Fwd: [council] Rod Beckstrom to leave ICANN at the end of his term

[Poomjit Sirawongprasert]

How about his?

ICANN fires its CEO
http://news.dot-nxt.com/2011/08/16/icann-fires-ceo

ICANN fires its CEO by Kieren McCarthy | 16 Aug 2011 |

The CEO of ICANN Rod Beckstrom has announced he is leaving the organization
at the end of his contract.

According to a tweet<http://twitter.com/#%21/RodBeckstrom/status/103607748717060096>sent
out by Beckstrom at 4.20pm PST: "I have decided to wrap up my service
at ICANN July 2012", adding "Press release soon."

The press release<http://news.dot-nxt.com/sites/news.dot-nxt.com/files/release-16aug11-en.pdf>[pdf]
followed 20 minutes later and comprised largely of Beckstrom listing
his achievements in the first and third person. "I can summarize my time
here in four words: strong execution, great team-building," he was quoted as
saying.

Board chair Steve Crocker, who took over the post only two months ago, noted
that: "The Board of Directors fully supports Rod through the completion of
his July 2012 term."

Behind the pronouncements lies a different storyBehind the pronouncements
lies a different story. It is well known in ICANN circles that there has
been significant concern over Beckstrom's performance for some time. And we
understand that Beckstrom's "decision" was made for him at a secret Board
meeting earlier this month.

Unlike the three other CEOs that have presided over ICANN in its 11-year
history, Beckstrom lobbied hard to have his contract renewed, even giving a
public speech at ICANN's most recent meeting in Singapore in June listing
what he had achieved as CEO. Accompanying today's press release, somewhat
bizarrely, is a separate
PDF<http://news.dot-nxt.com/sites/news.dot-nxt.com/files/factsheet-beckstrom-accomplishments-16aug11-en.pdf>listing
Beckstrom's "notable accomplishments".

*Credit score*

Ironically, it is Beckstrom's attempt to personally attach himself to all
the organization's successes that is a major reason for his failure as an
ICANN CEO: he is seen as too quick to claim credit for others' work and to
put personal promotion ahead of effective management. In two years in
charge, almost the entire senior management team has left. Community
questions as to why were met with obtuse reference to industry percentages.

Having written a book lauding the power of leaderless structures over
traditional hierarchy - the first likened to a starfish, the second to a
spider - many were surprised when Beckstrom created an even stronger
hierarchy within ICANN, with him as the head. And the bottleneck.

Beckstrom's claim to have encouraged "great team-building" were famously
called into question at the organization's meeting in San FranciscoBeckstrom's
claim to have encouraged "great team-building" were famously called into
question at the organization's meeting in San Francisco in March this year
when former staff member Maria Farrell took the microphone during a public
forum to announce her "profound disquiet about how the organization is
operationally being managed" and talked of a "hollowing out of expertise"
and a "climate of fear stalking the ICANN staff". Her comments were met with
prolonged applause.

*Parachute*

Likewise, Beckstrom's most significant claim to have negotiated an historic
agreement with the US government that saw ICANN gain greater autonomy is
largely fanciful: he was in charge for less than three months before the
agreement was signed, whereas negotiations had been going on for 18 months
between ICANN senior staff and the NTIA, most notably Fiona Alexander.
Discussions at the time were opposed by both sides but nevertheless started
when ICANN expressed its desire to break free of the US government during a
mid-term review of the "Joint Project Agreement".

Beckstrom was parachuted into the agreement and immediately raised eyebrows
when he sought full credit for itBeckstrom was parachuted into the agreement
and immediately raised eyebrows when he sought full credit for it. It is
telling that the man who was really responsible for the new agreement - VP
of Corporate Affairs Paul Levins - left within months of Beckstrom's
appointment.

Likewise the two other main achievements by ICANN - the introduction of
internationalized domain names and the approval of the Applicant Guidebook
for hundreds of new Internet extensions - were the result of many prior
years of work by ICANN staff and the broader Internet community.

The attempt to claim credit for both by Beckstrom did not sit well in a
culture that goes out of its way to acknowledge the work done by others in
reaching an end goal in Internet policy.

*Loss of staff*

Similarly, advances in ICANN's ability to effectively manage work were
largely due to ICANN's COO Doug Brent who quit unexpectedly in April 2010.
Others disappeared largely unnoticed. The head of ICANN's global
partnerships team, and the key member of ICANN's staff that followed global
political developments, Theresa Swinehart also left in 2010; later followed
by former British Ambassador Nick Thorne who was key in negotiating several
key international agreements on IDNs.

The man widely acknowledged as saving ICANN's reputation over its management
of the crucial IANA contract, David Conrad, and its Chief Security Advisor
Greg Rattray also slid away. They were joined later by ICANN's CFO.

something that earned Beckstrom a rare public rebuke from the Internet
SocietyCombined with a series of gaffes, that included: publicly telling
government representatives that the domain name system was under constant
attack and wasn't sufficiently stable (something that earned Beckstrom a
rare public rebuke from the Internet Society and the country code Names
Supporting Organization (ccNSO)); having a public row with a representative
of the ITU on stage at the Internet Governance Forum; and flying to an
opening ceremony instead of staying at a critical meeting over the creation
of new top-level domains; led many to feel Beckstrom had become a liability.


That feeling was further strengthened by Beckstrom's poor handling of an
independent review into ICANN's accountability and transparency that left
the US government fuming and prompted an ongoing review of the IANA contract
that is crucial to ICANN's future.

*Cyber-insecurity*

It didn't help that Beckstrom was already thought of by many in the US
government as a crank due to his very public resignation as the Department
of Homeland Security's cyber-security chief which was accompanied by the
publication of a caustic resignation letter highlighting inter-departmental
tensions. Sadly, the letter only served to deepen those rifts, with the
National Cybersecurity Center having had three directors in three years and
US-CERT five directors in seven years.

Despite his failures however, Beckstrom retains the support and affection of
many in the ICANN community for bringing some life to its proceedings.

He turned around the tedious opening ceremonies at ICANN meetings with live
music and cultural art shows before the Board forced him to scale it back
over successive meetings. Most recent opening ceremonies have again slipped
into a tedium of uninspiring speeches.

That effort to bring in some creativity has however been immortalized in an
evening "Music Night" at each meetingThat effort to bring in some creativity
has however been immortalized in an evening "Music Night" at each
meetingthat sees attendees take the stage alongside a professional
band. It
provides much needed respite amid what are frequently long and difficult
negotiations.

Beckstrom was also far more open and less mired in clandestine politics than
his predecessor, for a while running small group meetings with community
members in order to ask their views. He also tried to make the organization
more open by talking honestly and publicly about events - something that saw
him bitten on several occasions. He was also liked for trying to step above
the day-to-day politics by reminding people of the bigger picture.

*Thin-skinned*

As criticism grew, Beckstrom retreated within ICANN pulling the culture and
staff with himUltimately though Beckstrom was unsuited - and too
thin-skinned - to deal with the complex, geo-political environment in which
ICANN lives. As criticism grew, Beckstrom retreated within ICANN pulling the
culture and staff with him. An independent review complained of staff and
CEO "laboring under an attitude of inordinate defensiveness and distrust".

Beckstrom still has a little under a year to serve out his contract. In
typical over-the-top style he declared: "I remain committed to leading this
critical organization with the utmost dedication."

The reality is however that the search for a new CEO has begun and ICANN has
simply given itself 11 months to find a replacement in order to avoid the
rushed process that led to Beckstrom being appointed in the first place.



ภูมิจิต ศิระวงศ์ประเสริฐ (หมวย)
Poomjit Sirawongprasert (Moui)
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On Thu, Aug 18, 2011 at 12:30 AM, Dan Krimm <dan at musicunbound.com> wrote:

> To that end, is there anything we can do to influence the selection
> process?
>
> What are the chances that we could in fact get someone that fits the bill
> you describe, and how would we go about maximizing those chances?
>
> Dan
>
>
>
> On Wed, August 17, 2011 3:06 am, William Drake wrote:
> > So some rumors are not in fact baseless....
> >
> > Many things one could say, snarky and otherwise, but I'll leave it at
> > this: I hope they find a replacement who understands it's supposed to be
> a
> > global organization that acts in public interest....
> >
> > BD
> >
> >
> >
> > Begin forwarded message:
> >
> >> From: "Bruce Tonkin" <Bruce.Tonkin at melbourneit.com.au>
> >> Date: August 17, 2011 3:17:08 AM GMT+02:00
> >> To: "GNSO Council List" <council at gnso.icann.org>
> >> Subject: [council] Rod Beckstrom to leave ICANN at the end of his term
> >>
> >>
> >> Hello All,
> >>
> >> From:  http://www.icann.org/en/news/releases/release-16aug11-en.pdf
> >>
> >> August 16, 2011
> >>
> >> BECKSTROM TO LEAVE ICANN AT END OF HIS TERM
> >>
> >> Rod Beckstrom will continue to fulfill his term as ICANN's President and
> >> CEO, which will be completed on 1 July 2012. He has held this position
> >> since 1 July 2009.
> >>
> >> "I am incredibly proud of ICANN's achievements throughout my tenure,"
> >> said Beckstrom. "In two short years we have advanced this organization
> >> to a new level of professionalism and productivity, and turned it into a
> >> genuinely multinational organization that will serve the world community
> >> long after my time here."
> >>
> >> Beckstrom has had many notable accomplishments at ICANN. They include
> >> the negotiation and signing of the Affirmation of Commitments, the
> >> historic 2009 agreement with the US Government that moved ICANN's
> >> oversight from one government to the world, and the signing of the
> >> Internet's root with DNSSEC. The introduction of internationalized
> >> domain names under his watch has allowed millions of Internet users to
> >> access the Internet entirely in their primary language script.
> >>
> >> "I can summarize my time here in four words: strong execution, great
> >> teambuilding," he said. "We have built a world-class executive team, and
> >> elevated ICANN's stature through strategic relationships with
> >> governments, businesses, top technology firms and international
> >> organizations."
> >>
> >> A program to launch new generic top-level domains - a major change to
> >> the domain name system - was approved in June and will launch in the
> >> next year. ICANN's agreement with the US government - the IANA functions
> >> contract - expires in March, and Beckstrom emphasized his commitment to
> >> bring the contract renewal to a successful conclusion.
> >>
> >> Steve Crocker, Chair of ICANN's Board of Directors, said: "The Board of
> >> Directors fully supports Rod through the completion of his July 2012
> >> term and is committed to continuing the collaboration that has produced
> >> so many benefits for ICANN and for the global Internet."
> >>
> >> Beckstrom continued: "I remain committed to leading this critical
> >> organization with the utmost dedication, and to living up to our common
> >> vision: One world, one Internet."
> >>
> >
> >
>
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