UK Internet and Charity Leaders entrusted with oversight of Foundation to fund education, research and development initiatives in Internet industry.

01/10/2008

Nominet today announces the appointment of the Board of Trustees for the Nominet Foundation, a charitable organisation that will fund education, research and development initiatives in the Internet industry. 

The trustees are Lesley Cowley, CEO of Nominet (Nominet Board representative), Steve Dyer, Chairman and founder of Energetics Ecology Ltd (Nominet membership representative), James Kemp, (Nominet staff representative), Vanessa Miner, an advisor to the DCSF on new school partnerships, Ian Ritchie, non-executive Chairman of Iomart plc and Jonathan Welfare, Chief Executive of Elizabeth Finn Care.

Bob Gilbert, Chairman of Nominet comments: "We have appointed high calibre candidates with a wealth of experience in fundraising and oversight of charitable trusts.  They can now begin the task of setting up the Foundation for its official launch early next year. We are confident that we have the right people to ensure that this initiative will make a real impact in helping to shape the future of the UK Internet."

Nominet has made an initial donation of £5 million to the Foundation for the first year of operations. Potential projects will be invited to apply for funding in early 2009 and full details of this process will be announced nearer the time.

Notes to Editors

About Nominet

Nominet operates at the heart of e-commerce in the UK, running one of the world's largest Internet registries and managing over seven million domain names. Nominet maintains the register of .uk domain names and runs the DNS infrastructure that keeps .uk working.

It runs the technology that locates a computer in the Internet hosting the web site or email system you're looking for when you type in a web address or send an email to an address that ends in .uk.

Nominet is a company limited by guarantee that has members not shareholders. Its not for profit status prohibits it from distributing any surpluses that it makes to its members but can use them to make charitable donations. Anyone with an interest in the Internet may become a member. Nominet has over 2,800 members representing all areas of the Internet industry.

Nominet also runs the Tier 1 registry for UK ENUM, a new UK registry service that combines telephone numbers and the Domain Name System to simplify the way telephone calls over the Internet work.  It removes the need for connection to the telephone network and enables more calls to be made for free.

Trustee Biographies

Lesley Cowley

Lesley Cowley joined Nominet UK as Operations Director in April 1999 and has extensive management experience in both the public and private sectors together with an MBA, with distinction.

She was appointed Managing Director in 2002 and Chief Executive in 2005. She is responsible for leading the development of Nominet and the senior management team. She is particularly involved in looking after the relationships with Nominet's members and stakeholders, developing company performance and representing Nominet nationally and internationally.

In 2007, she won the CBI First Women award for Technology. In 2006, she was a top five finalist in Britain's Best Boss awards and received a special commendation. She was also a finalist at the 2005 Blackberry Women in Technology awards.

Lesley is an elected Council Member of the Country-Code Names Supporting Organisation (ccNSO) of the world governing body of the Internet (ICANN), where she represents Europe and she is Chair of ICANN's ccNSO Participation Working Group.

Lesley is also a trustee of Kennet Housing, part of the Guinness Trust, which is a charitable Housing Association.

Steve Dyer

Steve Dyer is Chairman and founder of Energetics Ecology Ltd, a director of Namegate Ltd, and a director of UKIF Ltd that runs the UK Network Operators Forum. He was previously Chairman and founder of Mailbox Internet Limited, one of the UK's longest established profitable business-to-business Internet Service Providers and a former non-executive director of Nominet.

He has many years of experience of working in the domain name industry, with a number of registries, registrars and Internet Service Providers.

James Kemp

James Kemp has several years' experience as a fundraiser,  researcher and project manager with Oxford Research Group, an award winning UK based charity.  In this role James worked closely with decision makers, independent experts and the media to develop and promote policies relating to UK and international security strategy. 

In 2007 James joined Nominet as the technical department Project Coordinator, with responsibility for producing and maintaining project development and implementation plans, and coordination between projects. James is Nominet's staff trustee for the Foundation.

Vanessa Miner

Vanessa Miner is a marketing professional with a significant record of accomplishments in marketing, communications and campaigning in the UK and across global markets.  She has experience in sponsorship and commercial partnerships, technology marketing, media, PR and issue- based campaigning. 

Vanessa has senior management experience via direct interaction at board level and with Government.  She has worked for companies such as BT, Vizzavi, Endemol, the Edge Foundation (an independent charity foundation that focuses on vocational education for young people) and is currently an advisor to the DCSF on new school partnerships.

Ian Ritchie

Ian Ritchie is the non-executive Chairman of Iomart plc, Computer Application Services Ltd, Scapa Technologies Ltd, Caspian Learning Ltd and the Interactive Design Institute Ltd. He founded a technology start-up company Office Workstations Limited in 1984 and has been involved in the establishment of many new interactive technology businesses.

His experience in the field of charitable activities includes being Chairman of Connect Scotland, a not-for-profit business that links academic researchers with entrepreneurs and professional advisors in regular networking events.  He is a board member and trustee of Dynamic Earth (Edinburgh's Science Centre) and Bletchley Park (the centre of wartime codebreaking and the birthplace of electronic computation). He is a board member of the National Museums of Scotland, the Chairman of Generation Science and a non-executive director of the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Jonathan Welfare

Jonathan Welfare is the Chief Executive of Elizabeth Finn Care, a charity that provides support and care to a wide range of individuals and families.  He is also a director of English Community Care Association and a member of the Commission for Social Care and Inspection Mental Health Improvement Board.

Jonathan has extensive experience of the charity sector as a Trustee and Chairman of a range of charities.  He has also held Board level appointments in both the public and the private sector.  He has most recently established Turn2us, an online and helpline charity, to direct those in need to the charities and State Benefits most appropriate to their individual circumstances.

Nominet Foundation contact details

Email:    enquiries@nominetfoundation.org.uk

Tel:         01865 334000

Fax:        01865 334009

Web site:    www.nominetfoundation.org.uk


For further information, please contact:
Blaise Hammond / Gemma Griffiths, Racepoint Group UK
Tel: 020 8752 3200
Email: nominet@racepointgroup.co.uk

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