[lac-discuss-en] My statement of candidature

Cintra Sooknanan cintra.sooknanan at gmail.com
Fri Aug 28 21:37:26 CDT 2009


Dear LAC members,

I have been directly monitoring the LAC discussion list with respect to the
NomCom nominations over the past few days. I also agree that the membership
should know more about the guiding philosophy, character and values of
candidates beyond their formal qualifications, as a means of gauging
temperament and suitability for any ICANN-related office. In this stead, it
is my pleasure to outline my perspective and formally present my statement
of candidature.

*The role of NomCom *

The function of NomCom members is articulated as having the abilities to:

   - stand-out individually while functioning as a member of a team working
   towards embodying the collective vision of ICANN;
   - work with external stakeholders to fulfill the vision, needs and
   expectations of ICANN;
   - be open to novel solutions, even as these subscribe to the past;
   - be objective in all deliberations and abjure all prior affiliations;
   and
   - actively contemplate new ideas on the role of ICANN in the global
   Internet governance space.

Indeed my collegial nature, training and experience does predispose me to
learn from the past; access and analyse new facts in contemplation of their
impact on the present; probe for original options and solutions; and connect
all these dots for the cohesive and advantageous future of ICANN. On the
balance of these facts, I believe I am qualified to accept the nomination of
my peers, as a fit and proper member of the ICANN Nominating Committee.

I provide a different and fresh approach to the induction of ICANN staff,
which serves to compliment the effort of other NomCom members. In the
practice of law, especially large corporate transactions, collaboration of
the best team is the hallmark for success. We are convinced that the synergy
which results from each individual, contributing the best of themselves, is
the equation that makes the whole unit stronger than the sum of its
individual parts. Team work therefore is unambiguously and directly
connected to achievement. ICANN is only as strong as the team of people
recruited and each individual brings with them a unique set of skills,
knowledge, intelligences and attitudes. When people pool their knowledge,
skills, imagination, ideas and experience in an advisory role, we increase the
resources available for us to draw upon.

Therefore accomplishment of this role is defined, not only by the quality of
recruits, but also their positive interaction with each other. It is in this
vein that I see interaction and knowledge sharing as the crux of fostering
and ensuring ICANN’s success. ICANN’s culture as a multi-stakeholder
organisation offers regular opportunities for collegial brainstorming and
collective decision-making. It provides an environment for unleashing
creative solutions by collaboration within the organisation and with
stakeholders. We must ensure that recruits encourage such professional
curiosity and must demand professional responsibility; for this to occur,
NomCom must play its part in creating an environment where the recruit’s
involvement in ICANN is celebrated as part of their developmental journey-
even as they give something, values are attained! It behooves NomCom to
create a culture which mirrors ICANN's core values; encourages collaboration
and multifaceted development; provides regular constructive feedback and
encourages recruits to evaluate their own performance and that of the team
in terms of the roles and responsibilities needed to deliver short, medium
and long term goals.

*My background *

I am American by birth and have had English schooling, but I remain very
much a product of Trinidad and Tobago and the region by my heritage, mindset
and culture. Indeed, at a very young age I acquired a passion for technology
and the need to encourage indigenous content and innovation. This inspired
me not only to enroll for a BSc in Computing and Information Systems and to
seek out my first employment in the IT field, but also to become an active
member of Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society (TTCS).

It was through TTCS that I realised the need for local technologists and
end-user groups to collaborate and speak up in determining policy and
structure of our own technological resources. I was dismayed to find that a
large number of our technological champions lacked the skill-set to become
technocrats. Their inertia was my fuel and it became apparent that in order
to fill this role I would need to have a clear grasp of the law and legal
policy drafting. As such, upon attaining upper second class honours in the
BSc, I spent the following 2 years obtaining a LLB and then went onto
training as a solicitor in England and Wales (by a Post Graduate Diploma in
the Legal Practice Course). My strength in NOMCOM comes from being versed in
the role of a solicitor (which is quite different from that of an advocate);
we are trained to listen, to find unspoken queues, to keep order and track
of a plethora of documents, to be diplomatic, to have the critical ability
to put forward arguments in a collaborative and non-adversarial manner and
to be forthright and not self-serving.

I am scheduled to complete a LLM in Legal Practice Management this year. My
thesis topic is based on the feasibility of Knowledge Management in local
legal practice. This topic was chosen due to my recognition of the
importance of a collaborative and collegic effort and firm belief that our
region despite the socioeconomic and cultural disparities must become akin
to a knowledge-sharing society. I was called to the Trinidad and Tobago Bar
in February 2008 and I am an associate with the corporate commercial firm
Mair and Company, where I handle the intellectual property portfolio,
general practice and a range of other practice areas including
telecommunication, media, energy, entertainment and commercial.

I am a Director of TTCS and a member of the Law Association of Trinidad and
Tobago. I have also actively participated in conferences of  LACNIC, CTU,
CANTO , UPOV and Summit of the Americas Civil Society.

I do hope this write-up has served to alleviate any queries, however I
remain happy to answer any further questions, either on or off the discuss
list.

Best regards

Cintra Sooknanan


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