Beckstrom applauds China on building Internet

•Search for new CEO kicks off

President and Chief Executive Officer, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Mr. Rod Beckstrom, has applauded China for its role on building of the Internet, urging stakeholders to warm-up for the new generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs).

This came as the search for new chief executive officer of ICANN gathers momentum.

Beckstrom who was in Beijing, China said that with just over a month before the opening of the application period for new generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs), organizations worldwide need to prepare for their introduction.

He advised stakeholders, especially companies and organisation to embrace gTLDs.

“If you have not done so, now is the time to get expert advice and get your marketing people engaged to take advantage of new opportunities. If you need help there are many companies around the world that offer this service,” he said.

Also, he said, that even those who do not plan to apply need to be vigilant, stressing that if one do not choose to apply, such a person still need to be attentive to those who do, and use the protections built into the programme to safeguard your brand or community.

The CEO who was quoted by the Director, Global Media Affairs at ICANN, Mr. Brad White, as speaking at a Beijing event aimed at informing, educating and engaging China’s business and Internet communities as part of ICANN’s global gTLD communication programme, commended China’s role in helping to build a strong global Internet and for helping to make Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) a reality in China, for the benefit of its 1.3 billion people.

IDNs, he said, facilitates the use of non-Latin characters, like Chinese in the Internet domain names.

“For more than a decade, China has demonstrated great leadership in advancing the technology that has made this type of innovation possible. You were among the first to experiment in IDNs and offer Chinese Domain Name registrations,” Beckstrom said.

The President, Internet Society of China (ISC), Madame Hu and honorary chairman of the steering committee of the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) noted that with 500 million Internet users in China, the Internet has become a critical platform to raise brand awareness and improve long-term competitiveness for every enterprise and institution.

Meanwhile, the Search Committee for a new Chief Executive Officer at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)  has met several times since Dakar last October.

The committee has also scheduled conference calls at least weekly through to the Costa Rica meeting in March 2012.

ITRealms Online learnt that the committee received a number of e-mailed responses in reply to its request in Dakar for further input.

“We thank those who have provided input, either in person in Dakar or through e-mail submissions,” they said.

Further, the committee said it issued a Request For Proposal (RFP) for a search firm to assist in the process, with eight firms solicited, and four acceptable responses were received.

ITRealms Online gathered that the proposal of Odgers Berndtson of Brussels was chosen, and the committee is now working actively with them.

The committee, in cooperation with Odgers Berndtson, has developed a candidate profile to be used in our search efforts. The profile is a condensation of the Board’s thinking and comments from the community and others, to help potential candidates understand the required skills and experience.

Remmy Nweke
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