Nigel Roberts


Country:	Channel Island
Website:	[roberts.gg roberts.gg]
Twitter:	@nigelrbrts

Nigel Roberts is the founder and CEO of the Island Networks group of companies, which run the [[ccTLD]s] .gg (Guernsey) and .je (Jersey). He was one of the first elected members, representing the ccTLD Constituency, of ICANN's Domain Name Supporting Organisation, which subsequently became the GNSO and CCNSO.

Education[edit | edit source]

Nigel studied Computer Science at Essex University. During his time there he played a minor role as one of a group of students who created the world's first multi-user computer game.

He graduated with a B.Sc. degree in Computing Science in 1980. In 1978 while still at the University he discovered a route to the nascent ARPANET, and claims the dubious distinction that his first email address contained no dots.^[1]

In 2006, he obtained a degree in English Law from OU/College of Law and went on to be awarded a Qualifying Law Degree (LL.B) with First-Class honours in June, 2008.

Work[edit | edit source]

After graduation, he joined Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) which was, at the time, the second-largest computer company in the world. He worked on PDP-11 (RSX) and VAX/VMS computers on diverse projects, including pioneeering work on the ALL-IN-1 email and office automation package, and X.400 e-mail gateways.

In the early 1980s he worked for a number of companies and organisations throughout Europe as an independent consultant/contractor, including a number of years as a consultant contractor with DEC as well as at BT, SWIFT, and with the European Environment Agency in Denmark.

He is a Chartered Engineer and a Chartered IT Professional. In the early '90s he became one of the first UK engineers to be awarded the pan-European designation as a European Engineer (Eur.- Ing.)

Together with another ex-DEC contractor, he founded Island Networks in 1996, setting up the Channel Islands Registry for the .gg and .je TLDs. Island Networks is based in Alderney.