Tunis, Tunisia – The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) announces that Paul Verhoef will be joining the ICANN staff on a full-time basis as the Vice President of Supporting Organizations and Committee Support. Paul Verhoef joins ICANN from his position as the head of international policy aspects for the Information Society Directorate General for the European Commission (EC). In that role that he has been working toward developing and coordinating information society policy and working closely with the 15 current and 10 new member states of the European Union, including work with ICANN, the World Summit Information Society (WSIS), the G8 Dot Force, the Global Business Dialogue on e-commerce, the ITU Development Advisory Group, and the UN ICT Task Force.
In his new position, Mr. Verhoef will provide assistance to the policy development process, in particular for the Supporting Organizations and the Committees of ICANN. To accomplish that end, his primary responsibility will be to manage support for key constituency groups. He will also help to promote the development of Internet policy, facilitate the contacts with and among the various Internet constituencies, and encourage diverse and international participation in the technical management of the Internet.
ICANN CEO/President Dr. Paul Twomey stated, “We are very fortunate to have someone of Paul Verhoef’s experience and expertise in this international arena. His experience specifically with the international public and private sector communities will be a great contribution to ICANN in its future endeavors.”
Dr. Twomey continued, “Coinciding with Paul Verhoef’s appointment, ICANN will open an office in Brussels, Belgium, in a continued commitment to internationalize the functioning of the organization and bring it closer to its constituencies”.
Hailing from the Netherlands, Mr.Verhoef has ten years of experience with the EC. He speaks four European languages. His prior responsibilities included overseeing the development of international policies in telecommunications, the Internet, e-commerce, and the Information Society, while also leading negotiations, supporting relevant programs, and implementing plans and policies.
His EC experience also includes terms as the Advisor to the Director General of the Information Society in Brussels, and as staff member of the private offices of the previous EU Commissioner responsible for Information Society policies.
For more information on Mr. Verhoef please visit http://www.icann.org/biog/verhoef.htm.