Paul Twomey, the chief executive of Icann, the not-for-profit organisation responsible for the internet's domain name system, said on Monday that he will be stepping down from his position at the end of 2009.
He made the announcement at the organisation's 34th International Public Meeting in Mexico City. "While I am deeply and personally committed to Icann and its success, I think this is the right time for me to move on to another leadership position in the private or international sectors," he said in a statement.
Twomey was named president and chief executive of the organisation in 2003, after serving as the founding chairman of Icann's governmental advisory committee. He has been the longest-serving chief executive of the organisation, which is based at Marina Del Rey, California.
"I can think of no other person who has had more influence on the course of Icann's evolution than Paul," Vint Cerf, Google's chief internet evangelist and former chairman of the Icann board, said in a statement. "We owe him a great debt for long and faithful service."
Twomey will stay on as president until the Icann board appoints a successor. Once a successor is named, Twomey will finish the year as senior president to help with the transition.
His announcement comes just months before the US Commerce Department's oversight of Icann expires. The organisation will become completely independent this September.
Icann is also in the middle of expanding the number of generic top-level domains for sale, a move opposed by companies concerned with protecting their brand names online.
Before joining Icann, Twomey founded Argo P@cific, an international advisory and investment firm specialising in building internet and technology businesses. He also served as chief executive of the Australian National Office for the Information Economy.
