On November 1, 2023, the Election Committee (EC) issued its Report to the Members DotAsia Regarding the 2023 Board Elections (EC Report).  The EC Report confirms that, the DotAsia staff, the third party election provider, the election administrator and the Election Committee have all been found to have behaved appropriately throughout the election process.  Nevertheless, in light of the uncertainty of the membership status of one of the Sponsor Member voters at the time of the vote, a by-election for Sponsor Member seats should be conducted.  The DotAsia Board has issued a Special Advisory on the matter and taking actions to proceed with the recommended by-election.  Please refer to the DotAsia Board By-Election 2023 webpage for further information.

The timeline for the elections is as follows:

• December 22, 2022 (Thu) – Seating of the Board Election Committee
• December 23, 2022 (Fri) – Nomination Period Begins (4 weeks)
• January 20, 2023 (Fri) – Nomination Period Ends
• January 29, 2023 (Sun) – Nominations Report sent to the Board
• January 30, 2023 (Mon) – Voting Period Begins (2 weeks) (if necessary)
• February 3, 2023 (Fri) – Call for Annual General Meeting (AGM)
• February 13, 2023 (Mon) – Voting Period Ends
• February 26, 2023 (Sun) – Annual General Meeting
• February 26, 2023 (Sun) – New elected Board members assume office

MAEMURA Akinori

Candidacy Statement | SOI

DotAsia has been fulfilling the important role to the Asia Pacific Region and globally for the Internet coordination and promotion with a focus at the capacity building of the youth. The surplus from the registry business of .asia TLD funds its activities, therefore it is crucially to run it profittable enough and properly.

This time I accepted the nomination from APNIC because I believe the stable and appropriate operation of DotAsia Organization is indispensible for the Internet in Asia Pacific Region and even globally and I believe I can contribute toward it in its Board of Directors, with my expertise throughout my six-year service at ICANN Board of Directors which gave me the in-depth knowledge on TLD business ecosystem and my sixteen-year service at APNIC Executive Council to be knowledgeable on Asia Pacific Internet environment and global Internet coordination, among the others throught my professional life.

MAEMURA Akinori

Candidate BIO:

MAEMURA Akinori (SURNAME Given name, 前村　昌紀) is Chief Policy Officer of JPNIC – Japan Network Information Center, a not-for-profit Internet promotion body and National Internet Registry for Japan.

Maemura has more than 25 years of career and experience in the Internet technical operations and coordination. He started the Internet career at NEC Corporation, Japan, to launch its ISP business, which is now known as BIGLOBE, as a network engineer in 1994. After that he got involved in the Internet Coordination among ISPs and associations, as the commercial Internet is emerging in Japan, including the establishment of JANOG, the Network Operators’ Group of Japan, and IP address management at JPNIC – Japan Network Information Center. Then his involvement expanded to the region when he was first elected to the Executive Council of APNIC, Asia Pacific Network Information Centre, one of five Regional Internet Registries which administer the Internet number space for respective regions in 2000. He served as an EC member for 16 years, especially as the Chair of it for 13 years until February 2016. After that, he was elected to the Board of Directors of ICANN – Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers as an appointee of its ASO, Address Supporting Organization. He served as an ICANN Board Member for two terms, six years until 2022.

As the Chief Policy Officer of JPNIC, Maemura presides JPNIC’s consideration, coordination and communication of the Internet Policies as well as its external and international relations.

He also serves as a Board Director at JPCERT Coordination Center, the national computer incident response team in Japan.

Jordan CARTER

Candidacy Statement | SOI

I am interested in joining the dotAsia board to bring my considerable expertise in top level domain management to the table.

As a former country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) CEO, I am familiar with all aspects of registry operations, including tendering for back end registry operations, policy, marketing and financial management. I understand the difference between governance and board participation and management, and will work hard to support the right approach for the dotAsia organisation.

As a long time participant in internet governance in the Asia Pac region and globally, I can bring my knowledge of our communities and the dynamic environment to the table as well.

I want dotAsia to be a well governed organisation and to focus on growing the .asia presence and visibility, and to keep delivering a surplus to support our diverse communities.

Candidate BIO:

Jordan Carter joined auDA (.au) in 2022 in the new role of Internet Governance and Policy Director. He is responsible for building effective coalitions to advance multi-stakeholder Internet governance processes and outcomes in Australia and internationally. He leads auDA’s work to support Australia’s digital transformation and advocates for effective and innovative technology policy.

Jordan brings with him a great depth of experience from his 19 years at InternetNZ, including nine as Chief Executive, where he engaged deeply on local and international Internet policy. His achievements include significant contribution to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)’s country code Name Supporting Organization (ccNSO), including as a ccNSO Council Member, and as co-chair of the Accountability Work Stream related to the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) Stewardship Transition. He also convened civil society input to the New Zealand government’s Christchurch Call, and contributed to the establishment and development of New Zealand’s Internet Governance Forum, NetHui.

He has participated in Asia Pacific regional internet governance since the mid 2000s, including through work with APTLD, the national and regional Internet Governance Forums, and a wide range of other processes in the region and globally.

Jose Emmanuel DISINI

Candidacy statement and BIO not available

Kashif ADEEL

Candidacy Statement | SOI

While thanking PH Domain Foundation (.PH) and UZInfoCom (.UZ) for nominating and seconding me for the upcoming Board elections as a Sponsor-Member’s candidate, my objectives for the second term on the DotAsia Board are the following:

• As the Board Finance Committee Chair, I spearheaded an effort to return the organization and its subsidiaries to profitability. We have been at a breaking point in the direction, and my 20-plus years of management experience spread across large-scale business transformation initiatives with some of the largest financial institutions in the Middle East and Pakistan allow me to suggest with much confidence that the crucial task can and should be accomplished. If elected for the new term, I will be happy to continue this work.
• As a seasoned project manager, I tried to identify good operational practices at DotAasia and foster them, while working hard to improve counterproductive practices and help the staff find their bearings, particularly in the area of digital marketing. There still is a lot we should do to ensure the registry’s entrance on the path of sustained growth, and I hope to continue counseling the staff and overseeing the process.
• With my record of service as a Co-Chair for APNG, Chair for the fellowship committee for APSIG and Chair for Internet Research Community (IRC), I am not new to community projects at DotAsia and have remained very close to the regional community. We made some progress in the community project sponsorship area but we have a great chance for improving this work so that every ccTLD would be able to reap the benefits of its association with DotAasia, and I am going to remain a part of the effort.
• Last but not least, over the past two years we initiated a number of serious institutional reforms, and my experience tells that commitment and consistency in their implementation are critical factors behind their successful implementation. With much expertise gained over the previous tenure, I trust I can further contribute to the betterment of DotAsia’s institutional development and to promotion of its transparency and accountability in the first place.

Running on a ccTLD ticket is a great honor which comes together with a great responsibility before the ccTLD community, and I am ready to assume it, no matter how challenging the mission is going to be.

For any questions / support I can be contacted at:
kashifadeel@gmail.com

Candidate BIO:

Kashif Adeel, with over 20 years of management experience spread across large scale business and technology transformation initiatives with some of the largest financial institutions in the Middle East and Pakistan, is a technology evangelist, advocate and entrepreneur.

He is currently serving as Board of Director for Dot.Asia and Namesphere provides strategic direction, oversight, inspiration, support and advice on various matters. For DotAsia , he is also serving as Chair for Board Finance Committee and member of Board governance and Community projects committees.

Previously, he served as Co-Chair for APNG (Asia Pacific Next Generation) and conducted the APNG camp in Hiroshima, Japan attended by 200 people from 25+ economies. He also served as executive member, fellowship committee and working group committee chair role for various APNG events. In addition, he also served as Chair for fellowship committee member for APSIG and Chair for Internet Research Community (IRC).

He is also an entrepreneur, director and advisor to various digital, technology and start-up companies in the Middle east and Asia Pacific region. As an active researcher, Kashif has presented and published various papers on internet technology and its innovative applications in various reputed journals conferences. He was also invited to address conferences as Chair/Keynote/Moderator in various international conferences/events in Asia Pacific, Middle East and European countries.

His qualifications include Governance in Enterprise IT (CGEIT), Project Management Professional (PMP), Agile Program Management (Agile PgM SAFe Agilest, Scrum Master), IBM BlockChain Essentials, BlockChain Business Foundation, ITIL and COBIT5 and Master’s Degree in Software Project Management.

Detailed Biography can be found here.

Khan Md. Mahfuzus SALAM

Candidacy statement and BIO not available

Maureen HILYARD

Candidacy Statement | SOI

I have always been a strong supporter of the work that DOTASIA does within the Asian region and would like to see this support expanded into the Pacific region, especially to encourage important opportunities that can arise from the benefits that a respected and upstanding regional top-level domain can bring to business and civil society organisations that not only share a common top-level domain but also the strong cultural values that are upheld across the region. The DotAsia Organisation has been a model for maintaining strong support from its technical and Internet user community that has sustained the company through its good as well as challenging times. I am also very proud and honoured to have been selected by two of Asia’s most respected technical organisations (JPRS and SGNIC) as their joint nomination for this election.

I am also happy to be contacted personally, if any one has any questions or queries.
hilyard@oyster.net.ck

Candidate BIO:

I relocated to the Cook Islands from New Zealand in 2004 initially as an Advisor to the Cook Islands Ministry of Education’s Distance Learning section. During my 4 years with the Ministry, I joined the Internet Society’s Pacific Islands Chapter which led to role as the PICISOC Board Chair and then on to the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) of ICANN. PICISOC was one of At-Large’s first ALSes. While on the ALAC, I was the ALAC Liaison to the ccNSO for 6 years until I first became the Vice Chair in 2017 and then the Chair of the ALAC in 2018. During this 4-year period through my contacts with APRICOT and the APRIGF, I was elected to the Board of DotAsia in 2016 and was the first officially elected Board Chair in 2021 until the end of my term.

At the conclusion of my term as ALAC Chair, I will remain a member of the ALAC during 2023 and am the ALAC Vice Chair in charge of At-Large Outreach and Engagement. I am also the ALAC representative on the GNSO Guidance Process for Applicant Support which will be preparing the Guidebook for new and underserved applicants for the new round of gTLDs, who may be wanting to better understand the requirements of not only being a successful new gTLD applicant but also a successful registrar. At-Large has also maintained a high-level interest in Universal Acceptance of Internationalised Domain Names and mitigating DNS Abuse. I was fortunate to have spent 5 years on the Advisory Council of the Public Interest Registry and was selected to transfer in 2021 to the Advisory Council of the DNS Abuse Institute which coordinates the efforts of registries and registrars to minimise DNS Abuse that can impact negatively on end-user experiences on the Internet.

Nicole CHAN

SOI

Candidate BIO: 

Nicole T. I. Chan is former Chairperson of National Communications Commission (NCC), Taiwan. When she took the position, Nicole was responsible for planning the 5G , IoT and Cybersecurity regulatory framework and development of Taiwan, coordinating the National high level of Security Strategic Project, and also co-working with TWNIC, especially for the DNS and IP issues, for promoting and implementing the Internet Governance and multi-stakeholders model within Taiwan and connect to the APNIC, ICANN, and other Internet International Organizations. Nicole is an attorney at law and industrial consultant. In her professional career, she deeply involved in the Internet and technology development issues raised and discussed by the Internet society. She also work closely with ICT Industry and international organizations, especially for the multi-related issues. She has been Board director of Dot Asia from Feb. 2019 until Feb. 2022 and current is ICANN ASO/AC (reappointed by APNIC and serving until Dec.2023), Vice Chair of Digital Transformation Association, Honorable Chairperson of Taiwan Blockchain Association, as well as many distinguished positions in the areas of Internet and Technology law, policy making and strategy.

Nicole is a frequent speaker, panelist and moderator of domestic, reginal and global Internet, technology, and digital transformation related conferences, such as APNIC and APrIGF, TWNIC, APNIC and ICANN Engagement Forum, APSIG, SIGGRAPH, etc. Previous roles have included Chairperson of National Communications Commission (NCC), Taiwan.

When Ms. Chan worked as the Board director of DotAsia and ICANN ASO/AC in the past few years, she helped the achievements including completing the Governance Documents of DotAsia, processing the collaboration projects with Internet Communities, and the election of No.9 seat of ICANN Board.

Nicole’s areas of expertise include Internet Law, Intellectual property law, international cyberspace law and jurisdiction, internet governance, cybersecurity, Regulatory Mechanism, and many vertical domain Industries such as Electronic, Health Care, Audiovisual and film, etc, and the relationship with Internet Organizations making her an excellent candidate to offer academic and practical knowledge to the DotAsia. Especially, she has been dedicating to the promotion of law-making on Digital Convergence Regulations in Taiwan so that she has consolidated her highest level of understanding on the Internet-based industries.

Nicole is a graduate of University of LONDON, UK and National Taiwan University, qualified as a lawyer in Taiwan. Her areas of expertise include Science & Technology Law, Intellectual Property Law, Telecommunication Regulations and Policy, Internet Jurisdiction and Policy, Internet Governance, Cybersecurity Governance, Internet & e-Commerce Regulation, Creative Industry Regulation and Management, Hi-tech & creative Industry Policy, Enterprise Investment & Management…, etc.

Santanu ACHARYA

Candidacy statement and BIO not available

Tenanoia SIMONA

Candidacy Statement | SOI

Dear DotAsia Members,

My name is Tenanoia, I am from a tiny archipelago of Tuvalu, and this is my first time to stand at this election.

I decided to stand for the seat on the DotAsia Board for several reasons. I believe that the Pacific islands community has been for long underrepresented at DotAsia, while our community surely need to have a stronger voice on the regional level not only as a recipient of technical and other assistance but also as an incubator of certain practices and success stories which are usually underrated, and I will do my best to apply them to DotAsia’s projects in the region.

As a civil servant and a GAC member, I hope to bring to the Board the voice of Government as one of stakeholders in the multistakeholder paradigm of Internet Governance. Also, as a MAG member I will be serving as an interface between DotAsia and the global community that drives Internet Governance processes on the global level.

As a long-standing Board Director of Tuvalu’s National Bank, I will be happy to share my knowledge with the Board and staff and to contribute to DotAsia’s Board Finance Committee’s activities.

Under my leadership as the CEO of Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation responsible for the administration and management of a ccTLD, we have recently undergone a major transformational reform, and I will be happy to assist the community, Board and Management of DotAsia in their thrive for operational excellence.

Last but not least, I strongly believe that my presence on the Board should contribute to a more visible gender balance thus promoting inclusivity and equal opportunities at DotAsia as major principles behind its operation and service to the community.

Fakafetai lasi for your support.

Tenanoia Simona

Candidate BIO:

Tenanoia Simona is one of the first two women Telecommunication CEOs in the Pacific with more than 20 years of experience in the ICT and Telecommunication sector. She holds two Masters namely, Master in Information Technology Management from the University of Sydney, Australia, and a Master in Commerce majoring in Information Systems from the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, with a Bachelor in Information Systems and Economics from the University of the South Pacific.

She is passionate about the use of emerging technologies and the internet for the development of small island developing states. Being brought up in a community-based society in the Pacific, she is always excited to share and teach, young ones on basic computing classes including simple coding, provide cyber security awareness programs for schools and communities in Tuvalu.

Ms. Simona is a multi-talented ICT professional who is now the Government Representative to the Asia Pacific Top Level Domain (APTLD) Association, IGF MAG member, new ICANN GAC member (Tuvalu), an Ambassador for the Get Safe Online Organization, a former Board member of the Pacific Islands Chapter of the Internet Society – PICISOC, PacIGF Committee member, a Director in the Board of the National Bank of Tuvalu, and an Executive Member of the Tuvalu Women for Change Association. Her public service career has been in Telecommunication and ICT Project Implementations and Deployments, ICT and Internet Governance, Project Management, Cyber Security, and Policy and Strategy Development.

Thomas BARRETT

Candidacy Statement | SOI

I hereby submit my Candidacy Statement to serve on DotAsia’s Board.

I represent the .PW Sponsor member, as Admin Contact for the ccTLD (PW Registry Corp). I have been involved with the .PW ccTLD since 2003, when I led the IANA re-delegation with the support of the government of the Republic of Palau.

I also own two ICANN-accredited registrars: EnCirca (c.2001) and Name Share (c.2003). I am a member of the ccNSO, Intellectual Property Constituency, and Registrar Stakeholder Group within ICANN.

I am interested in helping the DotAsia registry fulfill its mission to serve the Asia internet community. I can provide global and independent insights towards helping DotAsia grow and prosper. I can also contribute deep technical, financial and strategic expertise and experience to help ensure the success of the DotAsia organization.

I am about to conclude a five-year tenure as Chair of the ICANN Nominating Committee Review Working Group. The NomCom appoints half of the ICANN Board as well as other positions. The Review Working Group is implementing 27 recommendations, including ICANN Bylaw changes to improve the accountability and transparency of the Nominating Committee process and appointments. This is useful experience that can be applied on behalf of future DotAsia board governance.

I developed the first business class for the DNS Entrepreneurial Center in Giza, Egypt and presented SWOT ccTLD workshops in five countries including: Egypt, Oman, Qatar, UAE (Dubai), and Tunisia. I also have served on Program Committee and Speaker for the Middle East DNS Forum since 2015.

I also serve as Chair of the Blockchain Subcommittee for the International Trademark Association and am leading INTA’s efforts to identify new policies and regulations for protecting intellectual property on the blockchain.

Here is a summary of my qualifications for the DotAsia Board:

Internet and Board Governance
I have extensive internet and board governance experience, including:

• ICANN (1998-Present)
• Board member of NetBenefit Ltd, a public company on the London Stock Exchange (1999-2001)
• Founding Board member of Afilias (c.2000)
• Finance Committee member for my town (~$30 million budget)
• Ethereum Naming Service Decentralized Autonomous Organization Delegate

2023 ICANN activities include:

• Concluding as Chair of the Nominating Committee Review Working Group
• Names Collision Analysis Project (NCAP)
• NextGen Mentor
• GNSO Guidance Process for Applicant Support (of next gTLD Program)

Extensive TLD Registry Experience
In addition to launching the .PW Registry and being a Founding Board member of Afilias, I worked with Neustar to launch .BIZ, the second new gTLD.

Since launching EnCirca in 2001, I have served in an advisory or consulting capacity to several ccTLD and gTLD TLD Registries, including:

• I serve on the .US Stakeholder Council. Previously, I served on Neustar’s Kids.US Advisory Council
• I serve as a member of the fTLD DMARC Working Group for .BANK and .INSURANCE. Previously, I was on fTLD’s Security Standards Advisory Group
• I served on the .PHARMACY Advisory Committee (As their largest registrar)
• EnCirca is the exclusive ICANN Registrar for .CPA and .REALTOR TLDs
• EnCirca also designed and maintains the verification platform for the .BANK and .INSURANCE Registries with integration to over 30 other ICANN registrars

Deep DNS Business and Technical Knowledge

• I own two successful ICANN-Accredited Registrars
• I developed the first business class for the DNS Entrepreneurship Center in Giza, Egypt and presented SWOT ccTLD workshops in five countries including: Egypt, Oman, Qatar, UAE (Dubai), and Tunisia. (see DNS Entrepreneurship Center)
• I also have served on Program Committee and Speaker for the Middle East DNS Forum since 2015
• I have managed the involuntary bulk transfers of over sixty registrars terminated by either ICANN or TLD registries (both gTLD and ccTLD)
• Chair of the Blockchain Committee for the International Trademark Association and Advisor, DAO Delegate, or Director of several blockchain projects

Personal

• I reside in Rockport, Massachusetts, US
• Married, wife Colleen and four adult children
• Mechanical Engineer with degrees from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MSME) and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (BSME).
• More information here: LinkedIn Profile: Thomas Barrett LinkedIn.

If you would like to ask me any questions or schedule a personal video chat, feel free to contact me at tbarrett@pwregistry.pw.

Canadidate BIO:

Tom Barrett is President and Founder of the .PW ccTLD registry and two ICANN-accredited domain name registrars: EnCirca, and Name Share. Tom also serves as Chair of the Blockchain Committee for the International Trademark Association and recently launched Altroots, a brand protection service for blockchain domains.

EnCirca specializes in partnering with top-level domain registry operators, including serving as exclusive registrar for .CPA and .REALTOR, and designing and maintaining the verification platform for the .BANK and .INSURANCE registries. EnCirca also provides registration, custody backup and trademark protection services for blockchain-based domain name projects.

Previously, Tom helped launch ICANN’s first two new gTLDS while at Neustar (.BIZ) and NetNames (.INFO), where he was a founding Board member of Afilias. Tom sold NetNames to NetBenefit, a public company on the London Stock Exchange and served on their Board of Directors.

Even earlier, Tom led the development of the SAEGIS trademark research platform for Thomson-CompuMark (now part of Clarivate), conducted business process re-engineering at Accenture and worked on jet engine factory automation for General Electric and Pratt & Whitney Aircraft. Tom has engineering degrees from MIT and WPI and lives north of Boston, Massachusetts, USA.