Disclaimer
This is a workspace for the At-Large community to discuss selection criteria for the future ICANN CEO. At-Large members' comments in the thread on ALAC mailing list are posted via the comment function on this page.
CEO Profile from CEO Search in 2011
Candidates will be expected to demonstrate to the highest degree possible the following experience and skills. These have been grouped under 4 headings that embody the multi-faceted nature of the role:
Professional
§ Solid record of either/or public, corporate, academic service, at a high international level
§ Global exposure: experience of working in different countries or with different cultures
§ Experience in managing process work flows and ability to anticipate issues
§ Close familiarity with the ways in which civil society, business sector interests and regulatory authorities interact
§ Success in managing ICANN’s evolution as an organization, complex issues and programs, and key contracts
§ Track record of achieving results, not just ‘being there’
§ Previous association with highly respected organizations
§ Leadership of dispersed international teams and active multi-stakeholders that provide policy input
Personal
§ Consensus builder and catalyst, a motivator and persuader
§ Intellectually engaging, contributes to ‘thought leadership’ in helping define vision and strategy, and leverages the organization’s competencies
§ Combines weight of personality with empathy towards others of many different backgrounds
§ Practiced at exercising influence in non-hierarchical relationships
§ Earns respect and generates trust in him/herself and the organization
§ Multicultural with language skills, practiced communicator and public speaker
§ Aligns with ICANN's values: integrity, trust, humility, technical excellence and public service
§ Able negotiator, without making enemies, can represent ICANN and can present it well
§ Strong affinity with the Internet (but not just a “cheerleader”), conscious of its role and complexity, fully embraces ICANN’s mission and its bottom-up process
§ Embodies and practices the multi-stakeholder approach and welcomes significant volunteer involvement
Technical
§ Internet architecture knowledge : understanding of the global Internet’s systems of unique identifiers, including domain names, protocol parameters and addresses
§ Institutional knowledge : familiarity with the functioning of registries and registrars, ICANN’s policy development procedures and user categories
§ Understanding of the domain names market structure and dynamics, including competition issues
The Internet Governance Ecosystem
§ Institutions: understand the environment of those involved in the Internet and its administrative governance systems, notably IETF, ISOC, W3C, and other standard bodies (ETSI, ITU, ISO, Unicode)
§ International awareness: know the government stakeholders in Internet governance and how to interact with them
§ Knowledge of the UN system and other international organizations and processes
§ Ability to function and generate trust with all actors through operational excellence and respect for input from the multistakeholder base
The stage of development of ICANN as an organization and the kind of CEO that would be suited for that and the next stage.
§ There are CEOs that are suitable for the start-up phase, growth and expansion, consolidation and stabilization, etc.
§ The context of ICANN's stage of development and the desired next phase will serve as a frame for the CEO criteria.
