Bob Gilbert

Nominet non-exec directors letter of support to CEO & Chair, 12 Nov 08

by kierenmccarthy on January 30, 2009

Letter of support for Nominet CEO and Chairman from current non-exec directors, 12 November 2008

Dear Bob & Lesley,

We write in response to the allegations and demands in a letter Jim Davies published on public mailing lists and in the media.

We shall confine the scope of this letter to deal with the damaging and unwarranted suggestions from Mr Davies that you are unsuited to your roles, the other allegations are, properly, a matter to respond to as a company.

We believe that you have both worked tirelessly to further the development of Nominet and the “.uk” domain in the interests of our members and all stakeholders since your appointment and to suggest otherwise is palpable nonsense.

We note Lesley’s consistently high performance in her stewardship of the company where it has gone from strength to strength in financial performance, technical innovation, customer service and playing a leading role in the industry internationally.

We note Bob’s passion and effectiveness in chairing the Board in meetings and providing the support required for the CEO and senior management team between Board meetings. We have no doubt that his performance as Chairman has been first class and in the best interests of Nominet, it’s members and all stakeholders.

We note the importance to the UK economy of Nominet and the “.uk” domain name working effectively and the concern the Department for Business has already shown in the current governance structures which have brought about the current troubles.

We believe in a strong independent Nominet, free from vested interests, in the private sector, with a public purpose, a vision we know you share passionately. We therefore urge you to reject Mr Davies’ call for your resignations and to continue to work with us in these troubling times to safeguard the future of Nominet and the “.uk” name space on behalf of our members and all stakeholders.

We call upon all Nominet members, stakeholders and government to work in partnership with us to ensure that Nominet can emerge stronger from the current challenges with it’s private sector, public purpose ethos intact.

Yours sincerely,

Gordon Dick
Deputy Chairman & Non-Executive Director.

Sebastien Lahtinen
Non-Executive Director.

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Angus Hanton resignation letter as Nominet director, 12 Nov 08

by kierenmccarthy on January 30, 2009

Resignation letter from Angus Hanton, Nominet director, 12 November 2008

Dear Board and Co. Secretary,

I am resigning my position as a non-executive Nominet director with immediate effect. As you know I have been unhappy for some time about how the company is being run – I have had to take legal advice on at least eight separate occasions over the last few months and on each one of them I was advised that what the company was doing was wrong. Furthermore the chairman has refused to pay the costs of non-executive directors getting independent legal advice which runs contrary to good corporate governance, as does too much else at Nominet. The problems clearly lie not with the corporate structure, as David Hendon of BERR has suggested, but with the way the company is actually being run.

Personally I do not believe Bob Gilbert and Lesley Cowley are the right people to lead Nominet at this point and I agree that their positions should be put to an immediate member vote.

I have been shocked by the board’s attitude on executive pay and senior staff disciplinary issues – both in substance and in procedure. I have also been concerned about unanswered questions relating to the last AGM and board elections. However, directors have collective responsibility for the actions and decisions of the board and I can no longer share responsibility for what is being done in the company’s name.

The company is meant to be controlled by, and answerable to, its membership as well as having duties to the wider community. My firm impression is that some other directors would like to eliminate the membership’s control of the organisation and are not committed to the company’s not-for-profit objectives.

On a more positive note, I am very pleased about the setting up of the Nominet Foundation and I am sure it will be a great success. I have also been privileged over the last 18 months to work with the Nominet staff who are a dedicated, friendly and efficient group of people – I wish them all the very best in their work.

Yours sincerely,
Angus Hanton

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Jim Davies resignation letter as Nominet director, 20 Jan 09

January 28, 2009

Resignation letter from Jim Davies, Nominet director, 20 January 2009 Dear Mr Gilbert I hereby tender my resignation as a Director of Nominet UK with immediate effect. I regret having to resign; and I hope that the many members whose support enabled me to be appointed do not feel I am letting them down. However, [...]

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Update on the Nominet Board fight

January 26, 2009

One day after the first announcement that angrily refused claims made in a resignation letter by former Nominet director Jim Davies, the .uk registry operator put out a second announcement covering in some detail why it believes Davies’ accusations are false and without merit.

The statement providing significant information about the executive compensation package that Davies had complained was providing the CEO with a large sum of money. It also deals with his accusation concerning the chairman’s role on the Renumeration Committee.

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ccTLD managers’ letter of support to Nominet CEO and Chair, 18 Nov 08

January 25, 2009

To the stakeholders of the United Kingdom’s country code top level domain .uk 18 November 2008. Subject: Nominet Dear Sir, Madam, It is with great and sincere concern that we have learned that recent developments within the Board of Directors of the .uk registry Nominet have culminated in Board Director Mr. Davies’ call for the [...]

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Nominet Board fight rolls on

January 22, 2009

Yet another extraordinary statement has come out of Nominet – the .uk registry owner – today. This time, the chairman Bob Gilbert lambastes a “number of false allegations” made in a resignation letter from former director Jim Davies.

The letter was posted on the Nominet members’ private mailing list, nom-steer, and contains “sensitive and confidential board and HR matters”. The letter provides details of an executive compensation package, accusing the CEO of unfairly profiting from the non-profit organization, and also alleges that the previous head of IT – a very nice bloke called Jay Daley – was kicked out the company for raising a concern about the CEO’s behaviour. This is just the latest dispatch in a particular nasty fight at the heart of Nominet.

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Former Nominet non-execs letter of support to CEO and Chair, 11 Nov 08

January 19, 2009

To: Bob Gilbert, Chairman, Nominet From: Former non-executive directors of Nominet: Richard Almeida, Alex Bligh, Rob Blokzijl, Stephen Dyer, Fay Howard, Keith Mitchell, Jonathan Robinson, Nigel Titley 11th November 2008 Re: Letter from BERR to Nominet dated 15th October 2008 Board Communique dated distributed 29th October 2008 Open Letter from Jim Davies distributed 7th November [...]

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Letter from BERR to Nominet, 15 Oct 08

December 14, 2008

From: BERR – Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform To: Bob Gilbert Esq, Chairman, Nominet 15 October 2008 Dear Bob, I was most grateful for you and senior members of your team finding the time to visit BERR on 8 September in response to my request for a meeting. I found our discussion very [...]

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Nominet EGM hits barriers

March 16, 2006

Well, I thought it would be a close thing. And I was completely wrong.

Nominet this morning lost all three votes called at its Extraordinary General Meeting and lost them by a massive margin. Why? Because, completely unexpectedly, two of the three biggest Nominet members decided they didn’t like them.

In the end, all the objections eloquently put forward by some members of Nominet’s Policy Advisory Board were as nought when big companies Fasthosts and Pipex turned against the deal.

But what I thought was a battle over Nominet’s future direction has suddenly become something much, much bigger. It’s now about who controls Nominet, and so by extension, the UK’s Internet space, and the UK’s biggest beast in the global Net infrastructure market.

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