IP: ICANN CEO Search

[Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>]

President and Chief Executive Officer of ICANN:

Position Description and Specifications

<http://www.penrhyn.com/members/Penrhyn/ChristopherMill_Part_memb.html>

Christopher Mill & Partners of London have been retained by the Board of 
the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers to identify 
candidates to succeed Michael Roberts as President and Chief Executive 
Officer. Inquiries, expressions of interest, and recommendations of 
possible candidates should be directed to 
<mailto:exec-search@icann.org>.



Background About ICANN

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is a non-profit, 
private sector corporation formed by a broad coalition of the Internet's 
business, technical, academic, and user communities. ICANN has been 
recognized by the U.S. Government as the global consensus entity to succeed 
the US Government-sponsored Internet Assigned Numbers Authority that for 
many years co-ordinated the technical management of the Internet's domain 
name system, the allocation of IP address space, the assignment of protocol 
parameters, and the management of the root server system.

ICANN is dedicated to preserving the operational stability of the Internet; 
to promoting competition; to achieving broad representation of the global 
Internet community; and to coordinating policy through private-sector, 
consensus-based means.

ICANN is a non-profit corporation with a 19-member volunteer Board of 
Directors. Its Board has worked to pave the way for a smooth and stable 
transition from the present technical management system, which has been 
authorized and funded by the US Government, to a new privatized 
international system. The Chairman and Directors have been drawn from a 
wide range of backgrounds and nations.

In early November 1999, ICANN's nine-member Initial Board was joined by 
nine newly-elected Directors chosen by ICANN's three supporting organizations:
    * The Domain Name Supporting Organization
    * The Address Supporting Organization
    * The Protocol Supporting Organization
which collectively represent a broad cross-section of the global Internet's 
business, technical, academic, and user communities. In addition, ICANN has 
recently launched its At Large Membership initiative, that will be 
responsible for choosing At-Large Directors to replace those on the Initial 
Board. By November 2000, the first round of At-Large elections will choose 
five At-Large Directors.

In the past, many of the essential technical coordination functions of the 
Internet were handled on an ad hoc basis by the U.S. government, its 
contractors and volunteers. This informal structure represented the spirit 
and culture of the research community in which the Internet developed. 
However, the growing international importance of the Internet has 
necessitated the creation of a technical management and policy development 
body that is both more formalized in structure, more accountable, and more 
fully reflective of the diversity of the world's Internet communities. 
Specifically, ICANN is responsible for co-ordination of the stable 
operation of the Internet in four key areas: the Domain Name System (DNS); 
the allocation of IP address space; the management of the root server 
system; and the co-ordination of protocol number assignment.

ICANN's mandate is not to "run the Internet." Rather, it is to co-ordinate 
the management of only those specific technical, managerial and policy 
development tasks that require central coordination -- the assignment of 
globally unique names, addresses, and protocol parameters as well as 
oversight of the procedures for populating the Domain Name System root 
server database.

ICANN has established its offices in Marina del Rey, California.  Further 
information about ICANN is available at 
<http://www.icann.org/>.

The current President and CEO, Michael Roberts, agreed to hold the position 
in the start-up phase of ICANN and during the transition to the elected 
Board of Directors.  The Board is now seeking candidates to succeed him as 
President and CEO.



The Position

The CEO is accountable to the Chairman and Board of Directors for the 
effective and efficient operation of ICANN, and for conformity of ICANN's 
operations with its Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation as well as with 
policies agreed by the Board.

Key elements of the position are:

Strategy
    * Develops and documents ICANN's strategic direction for the Board's 
approval
    * Informs the Board of market, technology and regulatory issues and 
trends which may impact on ICANN's goals
    * Develops for Board approval an annual operating plan and financial 
budget, taking into account the mechanisms by which funding is achieved
Leadership - external
    * With Board guidance, establishes ICANN's position and articulates 
ICANN policies to the Internet community, governments, and international 
organizations
    * Becomes the recognised spokesperson at senior level on issues of 
importance to ICANN
    * Builds a positive image of ICANN in relevant media
Leadership - internal
    * Brings the organization to high and sustained standards of performance
    * Creates a work environment which attracts and retains appropriate talents
    * Ensures that the organisation deals with fairness, transparency and 
integrity with employees, Domain Name registrars, Internet Service 
Providers and other businesses dependent on the Internet, the Supporting 
Organizations, governments and the Internet community in general, most 
especially its users.
Relationships
    * Establishes strong working relationships with the Board of Directors, 
especially its Chairman
    * Establishes good two way communication with the leadership of the 
Supporting Organizations
    * Establishes a government/international organizations program which 
wins influence and respect for ICANN
Organization
    * Staffs, trains and develops appropriately to meet ICANN's goals
    * Ensures that there is clarity of objectives and focus for all employees
    * Ensures that there are clear and appropriate standards of 
performance, and measurement of those standards
    * Ensures that appropriate compensation and benefit programs are in 
place and administered properly
Operations
    * Develops and implements processes which will ensure the achievement 
of ICANN's operational mission on time and within budget
    * Advises the Board about operational issues, and puts in place 
appropriate operational plans
    * Advises the Board about operational and organizational issues 
affecting the Supporting Organizations and ICANN's relationship with them
    * Ensures that operations conform with the ICANN Bylaws and Articles of 
Incorporation and guidance provided by the Board
Finance
    * Recommends funding plans to the Board
    * Plans and manages ICANN revenue and expenditure
    * Ensures the transparency and integrity of financial reporting



The Ideal Candidate

The successful candidate is likely to have many if not all the qualities 
and experience outlined below, combined with an enthusiasm for ICANN's 
purposes and the energy to achieve them.
    * Credibility to the Internet community and awareness of the history of 
the Internet and the many organizational entities that have influenced its 
development and/or are interested parties in its future evolution
    * Technical competence sufficient to detect bogus arguments in areas of 
relevance to ICANN's charter (IP address space administration and domain 
name management); failing this, at least an ability to seek competent 
advice in the presence of technical controversy.  Awareness of technical 
trends in Internet development that might impact on ICANN's work
    * A clear understanding of the political dynamics of achieving 
consensus on major ICANN issues and priorities, and of ICANN's charter and 
mission
    * A good command of English, as this is the language of the Board of 
Directors and is commonly used in international discussions among 
participants in the Internet community
    * An established reputation for fairness
    * Willingness and ability to consider relocation to the existing 
headquarters of ICANN in Southern California
    * Evident leadership skills and ability to generate enthusiasm
    * The persistence, persuasion, intelligence, and evident personal 
integrity to develop and maintain consensus and the support of major 
stakeholders
    * An open personal style, resilience as a listener, patient without 
letting priorities slip
    * Extensive international experience and evident cross-cultural 
sensitivity and achievements
    * Strength as an advocate of new ideas
    * Self starting, but able to make good use of the experience and 
efforts of others
    * Strong administrative disciplines, backed by a history of delivering 
on commitments
    * A sharp sense of priority, an ability to discriminate signal from 
noise and to get to solutions quickly
    * Experience of working with a large and diverse board of directors, 
helping it to work effectively, and developing a rapport with its members
    * A happy and frequent traveller
    * Excellent references

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