[♪jazzy music playing♪] Domaine.info - Domaine.tr Domaine.info - ICANN Present Mexico - ICANN.MEXICO.CITY - Mexico - March 2009 Breaking News - Paul Twomey Announcement - A NovaMedias® Production - Sponsored by Domaine.tr And I'd like to talk about my future as President and CEO of ICANN. Paul Twomey - ICANN President and CEO - Mexico City - Mexico March 2009 I'd be grateful if we could have some quiet while we go through this topic. Many of you will be aware that I have been CEO and President of ICANN since 2003. Indeed, this month is the 6th year that I've been president-- --and my term for this present contract expires in June. I have made a decision last year and conveyed to the board that it was not my intention to renew the contract for another 3 years. And before I go to the rationale for that and explain what we're doing going forward-- --I would like to take the opportunity to point out all of the work of the staff-- --who have worked with me for the last 6 years on helping to actually build a stronger, more successful organization. And I'd ask you to join me in a round of applause for that staff for the key work that they have done. [applause] So I've been involved with ICANN now for 12 years. At its formation, obviously the chair of the GAC for 4 years. I've been president now for 6 years-- --and as I said, I told the board last year that it was not my intention to renew another 3-year contract for a couple of reasons. Frankly, at a personal level, I would like the opportunity to, in my career, have another senior leadership position-- --in a private or international entity-- --and at the age of 47 it's probably a good time to think about another career change and have that opportunity. Secondly, if I were to renew for another 3 years, I would end up being president for 10-- --and I just don't think we live in a time of the world where that sort of length of tenure really works. I think organizations need change. And so I didn't think it was really healthy for the organization to have a president for 10 years. I didn't think it was healthy for me to be president for 10 years in all sorts of ways. And so I said to the board last year I'm not willing to renew for another 3 years. But we all recognized--and I recognized--that 2009 is an incredibly important year-- --and that in some respects it's a special year. We have 3 really major issues underway which we need to coordinate. We need to coordinate the new gTLDS, the country code issues-- --and also looking at the conclusion of the joint project agreement with the Department of Commerce. So after a discussion, which has been a very fruitful and open one-- --and I have to say to the board members--a very best practice type conversation-- --I really appreciated it-- --I have agreed to stay on with ICANN until the end of 2009. The board has asked me to stay beyond my term of June until they find a successor-- --and then to have a period of hand-over and transition to the new President and CEO. The board has also asked me to continue providing leadership in managing the new gTLD, IDN, ccTLD processes and the joint project agreement-- --but let's be quite clear--when the new President and CEO is appointed, he or she is the boss. During the transition period, I shall be appointed to the new position of Senior President. This plan has been developed in close collaboration and support between the board and myself. I think working together we've built an impressive organization-- --unique in the international governments arena, not just in the internet. We are operationally and financially secure. We are on the cusp of many major new achievements that will change the internet forever-- internationalized domain names and gTLDs are just 2 that I know we are all consumed with at the moment. Our policy processes are consistent and deliver a huge and complex body of work-- --and the management of that work involves--as is the case for all of us--extraordinary hours and dedication. The inner function is close to a standard of excellence the community deserves and expects-- --and has seen an incredible turnaround in recent years in serving the needs of the internet community. We should be enormously proud of this collective achievement. If I look back over the last 10 years, I can't believe how far the organization has come. And why? Because it's your work as the community that has got us to this point-- --and I think we should all take great pride in what we've helped build. So now that the board has commenced a search process for a new President and CEO-- --I will have the pleasure of your company through to the end of 2009. Indeed I'm going to enjoy that. It's important for you to know that we will continue to work as business as usual. Our work continues and the executive leadership continues to manage this in our usual way. It's an important message. We're wanting to make this announcement now because we want to just clear the decks. We have a lot of work to do this year. It's business as usual. We've got this well-managed process for handling the transition-- --and I'm fully committed to that being a good and successful transition to the new President and CEO. But it's business as usual, lots of things to do. So in the short term, we have a meeting to run-- --and that includes support--not only people here but people being supported who are not here but are virtually and online. We have an extraordinary word program this year at the cutting edge of the internet's innovation-- --and I look forward to working with you throughout this year on those exciting developments. [applause] Thank you, Paul. As you say, indeed a rich set of activities this week. I just want to respond to your last topic and to go on record-- Peter Dengate Thrush - Chairman ICANN --as saying it's with a certain sadness that we contemplate the conclusion of Paul's service as CEO of ICANN. I knew before I became chair, of course, of your history of involvement-- --from negotiations with Ira Magaziner at the time of the Green and the White Papers in 1998-- --and your service, of course, as the founding chair of the GAC. You and I first met at the Singapore meeting at ICANN 1 in early 1999. Since I've become chairman of the board, I've worked closely with Paul-- --and been able to observe firsthand the extraordinary effort, time, patience, skill, and science of Paul as a leader. The job also demands extraordinary stamina. If any of you want to have a look at Paul's travel schedule, I recommend it. There will be a time, though--probably at the Sydney meeting--for paying tribute to the work done during Paul's nearly 7 years as president. But Paul's not leaving today, and this announcement, as Paul said, is simply to assure the staff and the community, and you and everybody else around-- --that this is an orderly, managed process. It's a process in which Paul and I are personally cooperating very closely and with the board. The board has set up a search committee. The committee has interviewed and engaged an international search consultancy firm. We've approved a job specification and the process is underway. The firm is actively now searching for a new CEO and President-- --and I think that's going to be a difficult task-- --but they assure us that they will have one on time, ready to take office on the 1st of July. So we will welcome our 4th CEO and President. We are all delighted as well that Paul has agreed to stay on on a contract basis until the year end-- --to provide that absolutely essential continuity-- --and I think, Paul, you commented before that you didn't get it and how nice it would have been when you started. And so in recognition of that, Paul is staying on to help with some of the major projects that we've mentioned. He's also made it very clear to me and now to you that he's committed to helping the new CEO find their feet-- --learn their way through the acronym soup that is ICANN, and share the key relationships that Paul has developed-- --over more than a decade of service to ICANN and the community. And, as he mentioned, there will be a special title to reflect the seniority and importance that the board regards this period of service. But until then, as you say, it's business as usual. If usual means over 8 days of more than 20-hour days-- --hundreds of meetings, decisions, phone calls, text messages-- --I now have to add Twitter-- debates, speeches, press conferences, policy making--the list goes on and on-- --if that's business as usual, let's get on with it. Ladies and gentlemen, that's the end of the opening ceremony. I invite you all to come back to the very first session. Our highest order of business--new gTLDs--starts in here at 11:00. I look forward to seeing you then. Thank you all very much. ®Copyrights Domaine.info 2009 - All Rights Reserved. Your comments and reactions are welcome. Vos commentaires et reactions sont les bienvenues. Participate@icann.org