New ICANN hub office in Istanbul, Turkey

During the regular meeting of the ICANN Board on 11 April 2013 the ICANN President and CEO was authorized to implement either the resolutions relating to a liaison office or the resolutions relating to the branch office, which ever is deemed by the President and CEO to be more appropriate, and to open any bank accounts necessary to support the office in Turkey.

Accordingly the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has decided to establish a branch office in Istanbul, Turkey. David Olive was appointed as the representative of the Branch Office with each and every authority to act individually on behalf of the Branch Office before, including but not limited to, any and all courts, private and public institutions.

ICANN is committed to continuing to expand its global reach and presence in all time zones throughout the globe. One of the key aspects of ICANN‘s internationalization is to establish offices in Turkey and Singapore. Another key aspect of ICANN‘s internationalization is to ensure that not all members of ICANN‘s senior management are located in the Los Angeles office. To that end, one of ICANN‘s officers, David Olive, has agreed to relocate to Istanbul and to be the designated branch representative.

In order to formally establish an office in Istanbul, ICANN must register to do business in Turkey. The registration to do business in Turkey requires a specific Board resolution establishing the branch and designating the branch representative, which is why the Board has passed this resolution.

Establishing hub office around the globe will be a positive step for the ICANN community as it will provide a broader global reach to all members of the community. There will be a fiscal impact on ICANN, which has been considered in the FY13 budget and will be taken into account when approving the FY14 budget and beyond.