Dirk Krischenowski

Affiliation:	dotBERLIN
Country:	Germany
Email:	krischenowski [at] dot.berlin
Website:	http://www.krischenowski.de
Facebook:	[www.facebook.com/krischenowski Dirk Krischenowski]
LinkedIn:	[de.linkedin.com/in/krischenowski Dirk Krischenowski]
Twitter:	@krischenowski
Currently a member of ICANN's RySG

Dirk Krischenowski is the founder and originator of the .berlin top-level domain and also shareholder and CEO of its registry operator dotBERLIN GmbH & Co. KG. He's also partner at the TLD consultancy DOTZON GmbH.

Career History

Dirk started his career in various marketing and sales positions, leading national and international pharmaceutical companies like Takeda, Sanofi and Novatris. Apart from his marketing duties, he focused on developing global e-business solutions and developing business models for health portals while working for leading European media companies like Bertelsmann. He was also a member of the European Commission e-Business W@tch Advisory Board. He is a frequent speaker at e-Business and domain strategy conferences and teaches on a regular basis about virtual communities at the Institute of Electronic Business in Berlin (IEB).

He has a background in biochemistry and economics.

From the late 1990s, Dirk originated the idea of top-level domains as unique identity and place branding tool for cities and regions on the Internet into a business with founding dotBERLIN GmbH & Co. KG in 2005. His efforts significantly contributed to the creation of the New gTLD application process and the applicant guidebook at ICANN.

In 2009, Dirk founded the DOTCITIES city top-level domain constituency along with the City of Paris, the City of Barcelona and initiatives in New York and Hamburg. The constituency aims to become a registered interest group at international forums and city organizations such as Metropolis, UCLG and ICANN.

During the last years he published various papers on how local top-level domains contribute to place branding; Dirk also has been speaker at numerous conferences on the topic, including United Nations (IGF), European Council, ICANN and many other events. Due to his work over the past years Dirk created awareness and incited cities and regions worldwide to aim for their respective top-level domain as in New York, Paris, Tokyo, and Bavaria.

In June, 2011, the German Internet Association eco e.V. honored Dirk Krischenowski with a special award for his exceptional achievements on the New gTLDs, especially with regards to cities and regions.

Since May 2017, Dirk is a member of the eco Association Names & Numbers Steering Committee.

TLD initatives

.berlin

In 1999, Dirk started working on the idea of a top level domain for the community of Berlin, .berlin, and in 2005 he founded dotBERLIN GmbH & Co. KG with Alexander Schubert.

In 2009, together with the top-level domain initiatives of the City of Paris, the City of Barcelona and initiatives in New York and Hamburg, Dirk founded the cityTLD Interest Group also called DOTCITIES, which aims to become a registered interest group at international forums and city organizations such as Metropolis, UCLG and ICANN. CityTLD initiatives from Rome, Cologne, London, Tokyo and Seoul have joined the group.

Given that ICANN has yet to create and allocate .berlin as an extension, Mr. Krischenowski's company does not have assurance that they will indeed become the managers of that particular space; this is further emphasized given that Minds + Machines has apparrently started its own initiative, challenging not only .berlin, but other proposed new gTLDs like .gay.

DOTZON

Mr. Krischenowski's interest in new gTLDs, and his expertise in the development process thus far, led him to co-found DOTZON. The company consults other individuals and companies regarding the new gTLD process, and helps them to brand themselves, build a strategy, and prepare for the application. They are also offer to help with the actual launch and operation of the TLD, and ensure that all ICANN requirements are met. Dirk notes the importance of these services given that, "Applicants may find they only get one shot at applying for a new TLD though, as TLD strings will be distributed on a first come, first served basis." They are the only German company that specializes in gTLD consultations, and one of few such companies in existence worldwide.

Industry Participation

Dirk is involved with Germany's chapter of ISOC; he was elected to its board of trustees in 2010. He is involved in a variety of German and international IT organizations, a full list can be found at his website. He attends meetings such as those associated with ICANN, Domain Pulse, and others. He is active in the ICANN Studienkreis.

Education

He has a master of science in biochemistry and BA in business administration from Technische Universität in Berlin.

Top-Level Domain