The CEO committee searching for a replacement for Fadi Chehadé has been active since it was chartered by the Board in June in Buenos Aires. Three vectors of competence have emerged as significant dimensions guiding the search: (1) managerial and operational competence; (2) ability to relate to and work with our community; and (3) representation in the international arena.
Community outreach and referrals, targeted advertising on the Internet, and advertisements in The Economist's print edition and website have yielded well over 100 candidates. Of the candidates, 93% are male and 7% are female. They come from the following regions:
9% Africa
16% Asia
27% Europe
7% Latin America and the Caribbean
41% North America
Winnowing a large list of candidates is relatively easy at the beginning of the process, but becomes increasingly more difficult as the process continues, since the candidates being eliminated from consideration are increasingly experienced and well qualified. The committee is therefore moving somewhat more slowly in its deliberations, in order to assure that the decisions made are in the interests of obtaining a CEO that is best suited to leading ICANN.
The committee has begun the interviewing process and will continue for the next couple of months. It is striving to come to a set of recommendations before the end of the year.