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Former ICANN director Bertrand de La Chapelle dies
Kevin Murphy,
August 28, 2026, 07:34:31 (UTC),
Domain Policy
Former ICANN director Bertrand de La Chapelle has died unexpectedly, according to friends and colleagues paying tribute to his life this week.
La Chapelle served on the ICANN board between 2010 and 2013, at the behest of the Nominating Committee, during a period when directors were navigating ICANN through the tricky dual problems of approving the new gTLD program and the then-controversial .xxx TLD.
Even after his directorship ended, he was a frequent, vocal, eloquent, often flamboyant, and arguably iconic presence at ICANN public meetings.
La Chapelle came from the worlds of technology and diplomacy, representing his native France during the World Summit on the Information Society and sitting for a period as vice-chair of ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee.
Friends and colleagues on social media variously described him as “thoughtful”, “charming”, “purposeful”, “witty” and “inspirational”, and expressed their shock at his sudden loss.
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