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Chair's Blog: Recap of the Board's April to May Workshop

13 May 2021
By
Maarten Botterman

Maarten Botterman

ICANN Board Member

Maarten Botterman is an independent strategic adviser on Internet governance and related issues with more than 25 years' experience in guiding governments and major organizations on the economic, business, and societal impacts of current and future Internet innovations and technologies. During those 25-plus years, he participated in and led more than 50 international projects and studies and published more than 80 peer-reviewed reports for governments and industry on Future Net issues with teams, including experts with advanced academic degrees from many disciplines, ranging from technology and mathematics to economics and law, and from many different countries and cultures.

Maarten was employed as Head of Unit and Senior Adviser to the Dutch Government (1987–1995) and as Scientific Officer to the Communications Technology Research program that was run by the European Commission (1995–1999). These years brought many insights about the public interest and governance aspects of the developing global, networked knowledge society. These insights were further deepened when working for RAND Corporation, setting up and running an Information Society policy practice in Europe (1999–2006), with an emphasis on policy evaluation and scenario planning. Since 2006, he has been working as an independent strategic adviser to governments and businesses in close cooperation with leading independent research institutions in Europe (including RAND Europe, TNO Netherlands, DTI Danmark, Inno France, and CIVIC Germany). Today, he is internationally recognized as a governance and future Internet expert and is a regular contributor to international Internet governance events such as the Internet Governance Forum, where he is leading the Dynamic Coalition for the Internet of Things.

Next to advising the Dutch government and the European Commission on Internet governance issues, he got deeply involved in ICANN's work as a Board member and Chairman of the Public Interest Registry (2008–2016), over time actively participating in more than 40 ICANN meetings. Having worked internationally since 1995, he has extensive experience in working with people from different national and cultural backgrounds, and is comfortable in engaging in English, German, French, and Dutch (mother tongue). He has a reputation as an independent, trustworthy, out-of-the-box thinker who is able to look at issues from several perspectives with strong awareness of the bigger picture. Having served on boards and having reported to boards, he has extensive experience with effective board governance and the responsibilities and obligations that come with a director's position on a U.S. nonprofit board. Over the years, he has been a frequent guest speaker and/or moderator, mostly at smart technology-related events.

Maarten holds an advanced degree in business economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam. He is a certified coach and has a certificate in medical-based knowledge, both of which help in better understanding of what drives people in decision-making and going through life. In addition, he has completed several board excellence trainings with internationally renowned institutions, including Harvard Business School, INSEAD, IMD, MIT, Yale School of Management, and Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management. His areas of interest include government, civil society, and technology.

Maarten is based in Rotterdam, Netherlands. He was nominated to serve on the ICANN Board by the Nominating Committee in 2016 and served as Board Chair from 2019 until 2022. His third and final term will expire at the Annual General Meeting in 2025.

On Friday, 30 April, following our dialogue with ICANN President and CEO Göran Marby, Becky Burr provided an update on the implementation of the recommendations included in the Competition, Consumer Trust, and Consumer Choice (CCT) Review Team Final Report. As explained in this blog, the report contains several pass-through recommendations, and the Board continues to monitor the ICANN community's implementation efforts.

Afterward, Matthew Shears presented the key trends identified by us during the Board's Strategic Outlook Trend Identification session held during our ICANN70 workshop. The ICANN Board then reflected on its responses as compared to the responses from across ICANN. It is important that the Board understands how its thinking aligns with the community's perception on key issues, especially as we consider updates to ICANN's Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2021-2025.

Next, we started on Saturday, 1 May with a discussion about how to scope the Operational Design Phase (ODP) for the New Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) Subsequent Procedures (SubPro) Policy Development Process (PDP) recommendations that were approved by the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Council. Last month, we launched the first ODP to better understand different aspects regarding the System for Standardized Access/Disclosure (SSAD) that we need to consider before moving forward. Expanding the root zone of the Domain Name System (DNS) with more top-level domains (TLDs) will undoubtedly be a significant undertaking that is directly related to our core mission of providing a secure and stable unique identifier system. An ODP will provide us with a clear understanding of the resource requirements, potential impacts, and will enable the Board to make a fully informed decision.

During our second session of the day, Danko Jevtović and Becky Burr led a session focused on the prioritization framework that is being developed by the ICANN organization (org). The Board recognizes that ICANN's resources are finite. We have started the discussion on what resource increases will be needed for ICANN organization org to be able to do the work that needs to continue, as well as the new work that we are to decide in the coming months. Having a clear, transparent framework for how ICANN org prioritizes its available resources to achieve its objectives is an important step in further maturing our processes, especially with the amount of policy actions and review recommendations awaiting implementation and with more on the way.

On the final day of the workshop, Sunday, 2 May, we began with a conversation about the Governmental Advisory Committee's (GAC) ICANN70 Communiqué. The Board is keen on better understanding the intent of the advice provided in the GAC's meeting communiqués. We want to consider the different aspects that are touched upon, so that we can benefit from the advice and decide on the issues related to the advice in a well-informed way.  

Next, Vice Chair León Sánchez led a session preparing the Board for this year's update of its operational priorities. The Board's operational priorities complement its activities in support of the community and its oversight role. The process of developing these priorities aims to improve the Board's contribution to the ICANN ecosystem in pursuit of our its joint mission. Deliverables relating to Board operational priorities are formulated to be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely. We will continue to keep you informed on our operational priorities and progress as we move along.

The workshop ended with a feedback session, which gave us a moment to reflect on how we can improve our collaboration and leverage any successes for future workshops. Like the community, the Board has faced difficulties in developing schedules that work across so many time zones. While the Board is eager to meet again in-person, the format and timing of the virtual workshops have given us a unique perspective on how we get work done as a team. This unusual time has given us ideas for how future workshops will be structured and how to make the best possible use of the tools we have learned to appreciate.

With ICANN71 already on the horizon, I'll soon share a preview of our next Board workshop. Until then, I wish you all the best, wherever you are. Keep healthy and safe.

Authors

Maarten Botterman

Maarten Botterman

ICANN Board Member
Maarten Botterman

Maarten Botterman

ICANN Board Member

Maarten Botterman is an independent strategic adviser on Internet governance and related issues with more than 25 years' experience in guiding governments and major organizations on the economic, business, and societal impacts of current and future Internet innovations and technologies. During those 25-plus years, he participated in and led more than 50 international projects and studies and published more than 80 peer-reviewed reports for governments and industry on Future Net issues with teams, including experts with advanced academic degrees from many disciplines, ranging from technology and mathematics to economics and law, and from many different countries and cultures.

Maarten was employed as Head of Unit and Senior Adviser to the Dutch Government (1987–1995) and as Scientific Officer to the Communications Technology Research program that was run by the European Commission (1995–1999). These years brought many insights about the public interest and governance aspects of the developing global, networked knowledge society. These insights were further deepened when working for RAND Corporation, setting up and running an Information Society policy practice in Europe (1999–2006), with an emphasis on policy evaluation and scenario planning. Since 2006, he has been working as an independent strategic adviser to governments and businesses in close cooperation with leading independent research institutions in Europe (including RAND Europe, TNO Netherlands, DTI Danmark, Inno France, and CIVIC Germany). Today, he is internationally recognized as a governance and future Internet expert and is a regular contributor to international Internet governance events such as the Internet Governance Forum, where he is leading the Dynamic Coalition for the Internet of Things.

Next to advising the Dutch government and the European Commission on Internet governance issues, he got deeply involved in ICANN's work as a Board member and Chairman of the Public Interest Registry (2008–2016), over time actively participating in more than 40 ICANN meetings. Having worked internationally since 1995, he has extensive experience in working with people from different national and cultural backgrounds, and is comfortable in engaging in English, German, French, and Dutch (mother tongue). He has a reputation as an independent, trustworthy, out-of-the-box thinker who is able to look at issues from several perspectives with strong awareness of the bigger picture. Having served on boards and having reported to boards, he has extensive experience with effective board governance and the responsibilities and obligations that come with a director's position on a U.S. nonprofit board. Over the years, he has been a frequent guest speaker and/or moderator, mostly at smart technology-related events.

Maarten holds an advanced degree in business economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam. He is a certified coach and has a certificate in medical-based knowledge, both of which help in better understanding of what drives people in decision-making and going through life. In addition, he has completed several board excellence trainings with internationally renowned institutions, including Harvard Business School, INSEAD, IMD, MIT, Yale School of Management, and Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management. His areas of interest include government, civil society, and technology.

Maarten is based in Rotterdam, Netherlands. He was nominated to serve on the ICANN Board by the Nominating Committee in 2016 and served as Board Chair from 2019 until 2022. His third and final term will expire at the Annual General Meeting in 2025.

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