Fadi is out, who's next in?
Let the games begin--
POLITICO: "NEXT STEPS FOR ICANN — The news that Fadi Chehadé will step down as CEO of ICANN next spring caught many watchers off-guard. But the change, says a spokesperson, is just part of the Internet governance group's natural evolution. "As Chehadé has made clear, ICANN is more than just one person," says Brad White, ICANN's director of communications in North America. "He hasn't just led. He's also inspired a community of often divergent and conflicting opinions. As for the process going forward, the board will form a search committee which will likely hire headhunters that specialize in international organizations to look for likely candidates." They might not have to look too far. When Chehadé was chosen as CEO in 2012, he appointed as senior advisors two of the three runners-up: Egypt's Tarek Kamel and the U.K.'s Sally Costeron." (emphasis and links added)ICANN can, and should, do better than hiring headhunters to produce a list of possible candidates for an ICANN Board search committee to select its next CEO. That is unlikely to result in the kind of leadership ICANN desperately needs. Domain Mondo has suggested before, and reiterates, "Why would ICANN choose anyone as CEO who does not understand the domain name industry? Domain Mondo suggests that the next CEO of ICANN be selected from among the many, very talented people leading ccTLD registry operators throughout the world."
Right now, Domain Mondo can think of 3 individuals in ccTLD leadership positions--2 men and 1 woman--any one of whom would be far superior compared to ICANN's "batting average" in selecting past CEOs:
ICANN CEOs:
Michael Roberts, October 1998-March 2001
Stuart Lynn, March 2001-March 2003
Paul Twomey, March 2003-June 2009
Rod Beckstrom, July 2009-July 2012
Akram Atallah, July-September 13, 2012 (Interim)
Fadi Chehadé September 14, 2012-March 2016
Fadi Chehadé Opening Speech | ICANN 44 | Prague 25 June 2012: At the close of his speech he made three pledges: "I will listen ... I will be very transparent ... I will make all my decisions for the public interest."
See also: