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A Look Back at ICANN83

24 June 2025
By
Kurtis Lindqvist

Kurtis Lindqvist

President and Chief Executive Officer

Kurt Erik “Kurtis” Lindqvist is a seasoned technology executive and business leader who became President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) on 9 December 2024. With more than 30 years of experience in engineering and business development of Internet service providers, Internet Exchange Points, and global network carriers, Lindqvist has dedicated his career to advancing the stability, security, and accessibility of the Internet.

Prior to joining ICANN, Lindqvist served as CEO of the London Internet Exchange (LINX), a leading operator of worldwide interconnection services, from 2019 to 2024. Prior to this, he was CEO of Netnod from 2002 to 2015. Lindqvist also chaired the European Internet Exchange Association (Euro-IX) from 2003 to 2020, which underscores his long-standing leadership in Internet infrastructure organizations.

Lindqvist has been a leading voice in Internet governance (IG) and technical development. He served on the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) and led working groups within the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and RIPE, where his efforts helped shape critical Internet standards and policies. Additionally, he has advised the Swedish government on IG, broadband policy, and other key areas, fostering collaboration between public and private sectors.

Lindqvist studied Computer Science at Uppsala University, Sweden, and holds an Executive MBA from the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland. 

On behalf of the ICANN organization, I'd like to thank everyone who participated in the ICANN83 Policy Forum.

This meeting gave the ICANN community the opportunity to discuss and advance policy work on important issues, including the next round of new generic top-level domain applications, Domain Name System Abuse, and the 20-year review of the outcomes from the World Summit on the Information Society.

I also would like to thank our host, CZ.NIC, and the Prague Convention Center staff for helping to make this meeting possible. The Policy Forum spanned four days and consisted of 117 public sessions.

ICANN83 was attended by 1,333 participants in Prague, including 172 first-time attendees. In addition, 569 people registered to join us online. Overall, these participants represented 129 countries and territories. Here's a regional breakdown of the in-person attendees:

  • Africa – 92 (6.9 percent)
  • Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands – 208 (15.6 percent)
  • Europe – 593 (44.5 percent)
  • Latin America and the Caribbean – 87 (6.5 percent)
  • North America – 353 (26.5 percent)

More detailed statistics will be available in the ICANN83 By the Numbers Report to be published in the coming weeks. If you missed anything during the meeting, please visit the meeting website for session recordings and transcripts.

Authors

Kurtis Lindqvist

Kurtis Lindqvist

President and Chief Executive Officer
Kurtis Lindqvist

Kurtis Lindqvist

President and Chief Executive Officer

Kurt Erik “Kurtis” Lindqvist is a seasoned technology executive and business leader who became President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) on 9 December 2024. With more than 30 years of experience in engineering and business development of Internet service providers, Internet Exchange Points, and global network carriers, Lindqvist has dedicated his career to advancing the stability, security, and accessibility of the Internet.

Prior to joining ICANN, Lindqvist served as CEO of the London Internet Exchange (LINX), a leading operator of worldwide interconnection services, from 2019 to 2024. Prior to this, he was CEO of Netnod from 2002 to 2015. Lindqvist also chaired the European Internet Exchange Association (Euro-IX) from 2003 to 2020, which underscores his long-standing leadership in Internet infrastructure organizations.

Lindqvist has been a leading voice in Internet governance (IG) and technical development. He served on the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) and led working groups within the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and RIPE, where his efforts helped shape critical Internet standards and policies. Additionally, he has advised the Swedish government on IG, broadband policy, and other key areas, fostering collaboration between public and private sectors.

Lindqvist studied Computer Science at Uppsala University, Sweden, and holds an Executive MBA from the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland. 

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