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Staff changes at new gTLD consultancies

Kevin Murphy, November 16, 2011, 09:12:44 (UTC), Domain Services

There’s movement in the new top-level domains consultancy market this week, with new hires and departures at a couple of startups.
It’s been a case of one in, one out at Sedari, the registry management services company founded by Liz Williams this summer.
The company has hired Philip Sheppard, most recently director of public affairs for AIM, the European Brands Agency, as its new policy director.
Sheppard is an ICANN veteran from the IP/business side of the house, who has chaired multiple policy committees since becoming involved in 1999.
But Sedari has also lost another industry vet, Jothan Frakes, who’s decided to go freelance.
Elsewhere, FairWinds Partners, which shares management with the Coalition Against Domain Name Abuse, has also emerged publicly as a new gTLD consultancy.
The Washington DC-based company hope to use its track record of criticizing the new gTLD program to win the support of big brands skeptical about the ICANN process.
FairWinds said this week it’s taken on former ICANN director Michael Palage of Pharos Global, who has worked for both proponents and opponents of the program, apparently on a freelance basis.

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Comments (5)

  1. Paul says:
    November 16, 2011 at 12:15 pm

    How can Fairwinds play both sides of the fence and have any credibility whatsoever??

    Reply
    • Kevin Murphy says:
      November 16, 2011 at 12:19 pm

      I see your point, but if you consider that many brands are in a similar position — opposed to the program but willing to make the best of it — you can see why it makes a certain kind of sense.

      Reply
      • Paul says:
        November 16, 2011 at 2:10 pm

        @Kevin – sure, from a brand holder’s perspective, but Fairwinds as a consultant (and through CADNA) have opposed it so now that it seems like it’s going to go ahead, they change gears and figure there’s more money to be made consulting than continuing to oppose…that’s my point.

        Reply
  2. Constantine Roussos says:
    November 20, 2011 at 6:19 pm

    How is this surprising? Who said there is loyalty to anything anymore? All of these people are paid to perform a job. Once the job has ceased they seek new opportunities in spite of their original “jobs” and opinions. If there is money to be made they jump the bandwagon and use their original assessments to lure companies that shared that opinion and want someone they can “trust.” There is no such thing as loyalty and sticking to your guns for most. Follow the opportunity and adapt. Sad but true.

    Reply
  3. Tegan DeClark says:
    November 23, 2011 at 6:30 am

    There is obviously an opportunity for established companies to headhunt also, so you’ll be sure to see much more of the same.

    Reply

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