IFFOR Announces New Board Chair as Stuart Lawley Steps Down

Washington, DC—The International Foundation for Online Responsibility (IFFOR), the non-profit organization tasked with policy making for the new dot-xxx Internet extension, has a new Chairman.  Internet governance expert, former Chairman of the Canadian Internet Registry Authority (CIRA), and entrepreneur Clyde Beattie takes over from CEO of dot-xxx registry owner ICM Registry, Stuart Lawley. Lawley took the decision to step down from the role prior to the inaugural meeting of IFFOR’s Policy Council, the body that will make recommendations to IFFOR’s Board on policies for dot-xxx domain names. "IFFOR is specifically structured to ensure separation from ICM Registry," Lawley noted. "But with my name front of house for both organizations, I felt it appeared to many there wasn’t enough of a clear separation between the two. On top of that, it has become clear through the recent success of the dot-xxx sunrise period that I would be hard-pushed to give both organizations my fullest attention." Existing IFFOR Board member Clyde Beattie was selected as the new Chairman following Lawley’s decision, joining existing Board member Sebastien Bachollet. ICM Registry’s seat on the Board has been filled by its General Counsel, Sheri Falco. Beattie said of his appointment: "I’m delighted to be in a position to lead IFFOR. It is going to be a major global contributor to the protection of children online, Internet safety and the support of free expression. While we are losing an extremely talented and forward-thinking innovator in Stuart, with the quality of people with have on both the Board and the Policy Council, IFFOR will go from strength to strength." IFFOR Board Members Chair Clyde Beattie is CEO of Yorkland Investment Corp. Sebastien Bachollet is CEO of BBS Consulting and a member of the Board of Directors of ICANN. Sheri Falco is General Counsel of ICM Registry, manager of the dot-xxx registry.   Beattie’s experience includes serving as Chairman of the Canadian Internet Registry Authority (CIRA), where he was responsible for the dot-ca top level domain, as well as serving as a director of the Canadian Association of Internet Providers (CAIP).   Bachollet’s expertise also stems from a technological background, having launched the www.sncf.fr website and built CIGREF (Club Informatique des Grandes Entreprises Françaises). Falco is a corporate and intellectual property attorney for Internet and digital media clients, with wide experience in business development, website production and entrepreneurship. She is a specialist in Internet law and consumer protection issues.