ICANN’s Nominating Committee (NomCom) is both a strange animal and a precious resource. Having a committee charged with first recruiting, then selecting suitable candidates to hold key positions within ICANN is something that is often little, or even mis, understood. Within the ICANN community itself.

By the very nature of its recruitment role, the NomCom has to remain secretive. About who the candidates are, at any rate. But that doesn’t mean the rest of the NomCom’s processes must remain so.

The feeling that the NomCom has at times lacked transparency became very evident last year, when the 2012 NomCom Chair Elect—the person chosen by the ICANN Board to be the NomCom Chair for the following year—refused to take up that position.

The ensuing debate, and sometimes stinging criticism, has clearly energised this year’s NomCom to execute significant changes. Under the auspices of the 2013 NomCom Chair Yrjö Länsipuro, blessed with both information sharing and people skills (he was a journalist and a diplomat), the NomCom has significantly changed its approach.

A general 2-stage transition has been initiated. Stage 1 is becoming more transparent. Stage 2 should be looking at the actual recruitment processes used by the NomCom to ensure that high-level candidates do not baulk at the complexities of filling in online application forms and dealing with the application system.

Since the start of the 2013 NomCom’s tenure, the committee has been putting out a Report Card after each of its official meetings. This is the first time ICANN’s NomCom has produced written accounts of its meetings.

History was also made at the ICANN Beijing meeting this week, where the NomCom has scheduled several open meetings, including its main planning meeting. This is the first time that the NomCom’s deliberations have ever been held in public to such an extent.

These are important steps towards for what is a crucial committee for ICANN because it is designed to help bring new blood into the ICANN universe, which otherwise might be in serious danger of sclerosis.