During its September 9, 2014 meeting, the ICANN Board selected the Chair of the 2015 Nominating Committee (NomCom).

The 2015 NomCom will begin its work In Los Angeles, immediately after the close of ICANN’s 51st International Meeting due to be held in mid-October.

ICANN’s Nominating Committee is charged with identifying, recruiting and selecting nominees of the highest possible quality for key leadership positions at ICANN. The 2015 NomCom will be selecting for the following positions:

3 members of the ICANN Board;
3 members of the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC), one each from the Africa, Asia/Australia/Pacific Islands and Latin America/Caribbean regions;
2 members of the Generic Names Supporting Organisation (GNSO) Council;
1 member of the Country Code Names Supporting Organisation (ccNSO) Council.

The full NomCom cycle lasts one year and includes five main phases: preparation, recruitment of candidates, assessments of candidates, candidate selection and NomCom reporting to the community.

NomCom members are appointed by ICANN Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees. The NomCom uses a revolving Leadership Team structure with succession planning built-in.

The ICANN Board appoints a Chair and Chair Elect for each term. The Chair Elect is a learning position designed to ensure each Chair has the benefit of a full year’s training before taking over the reins. A Chair Elect does not automatically become Chair. The ICANN Board evaluates the Chair Elect based on 360 reviews and direct assessment to determine whether the person is suitable for the Chair position.

The ICANN Board is still evaluating the 2015 Chair Elect.

A third Leadership Team position is the Associate Chair. Generally expected to be the previous NomCom Chair, this position is selected by the NomCom Chair directly and is designed to ensure the Chair benefits from previous NomCom experience as well as the training he or she received as Chair Elect.

However, the structure of the NomCom may change in the future. An ICANN Board Working Group has recommended both the committee and Leadership Team structure be altered. This means significant changes could be introduced for the 2016 NomCom.

In the meantime, the 2015 NomCom is expected to issue its call for applications in December and to set a deadline for April 2015 for applications to be received. The call will be published on the NomCom’s website. Candidates can apply directly but anyone can also suggest someone whom they fill would be a good candidate for the NomCom.