ICANN hires new VP for policy, which insiders say is a good move.
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers has hired David Olive to take over the position of Vice President of Policy Development.
According to a number of insiders I’ve communicated with, and one very public blog post, this move is very welcome to both many inside and outside ICANN.
The focus seems to be less on what Olive brings to the table — he was hired over from Fujitsu, where he was General Manager and Chief Corporate Representative of Fujitsu’s D.C. Office — but more on the removal of the outgoing VP of Policy Denise Michel.
Michel is taking another position within ICANN, and apparently a few people are pleased to see her move on. Former ICANN staffer Kieren McCarthy posted a blog post over the weekend titled “The Internet is a better place – ICANN replaces policy head”. In his post, McCarthy writes:
Of the hundreds of people I have worked with, some of them very difficult, I have only truly disliked two. Not so much for their personalities but for the fact that they infected the whole work environment with destructive and negative behaviour. One was an incompetent bully of a news editor on a weekly PC magazine; the other was the head of policy at ICANN until yesterday.
So, Kieren, tell us how you really feel.
I could write a whole book about the malignant impact this one person had on the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. I could produce any number of hundreds of venomous emails. I could name the people that were forced out or fled this person’s malicious self-service. I could point to all the positive plans and ideas killed out of an overwhelming desire for control. Or highlight the various mechanisms used to bypass, undermine or infuriate people that did not conform to one individual’s personal agenda. All of it was unnecessary; all of it made the organisation weaker. But the glorious news is that it no longer matters.
Ouch. Comments on McCarthy’s blog seem to echo his sentiments.
I’ve never personally met Michel, but I’m excited to see some new blood entering ICANN.
Qaan says
Ouch…..goes to show there is always two sides to every story.
How about the new organization that replaces the ICA hire Kieren to help out our side? He sounds more balanced.