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

[Maria Farrell]

Hi all,

I just blogged about what the Board might consider, and also raised the
suggestion that a search committee include more of the community:

http://crookedtimber.org/2011/08/17/21300/

Avri's spot-on thoughts about the role of volunteers are included as well.

Cheers, m


2011/8/17 Poomjit Sirawongprasert <poomjit at gmail.com>

> 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
> meeting that 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)
> Contact Me [image: Twitter] <http://www.twitter.com/moui> [image:
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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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