Chehade repositions ICANN top-level executives

ICANN president, Fad Chehade

President and Chief Executive Officer Fadi Chehadé of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has named the current Chief Operating Officer (COO), Mr. Akram Atallah as the President, Generic Domains Division, a newly created branch that will focus on generic domain operations, domain name industry engagement and web services for the community.

Since assuming office at ICANN in September of 2012, Chehadé made it a priority to both internationalize ICANN and to accelerate effective and professional global management.

Confirming this to DigitalSENSE Business News, Director of Global Media Affairs, Mr. Brad White, quoted ICANN chief executive as saying that the creation of the new division was necessary because of ICANN’s new gTLD programme; one of the biggest changes to the Internet since its inception, which will see a tremendous increase in scale and responsibility to ensure that ICANN continues to deliver operational excellence.

Also, he said, that Mrs. Susanna Bennett, an accomplished financial and operational executive in technology services, has been named the new COO. She will be charged with continuing to lead the organization’s day-to-day operations while also continuing to improve management operations.

Recalling that Bennett would be leaving Jazz Technologies, Inc., where she was the Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Human Resources.

Describing Susanna as one with extensive knowledge of international operational infrastructure, governance and integration in culturally-diverse organizations, Chehadé said in his official blog post that Susanna would help improve ICANN’s agility, accountability and visibility, which he discussed during ICANN’s recent meeting in Beijing.

“She will help us mature and tweak our bottom-up, consensus-driven, multistakeholder model,” Chehade said.

Revealing that both Bennett and Attalah will assume their new positions on July 1 when several other new organizational changes will occur.

Mr. White also said that Bennett has more than 25 years of experience with both public and private companies and has established and managed international operations in Europe, Asia, Australia, South Africa, and South America.

Stressing that prior to joining Jazz Technologies, Inc. in 2008, Bennett was CFO Partner for Tatum, LLC where she advised clients in China on acquisition strategies, integration synergies and global market expansion.

Ms Susanna Bennett and Mr Attallah

Reacting to her appointment, Bennett said: “It is particularly exciting to partner with the passionate team at ICANN at this time of dramatic international growth.” Adding that the Internet’s impact around the globe is phenomenal and in no small way ICANN’s multi-stakeholder model has effectively framed the Internet’s growth.

DigitalSENSE Business News further gathered that other new organizational changes expected at ICANN, including the creation of a new position to lead Technical & Security Operations, who will report directly to the CEO.

In addition, Jamie Hedlund, currently Vice President of Stakeholder Engagement for North America, will become a special advisor to Chehadé, while continuing leadership of North America government relations.

While Christopher Mondini, presently the Vice President of Business Engagement, will become the Vice President of Stakeholder Engagement for North America and Global Business Engagement. He will assist with ICANN’s overall engagement efforts.

 
Whereas Nora Abusitta will become Vice President of Public Responsibility Programs. Abusitta is currently the Senior Director of Inter-Governmental Development. 


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Slot seeks media collaboration on warranty enlightenment

L-r Lawyer to Slot; Mrs. Obidike of CPC; CEO Slot Nnamdi Ezeigbo and wife and a staff

The managing director, Slot Systems Limited, Mr. Nnamdi Ezeigbo has called on Nigerian media to collaborate with his firm on educating the consumers of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the country over consumer related issues.

Speaking to DigitalSENSE Business News at a o

ne-day consumer awareness campaign in Lagos on Wednesday tagged ‘Understanding Warranties’ he said Slot recognized the importance of consumers to the company’s operations, saying they are committed to ensuring and passionately pursuing the consumer’s wellbeing and satisfaction.

Ezeigbo said based on the foregoing, Slot has resolved to close the knowledge gap which has continually deprived consumers from fully enjoying the benefits of the warranty arrangement on mobile devices in the country.

“This attempt at bringing the media together to begin the public enlightenment campaign,” he said, soliciting Nigerian media to take up this task of enlightening the populace on how to maximize the benefits of the various warranty policies available.

“We, therefore, plead with you, our friends and partners in the media to take up this task of enlightening our people,” Ezeigbo declared.

He said that there are two sets of faults likely on every mobile devices, namely that of factory and user’s faults respectively.

Ezeigbo explained that factory faults are replaceable if the devices come back within the specified warranty period without physical damages or any evidence of having being dropped, shock or liquid penetration.

“There are two categories of factory faults namely hardware and software,” he asserted.

User’s faults on the other hand, he said, could occur when devices are subjected to any of the aforementioned conditions, stressing that in such a case, the user is expected to pay for the replacement of the faulty parts.

This, he said, applies to devices that are still within the specified warranty period.

Pointing out that one of such critical success factors of Slot, is the ability to add value to products based on the realization that the consumer is the king, reiterating the commitment of Slot to continue in the diligent service to consumers.

Earlier, the Head, Lagos office of the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) Mrs. Ngozi Obidike, commended Slot on the campaign towards engaging consumers to understand what warranty is all about.

 
According to her, CPC is always ready to collaborate with stakeholders on this kind of campaign, hence its identifying with Slot.

Remmy Nweke/DigitalSENSE Business News
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DSA hosts 3rd Nigeria IPV6 Roundtable

Today, Thursday, June 6, is the Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable day, which holds in Lagos at the Welcome Centre Hotels, says the Executive Director, Operations of the organizing firm, the DigitalSENSE Africa Media Limited, Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke.

She also the Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable is used by her organization and partners to commemorate the World IPv6 Day every year since 2011 in partnership with stakeholder organizations like the Internet Society (ISOC) Nigerian chapter among others.

This year, she noted that Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable with the theme “IPv6 and Mobile Services in Nigeria” is supported by ISOC and Phase3 Telecoms and is presided over by distinguished pioneer of .ng administrator, Mrs. Ibukun Odusote, who is currently the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Also, she disclosed that the Vice President, Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA), Mr. Sunday Folayan, would moderate the interactive session at the event, while Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN) Mr. Gbenga Sesan would address the issue of “IPv6 in Nigeria: Matters Arising” among other

She confirmed to DigitalSENSE Business News, that all is set for this year commemoration, adding that the nomination of Mrs. Odusote to preside over the 2013 edition of the Roundtable was unanimously adopted by the management board of her company.

Mrs. Ibukun Odusote

She noted that the one-day Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable 2013 is held annually in commemoration of the World Internet Protocol version Six (IPv6) in the country, every June 6, with this year’s theme as “IPv6 and Mobile Services in Nigeria.”

Mrs. Nweke also said that several companies who intend to play in the IPv6 industry are gearing up for the commemoration by booking a space for exhibition of some products akin to IPv6.

She pointed out that Mrs. Odusote pedigree in the Internet industry in Nigeria cannot be over-emphasised beginning from when she became the Admin contact for .ng and later grew to become director, IT at the Information and Communications.

Noting that as the national coordinator of Digital Peers International, Mrs. Odusote has proven that Nigerian women can really play the role of champion in Internet evolution and as pioneer in several fronts in encouraging children to adopt to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

She revealed that the event would hold on Thursday, June 6, this year with a keynote addresses by the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Eugene Juwah and Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Prof. Cleopas Angaye, among other speakers have been scheduled to grace the Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable 2013.

“For this year, we are good to go and every much excited with the acceptance of Mrs. Odusote to make the difference, more so as the first woman to preside the Nigeria IPV6 Roundtable,” she observed.

She urged stakeholders across the Information and Communications Technologies (ICT), especially those playing in the Internet industry to take advantage of this roundtable by actively participating.

Mrs. Nweke called to mind that following the allocation of the last batch of the Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) addresses by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) it became imperative for the deployment of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6).

 Correspondent/DigitalSENSE Business News

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ICANN names Yu-Chuang Regional VP for Asia

Kuek Yu-Chuang

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has finally named Kuek Yu-Chuang, the Vice President for Global Stakeholder Engagement for the Asia Region.

Disclosing this to DigitalSENSE Business News, the Director, Global Media at ICANN, Mr. Brad White, said Yu-Chuang will assume the role on August 1, 2013 and Kuek Yu-Chuang, has proved himself a leading executive in technology policy development.

Kuek, he said, has served most recently as a Senior Director for Yahoo! Inc., where he led the company’s public policy efforts in the Asia Pacific and Latin American regions.

Prior to joining Yahoo!, Kuek served as a Management Associate for the Singapore Government. In that capacity, he engaged in intellectual property policy development for Singapore’s Ministry of Law.

He quoted the Senior Advisor to the President for Global Stakeholder Engagement, Mr. Sally Costerton, as saying the recent meeting in Beijing, that the largest in the history, clearly demonstrated the importance of Asia in the plans to further internationalize this organization.

“So we are pleased to have someone with Kuek’s regional understanding and public policy experience to head up the development and implementation of our strategic plan for Asia,” he said.

DigitalSENSE Business News recalls that ICANN recently announced it’s opening major hub offices in Singapore and Istanbul. Just as Kuek will also serve as the Managing Director for ICANN’s planned Asia Pacific hub based in Singapore.

During the organization’s April meeting in Beijing, ICANN President Fadi Chehadé revealed that ICANN is opening an engagement center in the Chinese capitol.

“This is an organization that understands how important Asia is to the growth and vibrancy of the Internet,” said Kuek. “I’m looking forward to increasing the presence and awareness of ICANN across the Asian region since the Internet will undoubtedly help define the future here and around the globe.”

Kuek also has diplomatic experience, which Costerton said will be very valuable as ICANN’s lead figure in the region.  Kuek worked for Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and served in Singapore’s Washington, D.C. Embassy where he helped plan and implement outreach to the U.S. Congress and the White House.

Kuek studied International Politics at China’s Peking University where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts. He later obtained a Master of Arts from Harvard University in the U.S.

Remmy Nweke/DigitalSENSE Business News
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NESREA seals Glo base stations in Plateau

The National Environmental Standards Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) under the leadership of Dr. Ngeri Benebo has sealed up base stations belonging to Globacom Dandur, Lantang North Local Government Area of Plateau State.

DigitalSENSE Business News gathered that NESREA sealed one of the Globacom's base stations in Dandur, Lantang North Local Government Area of Plateau State for lack of adherence to so-called environmental regulations.

NESREA said that Globacom had failed to conduct a Site Specific Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and cited the provision of the EIA ACT of 1992, before erecting its facility in the area.

Reacting to the seal of Glo’s base station, the National President, National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers (NATCOMS), Chief Deolu Ogubanjo, decried the situation, alleging that NESREA is exploiting the humility of both the Hon. Minister of Communication Technology and President Goodluck Jonathan.

As said by him the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), is the regulatory body by law, charged with the responsibility of regulating telecommunications and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Nigeria and should be left alone to do its job.

NATCOMS calls on both CommTech Minister and the Environment counterpart to quickly sort this issue out and leave the telecoms industry alone to concentrate on how to bring about good quality service to telecoms consumers.

Additionally, NATCOMS urged the National Assembly to ask NESREA leadership not to heat up the pride of Nigeria's economy - Telecomms.

DigitalSENSE Business News

 

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