CEO Search Committee

The ICANN CEO Search Committee was formed following Rod Beckstrom's August 2011 announcement that he will not continue as CEO past the fulfillment of his term, completed on 1 July 2012. The topic of CEO succession planning was first discussed at a Board meeting on 17 September 2011, where they directed the Board Governance Committee to appoint members to a CEO Search Process Management Work Committee. The committee is contracting with search firm Odgers Berndtson in Brussels, who will be handling application inquiries and expressions of interest. In January 2012, ICANN began openly advertising the position in places such as The Economist.

The committee expects to announce their CEO selection in May, with the CEO taking office at the close of Beckstrom's term, on July 1, 2012.

Members

At a Board meeting on 11 October 2011, the BGC announced the following members, which were approved by the Board:

• George Sadowsky (chair)
• Steve Crocker
• Bertrand de la Chapelle
• Erika Mann
• Chris Disspain
• Cherine Chalaby
• Raymond A. Plzak
• Rajasekhar Ramaraj

Criteria

At ICANN 42 in Dakar, the committee held an open session to consult with the community on the process and criteria used for selection of the next CEO. They also set up an email address to receive input, with a deadline of November 15th 2011.

Public Comments

Alejandro Pisanty pointed out that one of the biggest challenges to the ICANN CEO is working with a Board that changes, has differing opinions and motivations, and its own internal politics. He also pointed out that the following the previous CEO selection process, expectations were too high for the new CEO, Rod Beckstrom, and suggested that the salary for the next CEO could be less than Beckstrom's. Desiree Miloshevic requested that the process proceed transparently and the CEO applications be made public. Ron Andruff thanked the committee for the opportunity to comment on the process, as there had not been such an opportunity during previous CEO hiring processes. He also brought up the topic of salary, saying that the CEO's salary should be commensurate with ICANN's success under his or her leadership. Werner Staub argued that ICANN is too dependent on its CEO, and the next CEO should be someone who is replaceable and makes themselves easily replaceable. He also argued that the position's salary should be lowered. Khaled Fattal emphasized that the CEO be able to operate on behalf of global public interest, as the Internet is expanding internationally. He also addressed protecting against potential conflicts of interest in regards to the new gTLD program. Sebastien Bachollet pointed out that the new CEO could come from anywhere, and that they don't need to be a superman or superwoman, but someone who can run the organization under the guidance of the Board and properly serve the volunteers within the organization. Jonathan Zuck emphasized that ICANN is at a critical point of transition, and that the organization was not being run well enough. The next speaker, Roelof Meijer, agreed, saying that a major criteria for the next CEO should be the ability to improve the quality and performance of ICANN.

Final Criteria

The job description can be found here. The criteria decided upon by the search committee was divided into four categories: Professional, Personal, Technical, and The Internet Governance Ecosystem. The following are examples of each facet:

Professional

• Public, corporate, or academic service at a high international level;
• Experience working with different countries or cultures;
• Track record of achieving results.

Personal

• Consensus builder, motivator, persuader;
• Innovative;
• Empathetic, especially to those with differing backgrounds;
• Earns respect and generates trust;
• Multicultural, skilled at language, practiced communicator and public speaker.

Technical

• Knowledge of Internet architecture;
• Familiarity with ICANN community and system, including registries, registrars, ICANN's Multistakeholder Model and policy development processes;
• Understanding of the domain name market.

The Internet Governance Ecosystem

• Understand the institutions involved in the functioning of the Internet, including but not limited to IETF, ISOC, and W3C;
• Knowledge of relevant government stakeholders.

The full list of criteria can be found here. It is not expected that every candidate will meet every criteria.

At the CEO Succession Forum in Dakar, the committee also mentioned that no member of the current or incoming Board will apply or be considered under any circumstance for the position of CEO.