Another challenging year due to the Corona pandemic is coming to a close, and ICANN has held another virtual annual general meeting (AGM)—the 6th in a row.

Unlike last year, today, we can hope for a better next year. In many regions of the world, the figures look better, and the opening is progressing. That at least gives us hope that ICANN will hold face-to-face meetings again next year—at least they are planning it so. That should also make it easier for the new Nominating Committee (NomCom).

ICANN’s NomCom identifies, recruits, and selects nominees of the highest possible quality for ICANN key leadership positions. The 2022 NomCom is seeking candidates for the following 8 seats:

• Three members of the ICANN Board of Directors
• One member of the Public Technical Identifiers board
• Two regional representatives to the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC)—(one each from Europe and North America region)
• One member of the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Council
• One member of the Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) Council

The NomCom is a committee of 21 delegates, 15 of whom have voting privileges. The NomCom operates independently from the Board, the Supporting Organizations, and Advisory Committees. The whole cycle lasts one year and includes five main phases: preparation, recruitment of candidates, assessments of candidates, candidate selection, and NomCom reporting to the community.

The Corona pandemic was quite challenging for the last two NomCom rounds. Unfortunately, the pandemic is not over, making it tough to raise awareness, get applications, reach out to candidates, and attend zoom calls at unfavorable hours. However, ICANN staff gained much experience managing that, and as a voting member of the 2021 NomCom, I have to say that despite all the adversity, we executed it well from my point of view. Michael Graham is the Chair of the 2022 NomCom, and he has been a voting member for the last two years, so he is well prepared for this challenge.

The application phase will probably start by the end of January—published on NomCom’s website. From then on, you can submit your application for an expected two months.