Next ICANN CEO: Candidate Criteria Published, Deadline for Applications

The ICANN CEO Search Committee has published the ICANN CEO Candidate Criteria (below) as well as the deadline for applications to be submitted: 20 September 2015

The Search Committee is comprised of George Sadowsky (Chair), Rinalia Abdul Rahim, Cherine Chalaby, Steve Crocker, Chris Disspain, Markus Kummer, Ram Mohan and Ray Plzak. The committee is being assisted by Odgers Berndtson (domain name: odgersberndtson.com), a global executive search firm. The comprehensive and excellent "candidate criteria," replicated below, may be found on the ICANN website, together with other information including details for submitting applications. Note: All candidate inquiries must be directed to Odgers Berndtson (contact email on the ICANN website at the link above). The "Candidate Criteria"--

Candidate Profile
ICANN requires a public interest-minded leader with a combination of business, diplomatic and organizational skills to assume the leadership of a successful multi-stakeholder organization. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate to the highest degree possible the following experience and skills. These have been grouped in no particular order under several headings that embody the multi-faceted nature of the role:

ICANN seeks candidates motivated to increase the effectiveness of the global Internet for the benefit of all.

Management and Operational Experience

• Solid record of achievement in respected public, corporate, academic service, NGOs, foundations, and/or other public service institutions 
• Proven record of strengthening, fostering and consolidating operational excellence 
• Previous experience working with and/or on Boards of non-profit and/or profit organizations 
• Ability to foster consensus-building 
• Significant experience of, and achievements in, a multi-stakeholder environment, and an understanding of policy development processes. 
• Experience in fostering diversity 
• Strong operational experience running an established organization of substantial size, with ultimate responsibility for all key functions 
• Success in managing the continued evolution of a dynamic organization, with complex legal issues and significant contractual relationships 
• Experience in resource allocation and the management of competing priorities 
• Experience in establishing, strengthening and consolidating business systems and processes 
• Good negotiator who would be able to represent ICANN and present it well in potentially adversarial environments

Global Experience

• Understanding of relevant political and policy processes, with awareness of current Internet issues around the world 
• Global exposure: experience working in leadership roles in different countries and with different cultures 
• Experienced leadership of dispersed international teams of significant size and active and diverse stakeholders 
• Experience managing complex and global process work flows and an ability to anticipate issues and advance pre-emptive action 
• Strong diplomatic skills, ability to balance between all facets of a complex ecosystem, including technical, business, and political aspect 
• Significant experience interacting and engaging with media 
• Close familiarity with the ways in which governments, the Internet technical community, civil society, business sector interests and regulatory authorities interact 

Leadership Style

• Intellectually engaging, contributes to 'thought leadership,' helps to define vision and strategy, and leverages the organization's competencies 
• Appreciates the aspects of multilingualism and how this affects many players in the developed and the developing world 
• Appreciates and handles the geopolitical currents and pressures that will affect the future of a global organization 
• Understands and demonstrates empathy, and instills that quality throughout the organization as a core part of the values and mode of operation. 
• Thrives on motivating a high level team of functioning specialists 
• A consensus builder, catalyst and motivator, who is practiced at, and enjoys, working in partnership and persuading others 
• Embodies and practices the inclusive and empowering multistakeholder approach and encourages significant volunteer involvement 

Personal Characteristics

• Aligns with ICANN's values: integrity, trust, humility, technical excellence, and public service 
• Multicultural with language skills, practiced communicator and public speaker 
• Strong belief in the value of the Internet: conscious of its role and complexity, fully embracesICANN's mission, its accountability requirements, and its bottom-up process 
• Relishes work within a community empowered organization, while taking into account the different interests of the different communities in a balanced and fair way 
• Excellent interpersonal skills at all levels 
• Committed to strengthening diversity 
• Ability to generate trust with all stakeholders and respect their input 
• Adept at rapid assimilation and adjustment to new environments 

Understanding of Internet technology and the Domain Name Industry

• Able to work within ICANN's technical remit in a rapidly evolving Internet governance ecosystem, ensuring the evolution of the organization within such a framework 
• Familiarity with /understanding of Internet technologies and, in particular, an understanding of the global Internet's systems of unique identifiers, including domain names, protocol parameters and addresses, and the functioning of domain name registries and registrars 
• Understanding of the domain name industry and its market structure and dynamics, including issues of competition, privacy, intellectual property, consumer protection and branding 
• Understanding of Internet addressing challenges and opportunities, including deployment of IPv6, exhaustion of IPv4, and the implications of IPv4 scarcity on the fundamental Internet architecture 

Understanding of the Internet Governance Ecosystem

• Understand the institutional environment of the Internet and its administrative governance systems, such as RIRs, IETF, IAB, ISOC, W3C, and other organizations 
• Awareness of the international dimensions, and the ability to interact with government and intergovernmental stakeholders 
• Knowledge of the UN system and other international organizations and processes 

Candidates may not match every single criterion listed above, but those who reach the final shortlist will satisfy many of them.

The candidate will be expected to work at ICANN's United States headquarters in Los Angeles, California. Substantial travel will be required. [End of the Candidate Criteria] (source: ICANN)

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ICANN 53, IANA Transition, Stakeholder Proposals, NTIA Questions

Ahead of the ICANN 53 meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina (pre-ICANN 53 meetings have already started in Buenos Aires) Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Lawrence E. Strickling, posted a review of the work thus far in the IANA Stewardship Transition, including the Cross-Community Working Group on Enhancing ICANN Accountability. Strickling raised several questions (excerpt follows, emphasis added):

NTIA Administrator
Lawrence E. Strickling
(source: US government)

"Next week, hundreds of members of the Internet stakeholder community will attend the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers’ (ICANN) 53rd meeting in Argentina ... one of NTIA’s top priorities continues to be the transition of NTIA’s role related to the Internet Domain Name System. Since we announced the IANA stewardship transition in March 2014, the response of the stakeholder community has been remarkable and inspiring ... the IANA Stewardship Transition Coordination Group (ICG) must combine these proposals into a consolidated transition proposal and then seek public comment on all aspects of the plan ... [The ICG] must build a public record for us on how the three customer group submissions tie together in a manner that ensures NTIA’s criteria are met and institutionalized over the long term.

... the final submission to NTIA must include a plan to enhance ICANN’s accountability. Given that the draft proposal of the Cross Community Working Group on Enhancing ICANN Accountability will be a major focus of the discussions next week in Argentina, I would like to offer the following questions for stakeholders to consider:

• The draft proposes new or modified community empowerment tools. How can the Working Group on Accountability ensure that the creation of new organizations or tools will not interfere with the security and stability of the DNS during and after the transition? 
• Do new committees and structures create a different set of accountability questions?
• The draft proposal focuses on a membership model for community empowerment. Have other possible models been thoroughly examined, detailed, and documented? 
• Has the working group designed stress tests of the various models to address how the multistakeholder model is preserved if individual ICANN Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees opt out? 
• Similarly, has the working group developed stress tests to address the potential risk of capture and barriers to entry for new participants of the various models? 
• Further, have stress tests been considered to address potential unintended consequences of “operationalizing” groups that to date have been advisory in nature?
• The draft proposal suggests improvements to the current Independent Review Panel (IRP). The IRP has been criticized for its own lack of accountability. How does the proposal analyze and remedy existing concerns with the IRP?
• In designing a plan for improved accountability, should the working group consider what exactly is the role of the ICANN Board within the multistakeholder model? 
• Should the standard for Board action be to confirm that the community has reached consensus, and if so, what accountability mechanisms are needed to ensure the Board operates in accordance with that standard?
• The proposal is primarily focused on the accountability of the ICANN Board. Has the Working Group also considered if there need to be accountability improvements that would apply to ICANN management and staff or to the various ICANN Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees?
• ... the ICG, the Working Group on Accountability will need to build a public record and thoroughly document how the NTIA criteria have been met and will be maintained in the future. As the plans take final shape, I hope the community starts to focus on the matter of implementation of its recommendations. Have the issues of implementation been identified and addressed in the proposal so that the community and ICANN can implement the plan as expeditiously as possible once we have reviewed and accepted it? 

... after the Buenos Aires meeting, NTIA will need to make a determination on extending its current contract with ICANN, which expires on September 30, 2015. Last month, I asked both the ICG and the Working Group on Accountability for an update on the transition planning, as well as their views on how long it will take to finalize and implement the transition plan if it were approved. Keeping in mind that the community and ICANN will need to implement all work items identified by the ICG and the Working Group on Accountability as prerequisites for the transition before the contract can end, the community’s input on timing is critical and will strongly influence how NTIA proceeds with the contract extension. I look forward to hearing from everyone in Buenos Aires. At this key juncture, it is timely to not only take stock of all the work that has occurred, but also what lies ahead." 

Read Secretary Strickling's full comments here: Stakeholder Proposals to Come Together at ICANN Meeting in Argentina.

Members of ICANN's CCWG-Accountability have started discussing and answering Strickling's (who is referred to as simply "Larry" on the CCWG mail list) questions:
http://mm.icann.org/pipermail/accountability-cross-community/2015-June/003429.html


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