Executive Committee (ExCom)
The Executive Committee consists of five officers who manage the Registrar Stakeholder Group (Chair, Vice-Chair of Policy, Vice-Chair of Technical Operations, Secretary, Treasurer). The two-year term for an ExCom officer runs from AGM to AGM, and the election process, eligibility, and officer duties are specified in the RrSG Charter.
Owen Smigelski
Executive Committee – Chair
Owen Smigelski is Head of ICANN Compliance & Relations at Namecheap, and was elected as Chair of the Registrar Stakeholder Group in June 2024. His term concludes at the AGM 2026.
Sarah Wyld
Executive Committee – Vice Chair, Policy
Sarah Wyld, CIPP/E is the Head of Policy and Privacy at TCX, a domain name wholesale registrar and registry operator (Tucows), fiber ISP (Ting), and mobile services enabler (Wavelo). Sarah was first elected as Vice-Chair of Policy of the Registrar Stakeholder Group in April 2024 to complete the term of the previous Vice-Chair which concluded at the AGM 2024. She was reelected in June 2024 and her current term ends at the AGM in 2026
Roger Carney
Executive Committee – Vice Chair, Technical Operations
Roger Carney is Director of Global Policy at GoDaddy. He was elected as Vice Chair of Technical Operations in June 2024 and his term concludes at the AGM 2026
Michael Bauland
Executive Committee – Treasurer
Michael Bauland is Senior Systems Architect at Knipp Medien und Kommunikation GmbH. Michael was elected as Treasurer in June 2024 and his term concludes at the AGM 2026.
Francisca Ezeobele
Executive Committee – Secretary
Francisca Ezobele is the Assistant Sales Manager at Upperlink. Francisca was elected as Secretary of the Registrar Stakeholder Group in June 2025 and her term concludes at the AGM 2027.
ICANN Representatives
The Registrar Stakeholder Group elects three GNSO representatives and one Nominating Committee member.
The GNSO is ICANN’s policy-making body for generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs). The Registrar Stakeholder Group has three seats on the GNSO Council that are elected by, and represent, the Registrar Stakeholder Group. Each seat has a different representative from one of the five geographic regions: Africa, Asia/Australia/Pacific, Europe, Latin America/ Caribbean, and North America. Learn more about the GNSO HERE.
The Nominating Committee (NomCom) member is responsible for selecting individuals to serve in key leadership positions within the ICANN structure. Although the Registrar Stakeholder Group elects a member of the Nominating Committee, that member is not accountable to the Stakeholder Group but IS responsible for adherence to the Bylaws and compliance with the rules and procedures established the NomCom. Learn more about the NomCom HERE.
Ashley Heineman
GNSO Representative – North America
Ashley Heineman is the Director of Global Policy at GoDaddy and was first appointed as the Registrars’ representative to the GNSO Council to complete the term of the previous Council Representative which concluded at the AGM 2025. Ashley was elected at GNSO Council Representative in June 2025 and her term concludes at the ICANN AGM in 2027.
Prudence Malinki
GNSO Representative – Europe
Prudence Malinki is the Head of Industry Relations at Markmonitor, a corporate registrar. Prudence was first elected as the Registrars’ European representative to the GNSO Council in November 2023 to complete the term of a previous Council Representative which concluded at the AGM 2024. She was reelected in June 2024 and her current term concludes at the AGM in 2026
Hong-Fu (Tom) Meng
GNSO Representative – Asia Pacific
Hong-Fu (Tom) Meng serves as the Global Partner and Policy Manager at Net-Chinese Co., Ltd. Hong-Fu (Tom) was first elected as the Registrars’ Asia Pacific representative to the GNSO Council in June 2024 to complete his predecessor’s term, which concluded at the AGM 2025. He was reelected in June 2025 and his current term concludes at the AGM in 2027
Jothan Frakes
Nominating Committee Member
Jothan Frakes is CEO of PLISK.com and was elected as the registrars’ representative for the 2025/26 Nominating Committee in June 2024. His term concludes at AGM in 2026
Supporting Staff
In addition to the Executive Committee and ICANN Representatives, the Registrar Stakeholder Group has a Secretariat that provides numerous services.
Zoe Bonython
Registrar Stakeholder Group Secretariat
As Secretariat, Zoe works on a variety of projects with the ExCom to support the efforts of the RrSG.