2026 Extraordinary Selection to Fill the ICANN Board Seat 9 Vacancy

Following the passing of Alan Barrett, a vacancy arose in Seat 9 of the ICANN Board of Directors.

In accordance with the ICANN Bylaws, the Address Supporting Organization Address Council (ASO AC) was responsible for selecting and nominating an individual to fill the vacancy. The selected individual will serve for the remainder of the term previously held by Mr. Barrett, through the conclusion of the ICANN90 Annual General Meeting on 4 November 2027, and until a successor has been designated and qualified.

Under Section 7.8(e) of the ICANN Bylaws, service resulting from an appointment to fill a vacancy is not considered a term for the purpose of the three-consecutive-term limit applicable to ICANN Board members.

Extraordinary Selection Procedure

At its teleconference on 1 July 2026, the ASO AC decided by majority vote to use the Extraordinary Selection Procedure set out in Section 9.5.3 of the ASO AC Operating Procedures, “Selection from Address Council Nominations.”

Under this procedure:

  • ASO AC members must nominate at least two candidates for the vacant seat.
  • Each nominee must complete and submit the required Certification Letter and questionnaire within 15 days.
  • Candidates must satisfy the eligibility and conflict-of-interest requirements established by the ICANN Bylaws.
  • The ASO AC selects the successful candidate in accordance with the selection procedure in Section 9.4.7.
  • The successful candidate is subject to ICANN’s due diligence review.

As this was an extraordinary selection based on nominations made by ASO AC members, the process did not include a public call for nominations or a public comment period.

Eligibility Requirements and Regional Restrictions

All candidates were required to meet the selection criteria and conflict-of-interest requirements established in Article 7 of the ICANN Bylaws. They were also required to submit a Certification Letter and questionnaire and consent to the due diligence review conducted by ICANN.

The ICANN Bylaws provide that no two directors nominated by the same Supporting Organization may be citizens of the same country or of countries within the same ICANN Geographic Region.

As Christian Kaufmann, the ASO-appointed director serving in Seat 10, is from the European Region, candidates from that region were not eligible to fill the Seat 9 vacancy.

Chronology of Events

29 May 2026 — Notice of Vacancy

The ICANN Secretary issued a formal notice of the vacancy in Seat 9 following the passing of Alan Barrett.

9 June 2026 — ICANN Correspondence to the ASO AC

ICANN General Counsel and Secretary John Jeffrey wrote to the ASO AC Chair confirming the vacancy and inviting the ASO AC to proceed with its selection process.

The correspondence also confirmed that:

  • the current term for Seat 9 would conclude at the end of the ICANN90 Annual General Meeting in 2027;
  • service filling the vacancy would not count as a term for the purpose of the three-consecutive-term limit; and
  • the nominee for Seat 9 must be from a different ICANN Geographic Region from the director serving in Seat 10.

1 July 2026 — Selection Procedure Adopted

The ASO AC decided by majority vote to use Section 9.5.3 of the ASO AC Operating Procedures to fill the vacancy through nominations made by ASO AC members.

July 2026 — Nomination and Candidate Documentation

ASO AC members nominated at least two candidates for the vacant seat. The nominees were contacted by the ASO Secretariat and provided with the Certification Letter, written questionnaire and information required to authorize ICANN’s due diligence review.

The candidates were required to submit their completed documentation by 24 July 2026.

24 July 2026 — Candidate Slate Confirmed

The ASO AC confirmed the candidate slate and the arrangements for the interview and selection phases.

25 July 2026 — Selection Phase Began – Candidates Interviews

The formal selection phase commenced in accordance with Sections 9.5.3 and 9.4.7 of the ASO AC Operating Procedures.

The ASO AC conducted videoconference interviews with the candidates.

8 August 2026 — Electronic Voting Began

The ASO AC opened an electronic ballot to select the successful candidate. The ballot was scheduled to remain open for up to seven days, with the possibility of closing earlier once all eligible ASO AC members had cast their votes.

15 August 2026 — Selection and Due Diligence Completed

Following the conclusion of the voting process, the ASO AC selected Oscar Robles to fill the Seat 9 vacancy.

ICANN completed its due diligence review, and the candidates were informed of the outcome before the result was made public.

18 August 2026 — Notification to the Empowered Community Administration

The Empowered Community Administration formally designated Oscar Robles to fill Seat 9 and notified the ICANN Secretary of the designation in accordance with Section 7.25 of the ICANN Bylaws.

The Empowered Community correspondence concerning the designation is available through ICANN’s public mailing-list archive.

25 August 2026 — Public Announcement

Following completion of the selection, due diligence and Empowered Community designation processes, the ASO AC publicly announced Oscar Robles’s selection to fill Seat 9.

Further Information

Detailed procedures for the selection of individuals to the ICANN Board by the ASO AC are available in Section 9 of the ASO AC Operating Procedures:

ASO AC ICANN Board Selection Procedures

Questions regarding the selection process may be directed to:

secretariat [at] aso [dot] icann [dot] org

 

Last modified on 25/08/2026