ICANN Announcements

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ICANN Announces Senior Leader Transitions

13 May 2016

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The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) today announced its Chief Contract Compliance Officer, Allen R. Grogan, and Nora Abusitta, Senior Vice President of Development and Public Responsibility Programs (DPRD), have notified the organization of their intent to leave ICANN later this year.

Grogan will transition to a part-time role beginning 1 August 2016 and continue to oversee Contractual Compliance and Consumer Safeguards until his departure at the end of December 2016. Abusitta will remain in her current capacity until 1 June 2016, followed by a short part-time engagement period to ensure an efficient and seamless shift of duties.

"I want to extend my deep thanks to Allen and Nora for the significant contributions they have made in their respective areas, as well as their commitment to ensuring a smooth transition of responsibilities," said Akram Atallah, acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO). "Compliance, safeguards and public responsibility are areas of extreme importance to ICANN, to me personally, and to Göran Marby, who will be taking the reins as CEO later this month. We will continue to build on the work that has been done in these critical areas."

Atallah further noted that "ICANN remains fully committed to enforcing its contracts and engaging with the community to help find creative ways to solve difficult issues in a manner consistent with ICANN's mission and remit."

Additional Information

Grogan has been with ICANN since May 2013, serving as Chief Contracting Counsel before assuming his current role as Chief Contract Compliance Officer in October 2014. ICANN is currently searching for a Consumer Safeguards Director.

"My decision to leave was highly personal and difficult, but it will allow me to pursue other opportunities in my life," said Grogan. "It has been a privilege to work with the dedicated staff at ICANN and I specifically want to commend the Contractual Compliance team for their extraordinary work. My time at ICANN genuinely has been one of the most fascinating and remarkable experiences I've ever had."

Abusitta joined ICANN in January 2013 as Executive Director of International and Inter-Governmental Organizations and in June of that year was appointed Vice President of Public Responsibility.

"It has been an honor to work alongside dedicated and talented colleagues at ICANN, in particular the members of DPRD who were instrumental in building an infrastructure that empowers the community while ensuring participation within ICANN remains global and representative," said Abusitta. "This has not been an easy decision for me, but I am confident the ICANN staff will continue to focus on supporting current and new stakeholders' participation at ICANN."

ICANN's mission is to help ensure a stable, secure and unified global Internet. To reach another person on the Internet, you have to type an address into your computer - a name or a number. That address has to be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN helps coordinate and support these unique identifiers across the world. ICANN was formed in 1998 as a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation and a community with participants from all over the world. ICANN and its community help keep the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It also promotes competition and develops policy for the top-level of the Internet's naming system and facilitates the use of other unique Internet identifiers.