Recent Posts
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TLDH hires ICANN’s former new gTLDs head
Top Level Domain Holdings has hired Michael Salazar, former head of the new gTLD program at ICANN, as its chief financial officer.
The hire, which is still subject to some regulatory checks, will also see Salazar become an executive director of the company, which has applied for dozens of new gTLDs.
Salazar was at ICANN for three years, before leaving this June in the wake of the TLD Application System and Digital Archery messes.
Before ICANN, he was with KPMG for 16 years, according to TLDH.
It’s the second time TLDH has brought a former ICANNer on board to fill a senior role.
Former chair Peter Dengate Thrush controversially joined the company as executive chairman in July 2011, but recently announced that he will be leaving the company in January.
Salazer replaces David Weill, CFO as well as a founding director of the company, who is leaving. He’s the second original director, after Clark Landry, to quit in as many months.
Looks like a good time to have worked for ICANN, worked for a cause most people had no interest in, then to jump ship to this new industry ICANN created to make a boat load of money yourself. Slimy if you ask me. Sickens me this type of stuff is allowed to happen – all at the world’s expense.
Salazar didn’t approve the program, he just worked there.
Actually the right way to characterize Michael Salazar’s departure from ICANN is “resigned.” (Not “jumped ship” or even “let go.” Neither of these terms is accurate.)
We are completely delighted to have him on board at TLDH/Minds + Machines. Michael not only understands the ICANN processes, he is a former partner at KPMG and really a perfect fit for us as CFO. His being available just as we began a search for a CFO was a happy stroke of serendipity. As we move to a more operational phase, we will continue to add people and make changes that befit the new needs of our company.
I should also note that Digital Archery at ICANN was not Michael’s idea, and he was not in charge of it.
Antony
Thanks for the clarification Antony, I’ve tweaked the post accordingly.
I guess “thrown under the bus” would probably be inaccurate also.
https://twitter.com/antonyvc/status/215959024473096192
We all speculated at the time. Now I have better information.