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

[Maria Farrell]

Hi Nuno,

Agreed - it's a good moment to get across ideas to the Board about how we
think this should work.

In the meantime, Bruce Tonkin who's on the board asks this question in
response to my blog post about what's desirable in a new CEO:

"I am interested to learn from the community about what characteritiscs are
desired in anICANN CEO. So thank you for setting out your views.

Do you have a view on the role of the Board versus the role of the CEO. That
seems to be another area that it would be good to get community views on. Or
another way of thinking about this is what is the role of the volunteer
policy groups, versus the role of the Board, versus the role of the CEO."

You could do worse than share your thoughts on the post in question, or if
we discuss it on-list I can cross-post.
http://crookedtimber.org/2011/08/17/21300/

Cheers, m


2011/8/18 Nuno Garcia <ngarcia at ngarcia.net>

> 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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