewardship Transition Proposal on Naming Related Functions (July 2014 – Sept 2014)
- Chair, ccNSO Finance Working Group (2010–2013)
- Vice Chair, ICANN – ccNSO (2009–2013)
- Chair (inaugural), ccNSO Strategic and Operating Planning Working Group (2008–2010)
- Member, ccNSO (2008–2009)
Publications[edit | edit source]
- Technical Community Calls for Stronger, Smarter Internet Governance in New Global [Framework], CircleID
- Here’s how we can improve cybersecurity for Canadians and businesses, The Globe and Mail
Education[edit | edit source]
- Institute of Corporate Directors, ICD.D [2]
- Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Queen’s University
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Western Ontario
Videos & interviews[edit | edit source]
- Does the Internet Need Saving? — TEDxKanata talk by Byron Holland
- CIRA CEO Byron Holland on the future of .CA
References[edit | edit source]
ICANNWiki resources: Special Pages | Content Guide | Documentation | Development || Maintenance: Articles needing attention | Candidates for deletion || Projects: Internet & Digital Governance Library