Mike Fagan, the CEO of the IE Domain Registry Limited (IEDR), resigned yesterday. He was suspended last October pending an investigation into his handling of financial matters.
Fagan was due to attend a disciplinary hearing yesterday afternoon to discuss the dispute but tendered his resignation beforehand. It is understood the two parties reached a legal settlement that included a financial package.
Fagan was suspended amid claims that he was bringing a lawsuit against the organisation for harassment. It is understood a stand-off ensued when appointed executives from KPMG came to inspect the not-for-profit company’s books.
It is understood that David Curtin, currently the financial controller of the IEDR, has been appointed acting chief executive.
The IEDR began life as a department within University College Dublin (UCD). However, the organisation was spun out of UCD in July 2000 and is now based near Dun Laoghaire. It is solely responsible for selling and managing .ie web addresses.
The long-running dispute has been seen as damaging to the Irish internet industry and the country’s ambitions of becoming an e-commerce hub. This has been compounded by complaints from the industry that the IEDR is too bureaucratic, not transparent enough and too restrictive in terms of the criteria it applies when judging domain name applications.
However, there are signs that the agency’s poor reputation has improved of late. A recent survey conducted by the Irish Internet Association (IIA) of its members’ current views of the IEDR (Domain Registry of Ireland), the company that manages Ireland’s top-level domain, shows that there appears to be a greater focus on customer service, with vastly improved responsiveness, greater transparency and more open communications from the IEDR.
IEDR chairman Professor Sean Scanlan commented: “I am very satisfied at the outcome of this process as it achieves closure on what has been a difficult time for the company. The IEDR is now free to focus on serving the needs of the Irish internet community.”
By Brian Skelly
