Profile
Over 20 years of experience in the internet environment as architect and technical manager in various roles. More than ten years of experience as Board member in various companies and associations.
• Managing international divers and distributed teams
• Experience with managing operational and engineering teams for global IP Networks
• Leading the hard and software engineering teams for servers and network equipment
• Defining and executing AKAMAI’s Technology vision and future
• Extensive experience in founding, operating and governing Internet Exchanges
• Regular speaker on international conferences, IX meetings and Universities
Professional
AKAMAI Technologies, Munich – August 2008 – present
Vice President Technology
• Heading the Technology Department (160+ people) including: Software and Systems Architecture and Engineering, Network Architecture, Network Engineering, Datacentre Architecture and Hardware Architecture for Akamai.
• Defining and executing AKAMAI’s Technology vision
• Representation of AKAMAI at international industry conferences
• Technical representation towards Regulators, Internet Governance, etc.
TeliaSonera International Carriers, London – June 2007 – July 2008
Global IP Peering Manager
• Managing the technical peering (IPv4, IPv6, multicast and GRX) of AS1299 § Providing strategic advice and training to the sales and product management departments
• Managing the relationship to peer and customer network representatives on a global scale
• Representing TeliaSonera at international conferences (Nanog, Ripe, Global Peering Forum, etc)
• Engineering projects: IPv6 rollout, IP Netflow based billing system
Easynet (BskyB Group), London – October 2006 – May 2007
GNOC Manager
• Building up a complete new GNOC (Global Network Operation Centre)
• Operating the global Easynet backbone and all local Easynet network interconnects including peering, transit and MPLS NNIs
• Member of the peering committee and a technical peering contact point for Easynet (AS4589).
• Contact person for vendors and suppliers I held service reviews and tracked our RMAs on a regular base customers and partners
Cable and Wireless Telecommunication Services, Munich, August 2001 – September 2006
Technical Operations Manager
• Managing the Tech Ops department including the NOC, 3rd Lvl Support, Network Security, IP Admin and DNS Team
• Member of the C&W Global Peering Committee and the technical contact for peering
• Representing C&W at NANOG, RIPE or Peering Forums
• Leader of the INXS (the oldest IX in Germany) Planning/Operations Team
Executive and Founding Roles
France-IX, Paris
President of the Board, Oct 2016 – Present
Co-Founder, Dec 2009 – July 2010
https://www.franceix.net/
RIPE NCC, Amsterdam
Executive Board Member – Chairman (since 2018), May 2011 – present
http://www.ripe.net/
RIPE community, Amsterdam
RIPE MAT WG co-chair, May 2010 – Oct 2017
https://www.ripe.net/participate/ripe/wg/active-wg/mat
Amsterdam Internet Exchange,
Amsterdam Executive Board Member – Chairman (since 2010), Dec 2007 – Nov 2013
http://www.ams-ix.net/
Skills
Languages
• German Native language
• English Fluent
Certifications
• 04/2014 Master of Science in Advanced Networking
• 11/2007 Juniper Networks Certified Internet Expert (JNCIE #292)
• 08/2004 Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE #13780)
Last modified on March 31st, 2022 at 12:58
Christian would make an excellent addition to the ICANN board. Besides knowing the community and having earned wide-spread respect, he is keenly aware of governance issues. It’s important that the board includes people with broad expertise in governance issues, including accountability, transparency and trust. CK has this on top of his technical knowledge, and a proven ability to build bridges and trust between various communities. He also has a track record of showing inclusive leadership and sensitivity to issues of diversity. I unreservedly recommend him for the board.
I highly recommend Christian Kaufmann to serve on the ICANN Board. He has an incredible breadth of experience serving the RIR community and understands challenges unique to ICANN’s environment.
Christian has served in several leadership positions over the years because he has earned the trust of the communities in which he participates. He deserves this trust because he consistently invests the time required to understand issues and collaborate with stakeholders before making a decision.
ICANN would benefit from Christian serving on the Board.
There is no one I would recommend more for this role than CK. Not only does he have a barge of knowledge on network operations, telecommunications, and the general Internet, but he is also well-liked in the community, knows how to make valuable and lasting human connections with his peers from anywhere in the world, has supported a number of industry body Board, Committee, and Governance duties, has a deep sense of ethical integrity, and finally, understand and appreciates the various cultures that he has encountered.
CK would be a major contributor to the ICANN Board, and the global Internet system would be better off for it.
I fully support Christian regarding its application for an ICANN board seat.
He is widely recognized within the Internet community as a great professional and has some significative experience within various boards. He has been till 2021 and during several years the President of France-IX board: during its mandate he really contributed to raise the level of the board by bringing more added value and recommendations for the CEO, by consolidating the overall strategy through its proposals. I also highly appreciated its ability to raise consensus within the board and ease the decisions processes.
I have known CK for many years and believe he would bring great experience and good governance skills/perspectives to the ICANN Board. I support his nomination as he would be a great representative for the numbering community!
I strongly recommend Christian Kaufmann for the ICANN board seat no.10, we at the Arab Internet and Telecom union have a long history of cooperation with Ripe NCC in developing the Internet in the ARAB Region, I can say that He has the knowledge and the sufficient experience of the global internet community especially in emerging markets.
With his leadership and understanding of the Internet world, he would be very efficient in the ICANN as a Board member.
I as the chairman of the Arab Internet and Telecom union strongly recommend him as a candidate for the ICANN board.
I have worked with CK for almost 15 years on projects that have helped develop the Internet across three continents. (Namely Africa, Asia and Europe).
He has been a key partner / enabler in many technical fora, regional peering forums and special interest groups.
Not only does CK bring to the table his expert technical knowledge but also his shrewd businessman mindset and a proven track record of diplomatic / geo-political understanding.
With years of experience on many boards of organizations of different sizes / scopes, CK would make the ideal addition to the ICANN board
I have worked with CK in a variety of contexts in the African region. I believe his knowledge, experience, and passion would be a valuable asset for the ICANN Board and its global community of stakeholders.
I unreservedly recommend him as a candidate for Board Seat 10.
I have known Christian for more than 10 years and it’s my pleasure to nominate him for the ICANN Board.
Christian has strong understanding on how Internet works, this includes in-depth understanding on underlying building blocks, e.g. technical, policy, economics, governance, relationships etc.
He could always make smart decisions to solve issues at global and all-round levels, as he has solid experience in various Internet communities positions.
I would strongly recommend him as he is passionate for building a better Internet.
Kams Yeung, Executive Council members of APNIC
Christian Kaufmann would be a great fit for the seat. By having the chance to interact with Christian once at GPF and then follow him on the social media and listen to he’s talks around the interconnection events I got amazed by he’s overall experience in the Internet industry.
I strongly recommend Christian Kaufmann as a candidate for board seat 10. He’s leadership will be appreciated on this role.
I strongly recommend Christian Kaufmann for the ICANN board. He has a wealth of knowledge of the global internet community including the challenges which can be seen especially in emerging markets. He is a fantastic leader and will definitely make a valuable contribution to the ICANN board.
I do strongly recommend Christian as a candidate for board seat 10 as I believe he is very suitable as an ICANN Board member.
I’m serving as Chair of Middle East Network Operators Group -MENOG- where Christian has been actively involved and engaged in MENOG meetings and he was participating in the efforts that aim to enable and develop the community in Middle East.
With the wide experience and skills that Christian has I totally support his nomination to ICANN’s Board.
I do strongly recommend Christian as a candidate for board seat 10 , I believe he is very suitable as an ICANN Board member.
I’m serving as Chair of Middle East Network Operators Group -MENOG- where Christian has been actively involved and engaged in MENOG meetings and he was participating in the efforts that aim to enable and develop the community in Middle East.
With the wide experience and skills that Christian has I totally support his nomination to ICANN’s Board.
During my long journey in the whole area of Internet Governance, I met a lot of great people. Many of them would be good candidates for the ICANN board positions. But two years ago I joined RIPE NCC board with Christian as a chairman and since this moment I have a different perception how such a candidate should look like. Christian has an excellent understanding of the whole I-Star ecosystem. In his role as RIPE NCC chairman he has proven many times that he has in-depth knowledge not only of business and strategy but also of technology. He is a natural strong leader with a passion for the Open Internet but at also he is a sensitive person who is able to listen, negotiate and understand needs of every member of the diverse stakeholder group.
So I am not proposing a good candidate, I support Christian because he is a GREAT candidate for the board seat 10. And I really believe that not choosing him would be a huge loss for the entire ICANN community.
Kaufmann is a longstanding member of the RIPE community. He has held a number of leadership positions in the community, most noteably serving as the chair of the RIPE NCC executive board. This has given him a solid understanding of relevant policy and governance matters facing the Internet today.
In his day job, Kaufmann oversees a global team, building Internet infrastructure around the world and is well versed with technical matters. He has extensive senior management experience, and has served on a number of non-profit boards over the years.
Given his longstanding contribution to the numbers community, I believe Kaufmann is an ideal representative for the numbers community on the ICANN board.
I strongly recommend Christian Kaufmann for the ICANN.
Christian Kaufmann has many years of board experience in different Internet related organizations. But it’s not only the board experience that makes Christian the perfect candidate for ICANN Board. It’s his curiosity, openness, an understanding of how to deal with other stakeholders in a multistakeholder environment and a willingness to engage with other stakeholders. At ICANN Board, one needs to be able to have a good understanding of the dynamics of various stakeholders and be willing to engage with them, listen to them and acknowledge their concerns. Christian has been doing that in spaces he didn’t even need to engage with other stakeholders. I think here is a great chance for the Numbers community to contribute to the health of the ICANN Board and the ICANN community. Vote for Christian!
I strongly recommend Christian as a candidate for ICANN Board Seat 10. He is an accomplished business person in the Internet operations space, and has experience serving on Internet technical community boards (e.g., RIPE NCC). He has been a strong advocate for network development, supporting more robust peering, interconnection and Internet community development. He was/is a long-time supporter of ISOC’s AfPIF meeting, and a great collaborator on capacity building. He knows how to work with experts from around the world to build consensus.
Christian’s long experience in the industry, both in building infrastructure in senior positions but also from working in all levels of the I-Star community would be a valuable addition to the ICANN board. Christian has wide management experience and from senior board roles for mutlistakeholder organisations. This makes him an ideal candidate for the ICANN board.
By his work in building Internet infrastructure and his commitment to the mutlistakeholder organisations where he as been active and served in leadership positions he has also shown his commitment to the “Internet model, and mutlistakeholder governance of the Internet. He has a technical, business and governance view of the issues that face ICANN and the Internet ecosystem.
I strongly recommend Christian for ICANN board seat 10.
Christian Kaufmann would be a valuable addition to the ICANN board. I’ve known and worked with Christian for over 10 year, in this period we collaborated in various roles, each interaction a positive one.
Christian is reliable, punctual, lighthearted, and has a remarkable talent for leading.
Christian has a keen eye for group dynamics. He ensures all members in a group actively participate in decision making processes. He helps groups find consensus without actively steering towards specific solutions.
I recommend Christian for board seat 10.
CK is globally known in both, the I-Star and the RIR world and an active contributor to the global Internet community over the last two decades.
His understanding of the technical as well as policy and governance world are very valuable for the ICANN community, I therefore strongly recommend him for Seat 10.
Christian has held many community positions in the industry. Most recently I experienced him as the Chair of the RIPE NCC Executive Board. He is an excellent chair and understands the role and responsibilities of a Board very well. Christian is good at guiding and leading a discussion and coming to a conclusion. With his leadership qualities and his understanding of the Internet industry, he would be very suitable as an ICANN Board member.
Christian is a seasoned leader, able to listen and bring different stakeholders to consensus. He understands very well the numbers and protocols aspects, and the relationships between the different Internet Governance constituencies. Finally, Christian cares about the Open Internet and has given substantial amount of his time in the last 12 years volunteering in various organizations.
I strongly recommend Christian as a candidate for board seat 10.
Christian would make an excellent ICANN board member. He’s an accomplished representative of the Internet operations community, and would bring a deep understanding of the numbers and protocols aspects of ICANN’s responsibilities to the ICANN board. As well, he’s a veteran of many Internet governance roles, and understands the circles within which ICANN operates, between the people who keep the Internet working, and the governments that regulate it in the public interest.
I strongly recommend Christian as a candidate for board seat 10.