As I start my journey at ICANN, I wanted to share my early reflections, as well as my plans going forward.
I officially joined ICANN on 9 December. Board Chair Tripti Sinha and Board Governance Committee Chair Becky Burr accompanied me on my first day, which was well appreciated.
I had the opportunity to attend the Board Workshop and the ICANN81 Annual General Meeting in Istanbul last month as an observer, which I greatly appreciated. In addition to meeting many community members and staff, these sessions gave me an early view into many areas of ICANN’s work.
For my first week as president and CEO, I traveled to ICANN’s headquarters in Los Angeles. I am based in ICANN’s Geneva Engagement Center; however, I intend to work from the LA office once a month and travel to the other ICANN offices, so that I’m able to meet the entire staff and engage with community members in those regions.
On Monday, I began by meeting with Tripti and Becky, followed by a session with the entire Executive Team. These meetings gave me an opportunity to introduce myself, and to begin the process of learning about the most critical issues before us, which include the ongoing global discussions about the future of multistakeholder Internet governance and the upcoming 20-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) outcomes.
The following day, I held a town hall meeting with the entire org staff and answered wide-ranging questions about my leadership style and how I plan to approach the role. We discussed the challenges and opportunities for ICANN and how we can best support one another, and I was encouraged by the eagerness and openness of the staff. I also had the chance to connect with many of my new colleagues throughout the week in meetings and in the office corridors.
Overall, it has been a very successful first week. I’d like to thank Tripti, former Interim President and CEO Sally Costerton, and everyone from the ICANN Board and org for the warm welcome and support. I’m delighted to get to know everyone.
For my second week on the job, I’ll be attending the 2024 Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a delegation from ICANN. ICANN is leading five sessions on key issues, as well as participating in the High-Level Leaders Session and the Parliamentarian Track.
Next month, I’ll be back in Los Angeles for several weeks to attend the January Board Workshop and to work directly with ICANN org staff. By the end of January, I hope to have a firm grasp of the main challenges for ICANN and an action plan to address them.
I’m looking forward to getting to know the ICANN community and reconnecting with those whom I worked with in my previous role as a root server operator. In 2005, I was a delegate to the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis, Tunisia, which created the IGF and the multistakeholder Internet governance model. Now, as we approach the WSIS+20 review, I’m ready to defend the principles that ICANN stands for and our mission of a secure, stable, and unified global Internet.
