The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is seeking Expressions of Interest for the Chair and Chair-Elect of the 2024 Nominating Committee (NomCom).
Expressions of Interest, which will be maintained as confidential, should be sent to NomComChair2024@icann.org no later than 12 June 2023. You may choose to use this form.
The NomCom Chair is responsible for organizing the NomCom in its activities to select certain ICANN Board members and individuals to serve in key leadership positions within ICANN's Supporting Organizations (SOs) and Advisory Committees (ACs), in accordance with ICANN's Bylaws. The Chair is a nonvoting member of the NomCom selected by ICANN's Board to serve until the conclusion of the next ICANN Annual Meeting.
The Chair-Elect, a position created as a result of an independent review of the NomCom, is not intended to fill an advisory role. Rather, the Chair-Elect will receive the benefit of training while serving alongside the Chair, gaining skills and knowledge to be applied in the Chair-Elect's anticipated succession to the role of the Chair.
Candidates for Chair-Elect should possess the same skills as candidates for the Chair.
In July 2022, the ICANN Board appointed Vanda Scartezini as the 2023 NomCom Chair and Amir Qayyum as the 2023 NomCom Chair-Elect.
Article 8, Section 8.3(d) of the Bylaws states:
It is anticipated that upon the conclusion of the term of the Chair-Elect, the Chair-Elect will be appointed by the Board to the position of Chair. However, the Board retains the discretion to appoint any other person to the position of Chair. At the time of appointing a Chair-Elect, if the Board determines that the person identified to serve as Chair shall be appointed as Chair for a successive term, the Chair-Elect position shall remain vacant for the term designated by the Board.
Further, the NomCom evaluates the performance of the current NomCom leadership in support of continuous improvement in its accountability and transparency. The results of that evaluation will be available to the Board Governance Committee (BGC) before it makes a recommendation to the full Board on the 2024 NomCom leadership. These reviews will be conducted by an independent third-party provider and will consist of interviewing other NomCom leadership, NomCom members, and designated NomCom staff. The BGC will utilize the outcomes of these reviews in its process leading up to the Board's formal appointment of the 2024 NomCom Chair and Chair-Elect.
Position Description
The NomCom Chair position blends time-management and negotiation skills with the practical aspects of conducting a worldwide search for individuals to fill various ICANN leadership positions. The Chair will be called on to schedule, organize, and lead numerous in-person and telephonic meetings with a large committee of community members.
The NomCom Chair is responsible for managing the candidate identification and statement of interest process with other committee members. The NomCom Chair will also manage the performance of due diligence on nominated candidates, in cooperation with ICANN's General Counsel and any retained outside firm(s). Throughout all NomCom activities, the Chair is responsible for ensuring that all NomCom operating rules and procedures are followed, and that all required documentation and reports are prepared in a timely fashion and provided to the proper parties as necessary.
Skills and Experience
To properly serve as the NomCom Chair, the selected individual must have:
- Adequate time available to undertake the role.
- Excellent communication and negotiation skills to manage a committee of 20–21 members.
- A clear understanding of the duties and responsibilities of each position for which the NomCom is selecting candidates.
- Experience on or with a Board of Directors of organizations of similar scale, scope, and level of diversity as ICANN.
- Strong organization and leadership skills.
- Ability to remain unbiased.
- No conflicts of interest.
- A thorough understanding of and ability to satisfy all criteria set forth in ICANN Bylaws relating to the NomCom.
- Familiarity with or experience working within the ICANN ecosystem.
- Current or recent experience serving on the NomCom.
(See http://www.icann.org/general/bylaws.htm#article8.)
Specific Duties and Responsibilities
The NomCom Chair is responsible for:
- Planning and scheduling NomCom meetings as required, including ensuring the posting the schedules for public review.
- Appointing a nonvoting Associate Chair if so desired.
- Reporting to the ICANN Board and the community on status of the NomCom.
- Preparing and publishing the NomCom report.
- Ensuring that NomCom operating rules and procedures are followed.
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Managing NomCom Selection Process, including:
- Approving outreach and advertising methods for attracting candidates.
- Conducting outreach with ICANN Stakeholder groups, Constituencies, ACs, SOs, (with Chairs of those groups), ICANN Board, and others.
- With other committee members, reviewing and evaluating the candidate Statements of Interest and references submitted during the NomCom process.
- Coordinating due diligence on nominated candidates in cooperation with the ICANN General Counsel's office and any outside firm(s) retained to perform due diligence activities.
- Approving the posting of NomCom announcements and schedules on the ICANN website.
- Ensuring that NomCom records are properly established, maintained, and archived.
Eligibility Exclusion
No person who is an employee of or is a paid consultant for ICANN (including the Ombudsman) shall simultaneously serve as a member of the NomCom, including the post of Chair or Chair-Elect.
Expenses
All reasonable travel expenses and administrative costs incurred as a result of performing the duties of the NomCom Chair or Chair-Elect in accordance with ICAN's policies will be reimbursed by ICANN upon submission of valid receipts and invoices.
Expressions of Interest
Expressions of Interest, which will be maintained as confidential, should be sent to: NomComChair2024@icann.org no later than 12 June 2023. A suggested form for submitting an Expression of Interest is available here.
For more information about the NomCom, see http://nomcom.icann.org/.