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

[Nuno Garcia]

I believe we should propose a list of competences the next CEO should have.

I would like to add that, having in view the challenges the DNS structure
will face in the future, including its possible relegation to a 2nd plane in
view of surfacing alternative DNS engines, this should be, for one, a highly
technically skilled professional (from the area of networks). Secondly it
should be a person with a set of characteristics that include leadership,
diplomacy, ....

It should be someone from our ranks.

Warm regards,

Nuno Garcia

2011/8/18 Milton L Mueller <mueller at syr.edu>

> Kieren makes some worthwhile points here but you have to remember that
> Kieren was fired by Beckstrom, so he has a revenge motive in writing things
> like this. From NCSG's point of view, a lot of this kind of stuff is a bunch
> of snarky disputes among insiders and doesn't affect our status or the
> policies we care about much. ****
>
> --MM****
>
> ** **
>
> *From:* NCSG-Discuss [mailto:NCSG-DISCUSS at LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] *On Behalf Of
> *Poomjit Sirawongprasert
> *Sent:* Wednesday, August 17, 2011 2:16 PM
> *To:* NCSG-DISCUSS at LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
> *Subject:* Re: [NCSG-Discuss] Fwd: [council] Rod Beckstrom to leave ICANN
> at the end of his term****
>
> ** **
>
> 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: Facebook]<http://www.facebook.com/PoomjitS>[image:
> LinkedIn] <http://www.linkedin.com/in/poomjit>[image: Ning]<http://ncdnhc.org/page/membership-roster>[image:
> WordPress] <http://moui.net>
> ****
>
> 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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