View source for Andrei Kolesnikov

==Career History==
Before assuming the position of CEO for RU-CENTER in March 2009, Koleniskov served as Council Member for the organization and Deputy Media Director for [[VympelCom]], a telecommunications company in Russia from 2005 to 2009.<ref>
[http://www.telecomru.ru/article/?id=5506 The Russian Telecommunications Market 2009]</ref> 

He represented Russia in the development of the "Okinawa Charter on Global Information Society,” which was adopted by the G8 member countries during the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) conference in 2000.<ref>[http://wwwv1.agora21.org/informations/onu-rapport2.pdf General Assembly Economic and Social Council, may 22, 2000]</ref>

In 1991, he served as a Telecommunications Engineer for the All-Union Research Institute of Applied Automatic Systems (AUIAAS) and San-Francisco-Moscow Teleport (SFMT) joint venture. He was instrumental in the development of an e-mail system with direct terminal access and Internet channel connecting computers of AUIAAS and research networks in the USA. He was also one of the eight individual representatives for Internet service providers who signed an agreement that paved the way for the delegation of the .ru ccTLD. From 1994 until 1995, he took part in the development of the first license for telematics and led the introduction of Russia-On-Line, the first and largest Internet-dial up access service provider in Russia. He entered the telecommunications industry through public initiatives, including helping launch the telecommunication connection between the United States and USSR in 1988.<ref>[http://www.cctld.ru/en/about/structure/director/Andrei Kolesnikov - CEO, CC for TLD RU]</ref>

===ICANN Involvement & Other Activities===
Mr. Kolesnikov is a member of the [[SSAC]] and has previously been a member of [[ICANN]]'s [[GNSO Council]]. He was appointed by the [[NomCom]]<ref>[http://gnso.icann.org/council/soi/kolesnikov-soi-30sep09.htm Andrei Kolesnikov Statement of Interest]</ref> in October 2009 and served through September 2011.<ref name="linkedin"></ref> In November 2011, he issued a statement regarding RU-CENTER's interest in submitting an application to ICANN for the [[.children]] TLD in [[New gTLD Program]].<ref>[http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/28/children_gtld/print.html Won't someone think of the .children, begs Russian registry .ru operator to ask ICANN for kid-friendly TLD]</ref>

Andrei Kolesnikov is an active participant in different international organizations and conferences dedicated to the development of the Internet, such as the [[IGF]], [[RIPE]], [[CENTR]], [[APTLD]], and the [[ITU]]. He is also a member of Friendly Runet Foundation, a division of the [[Safe Internet League]] dedicated to combating child abuse and pornography. On Dec. 20, 2011, Andrei signed a partnership agreement between RU-CENTER and the foundation to fight against the spread of malicious content on the web.<ref>[http://www.cctld.ru/en/news/news_detail.php?ID=3119 The Safe Internet league to Provide Registrars with Information About Illicit Resources]</ref>