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 ccTLDs .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.