The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Board of Directors has officially begun the process to search for and select ICANN's next President and Chief Executive Officer. At its 27 February 2023 Special Meeting, the Board approved the establishment of a President and CEO Search Committee. The committee will plan and execute a strategy to identify and recommend a pool of viable candidates to the full Board for the selection of ICANN's next leader.
The Board appointed eight members to serve on the committee, including its leadership: Chris Chapman (Chair), Sarah Deutsch (Vice Chair), Tripti Sinha, Becky Burr, Christian Kaufmann, Sajid Rahman, León Sánchez, and Katrina Sataki.
"The selection of a new President and CEO is one of the most critical fiduciary duties in front of the Board," said Tripti Sinha, ICANN Board Chair. "Today, ICANN is at an inflection point. There is growing pressure on the multistakeholder model as Internet services define national identities, the Domain Name System industry undergoes market-driven changes, the Internet's unique identifier systems landscape faces evolutionary challenges, and other transformations impact the Internet ecosystem. To make the best decision, in the global public interest, we must identify the professional and personal attributes that are most needed in the next ICANN President and CEO to lead us into the future."
One of the Search Committee's first tasks is to develop a candidate profile and job description. For this, the committee is seeking input from the ICANN community and other organizations in the Internet ecosystem through a series of Listening Sessions with the ICANN Board. The sessions, which will be facilitated by the committee, will provide a forum for community members to share their views on ICANN's future, the challenges and opportunities ahead, and the necessary attributes of the next ICANN leader. The search and selection process is expected to run throughout this calendar year.
The first Listening Session will be held during ICANN76 online and in Cancún, Mexico, on Tuesday, 14 March 2023, at 18:15 UTC. Future sessions will be scheduled and announced between ICANN76 and ICANN77.