ICANN changes two Board Governance Committee seats

ICANN’s seat planners changed two of their own chairs

Why it matters

In September, one member stepped aside during a leadership discussion to avoid a possible conflict. October brought two new voices to that same committee.

Daniel Kade24 October 2026 at 05:57 UTCReading Time 2 minLast update: 24 October 2026

Dans ce tableau symbolique, deux sièges changent autour de la table de gouvernance de l'ICANN.

Summary

ICANN’s 22 October Board slate gives the seven-seat Governance Committee to Christian Kaufmann, Catherine Adeya, Chris Buckridge, James Galvin, Byron Holland, Oscar Robles-Garay and Miriam Sapiro.
Buckridge and Robles-Garay replace Sarah Deutsch and Sajid Rahman on the 2025 roster. September minutes recorded a member’s recusal during a leadership discussion in this very committee.

A chair can matter even when no one sits in it. At a September Governance Committee meeting, Miriam Sapiro stepped aside from a discussion of 2027 Nominating Committee leadership as a precaution against a conflict of interest. The minutes recorded the recusal. A month later, ICANN changed two seats in that same room. The 22 October Board resolution keeps Christian Kaufmann as chair and adds Chris Buckridge and Oscar Robles-Garay.

The 2025 slate had Sarah Deutsch and Sajid Rahman in those two places. Catherine Adeya, James Galvin, Byron Holland and Miriam Sapiro remain alongside Kaufmann. The headcount stays seven; the people asked to weigh the next leadership package have changed.

After Sapiro’s recusal, the September committee recommended a 2027 NomCom chair and chair-elect to the Board. It also reviewed committee leadership and membership slates and recommended a package for Board approval. The same minutes distinguish two committees whose membership the Board chair identifies. The October resolution makes the resulting committee roster public. This is a room where a person’s participation, or decision to step out, is part of the governance record.

The Governance Committee charter gives this room more than seating charts. It recommends Board chair, vice-chair and committee nominees; reviews Board performance; oversees the directors’ Code of Conduct; and administers the conflicts policy. Two new members will sit where those judgments are prepared. The full Board votes on the appointments.