97 per cent of campaigners want second EGM to clear Nominet board

Nominet's board achieved a confidence rating of just 1.3 out of 10

The Public Benefit campaign, which aims to ensure UK registry operator Nominet is run according to its Articles, has announced that 97 per cent of its supporters want a second extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to remove the remaining members of the Nominet board.

"I think it would be fair to say that the board's actions haven't convinced the membership they're the team to lead the necessary change," Simon Blackler, CEO of Krystal and the organiser of the campaign, stated in a Twitter post on Wednesday.

According to Blackler, Nominet's board achieved a confidence rating of just 1.3 out of 10 in Public Benefit's survey of its supporters, who include nearly 500 Nominet members, 74 per cent of UK top 50 members and 31 per cent of the voting rights. Nominet currently has about 2,500 total members, but most decisions have historically been made by a small minority who control a large number of votes.

PublicBenefit conducted the survey after Nominet's board rejected members' call to install former BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons as acting chair.

Rob Binns, Nominet's current chairman, said in a letter to Nominet's members that the board would run its own selection process to find a new CEO, chairman and executive director.

The board also refused campaigners's demand to install internet infrastructure industry veteran Axel Pawlik to Nominet's board.

"I don't mind telling you that I am incredibly angry at the lost opportunity, both for Nominet and its members," Simon Blackler said in an email to supporters.

"The board have snubbed the membership in the most absolute terms… It demonstrates EXACTLY the type of hubris and insulated thinking this whole campaign was about changing."

Blackler said support amongst the largest 50 Nominet members was "just as strong, if not stronger, than before."

Blacker told The Register that he had "engaged legal counsel to provide a considered opinion in advance to accompany any EGM notice that if we removed the entire board we'd have the power to appoint replacement directors."

Controversy continues

Following the EGM on 22nd March - which saw the removal of then-chairman Mark Wood and CEO Russell Haworth, as well as three board members - Nominet members were expecting the remaining six members to announce the appointment of two caretaker directors to take over as chair and vice-chair.

However, the board refused to appoint the directors selected by the campaigners and instead added two internal staffers - CIO Adam Leach and company secretary Rory Kelly - to the board.

In a letter to Nominet members, Binns said the board appointed Leach and Kelly to "maintain an executive presence, ensure the Board keeps a strong connection with staff, and provide sufficient capacity for committee activities."

Controversially, the board also named former MD Eleanor Bradley as interim CEO following Haworth's resignation. The decision came despite members having voted Haworth and Bradley, as well as CFO Ben Hill, off the board just a week earlier. This puts Nominet in the unusual position of having a CEO without a board seat.

Nominet's board members have been under fire for several months, with the Public Benefit campaign describing their decisions as 'complete mismanagement'.

The campaign points out that despite a more than 50 per cent increase in the price of .uk domains, Nominet's operating profits have declined 38 per cent. The company's charitable donations also fell, while directors' salaries continued to increase.

The campaign blamed the board for a business strategy that was focused only on profit, despite Nominet being a not-for-profit company.