CEO Rod Beckstrom to Leave ICANN in 2012
As first announced by ICANN CEO Rod Beckstrom himself via twitter and then confirmed by a press release by ICANN (PDF), Beckstrom will step down at the end of his 3 year contract at the end June 2012.
In the note on Twitter, Beckstrom wrote:
I have decided to wrap up my service at ICANN July 2012. Press release soon
Apparently emphasizing that it was his decision to leave and even the press release makes a significant effort to show Beckstrom’s achievements for items that were completed during his term.. He will leave ICANN after the first application window for new gTLDs, but before the first new gTLDs become operational.
Kieren McCarthy has a different perspective on the departure with some inside knowledge, as he used to work for the not-for-profit: ICANN fires its CEO
See the full text of the press release after the jump.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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 [PDF, 147 KB] 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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