Rod Beckstrom, ICANN's new president and CEO.
(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Confirming previous speculation, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (www.icann.org) announced on Friday it has named former US cybersecurity chief Rod Beckstrom its new CEO and president.
On Thursday, the WHIR reported that the Associated Press that Beckstrom is rumoured to become the new president and CEO, citing two anonymous sources close to the ICANN talks.
The former US cybersecurity chief for the US Department of Homeland Security will replace current ICANN head Paul Twomey, who has held the position since March 2003.
Beckstrom resigned from his position at Homeland Security in March 2009, citing a lack of cooperation with the National Security Agency and insufficient funding.
He told the Associated Press that he hopes his new position will let him amalgamate the expertise of different groups.
He also adds that his previous experience with the NCC would add valuable insight to this new role.
Beckstrom has long participated in the non-profit field, having been on the board of trustees of the Environmental Defense Fund and the Nairobi, Kenya-based micro-lending group Jamii Bora Trust.
He has also co-authored four books including his most recent one, The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations.
Formed in September 1998, non-profit organization ICANN plays an important role in regulating IP address space allocation and domain names.
