Our Board of Directors meets regularly and is responsible for strategic and policy decisions.
Baroness Rennie Fritchie, DBE – Chair
Baroness Fritchie DBE is an Independent Crossbench Peer, Chair of the 2gether NHS Trust for Gloucestershire until December 31 2012, a consultant on strategy and leadership working out of Mainstream Development and Chancellor for the University of Gloucestershire. She was appointed as Chair of Nominet in June 2010 following a competitive selection process and is a member of Nominet’s Remuneration Committee. Rennie also currently chairs the Nominations Committee and Development Working Group.
She was Chair of the Web Science Research Initiative at Southampton University and MIT until 2009 and is a former Pro Chancellor of Southampton University.
Baroness Fritchie DBE served as Vice Chair of Stroud and Swindon Building Society until 2008. In 1999, she was appointed Commissioner for Public Appointments and a Civil Service Commissioner, a post she held for seven years.
She is the holder of seven Honorary Degrees from the Universities of Southampton, York, Oxford Brookes, St Andrews, The Open University, Hull University and Queen’s University, Belfast. She is also a Fellow of the University of Gloucestershire, City & Guilds London, The Chartered Institute for Public Finance and the Sunningdale Institute, part of the National School of Government. She was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1996 and a life peer in 2005.
Lesley Cowley, OBE, MBA - Chief Executive
Under Lesley’s leadership, Nominet has become a trusted guardian of a vital part of the UK internet economy, providing services that are relied upon by millions of
businesses and consumers. Lesley serves on the Nominations Committee and the Development Working Group.
Respected within the international internet community, Lesley is Chair of ICANN’s Country Code Names Supporting Organisation. She is an advocate for the multistakeholder model of internet governance, and represents Nominet at a range of national and global events and forums.
Lesley was awarded an OBE for services to the Internet and e-commerce in 2011. In July 2012, Computer Weekly named Lesley as one of the top three most influential women in IT. In 2011, she also received a special commendation in the IOD’s Director of the Year Awards, and won the IOD Chairman's Award for London and South East.
Lesley is a Fellow of a number of respected bodies including; the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce; The Institute of Directors; The British Computer Society; The Institute of Credit Management and The Chartered Management Institute. She is a Freeman at The Worshipful Company of Information Technologists, a Member of The Inspirational Women Network, a Trustee of the Jenner Hall Trust and a STEM Ambassador to schools.
Lesley has been Chief Executive of Nominet since 2002.
Eleanor Bradley – Chief Operating Officer
Eleanor is responsible for operations and corporate services at Nominet – this includes customer service, dispute resolution, policy development, and the finance, legal and HR functions.
Eleanor also leads Nominet’s business continuity and risk management team, key areas of focus in a company operating at the heart of the UK internet industry.
She has 15 year’s experience in the internet industry with a focus on customer service, continuous improvement and stakeholder engagement.
She has been an Executive Director since December 2012.
Simon McCalla – Chief Technology Officer
Simon leads the team responsible for the technology behind Nominet’s world class registry services, providing a vital resource on which millions of businesses and individuals depend.
Building on Nominet’s expertise with the Domain Name System, Simon provides technical leadership within the UK and international internet communities, regularly representing Nominet with technical, government and media audiences. In 2011, Simon coordinated an international review of the security and stability of the global Domain Name System.
Tasked with driving Nominet’s diversification, Simon has introduced a new emphasis on technical research and development. Under his direction, Nominet’s Research Labs have developed technology that allowed them to identify a major bug in the global internet infrastructure.
Simon is a Fellow of the British Computer Society, and has over 20 years’ experience overseeing information technology for global enterprises across retail, entertainment and consultancy sectors.
Simon joined the Board of Nominet as an Executive Director in November 2012. He is also a member of the Development Working Group.
Dickie Armour - Non-Executive Director
Dickie joined the Nominet Board as a non-executive director in May 2011 and serves on the Investment Committee.
He has extensive experience of the internet services and the domain name market, having set up, run and sold two successful hosting businesses. He is currently General Manager of Fibranet Services Ltd, a domain name registrar and software development company.
Dickie is a passionate advocate of social media. He is a founder of the Business Mentors Club, which helps businesses in the South West share best practice, including social media opportunities. Dickie is also an active member of 4Networking and runs regular group sessions in Bristol.
Clive Grace OBE - Non-Executive Director
Clive has a keen interest in the internet as an end user across the range of his business and personal interests, and a particular commitment to its self regulation. He was co-opted to the Board in December 2008 following a competitive selection process, then elected by the membership in July 2009, and was then appointed as one of the independent non-executive directors under the revised constitution. He is Nominet’s senior independent director and currently chairs the Audit Committee. Clive also serves as a member on the Nominations Committee.
He has extensive Board level experience in the not-for-profit, public and commercial sectors. He chairs the Research Councils’ Shared Services Centre Ltd, the Local Better Regulation Office, and the Advisory Forum of the Board of BT Wales. He is the Honorary Secretary of the Solace Foundation, and an Honorary Research Fellow at Cardiff Business School.
Although not a professional accountant, Clive is a life member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. Until 2007 he served on the Financial Reporting Council, which is the steward of the Combined Code of Corporate Governance with a special remit for not-for-profit bodies.
He is a former Deputy-Auditor General of Wales, and the former Chief Executive of Torfaen County Borough Council.
Clive was awarded an OBE for services to business and voluntary service to Communities in 2012.
Sebastien Lahtinen - Non-Executive Director
Sebastien is a member-elected director and currently serves on Nominet’s Development Working Group, Remuneration and Nomination Committees. He previously served as a non-executive director of Nominet between 2007 and 2009. Sebastien was also a member of Nominet's Policy Advisory Body for four years, two of them as Chair. An entrepreneur with a strong interest in internet-related projects, Sebastien is a director of hosting company NetConnex and co-founder of independent broadband information site thinkbroadband.com. Until January 2013, he was also Chairman and director of LONAP, a notfor-profit internet Exchange Point.
Nora Nanayakkara - Non-Executive Director
Nora is an experienced Business Development, Marketing and Communications professional. From experience gained at Sedo (United Internet), Nominet and IPRota, she is an advocate for registries and registrars working together to ensure the internet remains secure, stable and interoperable.
Nora is a member-elected non-executive
director at Nominet, where she also serves as a member of the Nominations and Audit Committees. She is also a Trustee of the Nominet Trust and is a consultant on business development, marketing and communication.
Prior to joining the Nominet Board, Nora served as an elected Member of Nominet’s Policy Advisory Body. She has provided business consultancy services to small charities through Pilotlight, a UK charity that works to help small local charities build sustainable operating models. A fluent German speaker, Nora brings an informed perspective of the international domain name industry and a wide network of strong and positive relationships with key stakeholders.
Thomas Vollrath - Non-Executive Director
Thomas was first elected to the Nominet Board by our members in May 2010 and re-elected in May 2012. He also serves on the Remuneration Committee.
He is currently CEO of the Host Europe Group, which comprises two leading internet services’ businesses. He is also co-founder of three highgrowth, profitable new operating divisions.
Thomas has succeeded in delivering business growth in a variety of contrasting situations, including turning around and realising significantly enhanced value in previously under-performing divisions.
He is an accomplished, results-oriented international business executive with experience in establishing, acquiring, integrating, and leading diverse operations in multiple international locations.
Piers White, MBE - Non-Executive Director
Piers is an experienced non-executive director, with an extensive Board-level business career. He was appointed as a non-executive director of Nominet in June 2010 following a competitive selection process and reappointed by the members in May 2012. He currently chairs Nominet’s Remuneration and Investment Committees, and is a member of the Audit Committee and the Development Working Group. Piers also chairs the Registry Service Board.
Piers is a non-executive director at Ordnance Survey, The Hyde Housing Association, ACS International Schools Ltd and CIPFA Business, the commercial arm of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. Pro bono, Piers makes time to act as Chair of The Larks Nursery School and as a Governor of Croydon College.
Previously, Piers held a number of executive roles in banking including as; Service Director for Barclays UK branches, senior executive roles at Flemings and as UK Chief Executive Officer of Insinger de Beaufort, the Anglo-Dutch private investment bank.
Piers is a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and an associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers. He was awarded an MBE for public service in 2009.