On 26 February, after more than 25 years of service to the APNIC community, Paul Wilson advised the Executive Council (EC) of his resignation as the Director General (DG) of APNIC, with his tenure ending on 30 June 2024. The EC has regretfully accepted his resignation.
Paul shared the news today at APNIC’s Annual General Meeting at APNIC 57 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Paul explained that after long consideration, he has decided to pursue other personal interests, and that those interests are incompatible with the demanding job of leading APNIC.
I’ve known Paul for many years, and moving on from the DG role is something that he has been thinking about for some time. He formally advised the EC of his intentions in November last year, before offering his resignation during the EC meeting in Bangkok.
While Paul will step away from the DG role at the end of June, he has offered his support in the transition to a new APNIC DG, as needed until at least the end of 2024.
The EC will begin the recruitment process for a new Director General immediately. More information will be made available to the community, and to interested applicants, in the coming weeks.
On behalf of the EC, I would like to thank Paul for his 25 years of dedication to APNIC, its Members, the EC and Secretariat, and the broader Internet community. He has made immense contributions to the RIR system, stewardship of the APNIC registry, and advancing the vision of an open, global, stable, and secure Internet. His unwavering support of, and commitment to, Internet development in the Asia Pacific region will leave a lasting legacy.
A farewell for Paul will be held at APNIC 58 in Wellington, New Zealand, in September 2024. I hope you can join us there.
The views expressed by the authors of this blog are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of APNIC. Please note a Code of Conduct applies to this blog.
Very sad news
Paul, thank you for all you’ve done benefiting the users of the Internet in the Asia Pacific, and around the world.
Best Wishes and good fortune for all you do in the future.
End of an era, my friend, it will be odd to think APNIC and not you at the helm… Thank you for your outstanding service.
Congratulations Paul from a former opposite number. You have made a difference both for APNIC and its community and for the RIR system in general! I wish you all the best for your ‘other personal interests’.
Renewal is good.
Thank you Paul, for your service and dedication to the RIRs and the Internet for all these years. It was an honour working with you, even on those 3am calls ;). I wish you all the best in your well deserved retirement and hope our paths cross again in the future.
Thank you very much dear Paul for your services to APNIC and the internet community.
Best Wishes for your future. God bless you.- Regards
Thank you Paul for your service to the Numbers Community. +1 to everything Susannah Gray said, except for those 3:00am calls… 3:00am AEST is 12:00 noon EST. Honestly, even when those calls were 1:00am it was always a pleasure to work with you.
Best wishes.
Hey boss. Big news indeed. It’s quite a legacy you leave. Be proud.
Thank you Paul for your services to the community.
Thank you Paul! This will truly end an era, and you live HUGE shoes to fill.
Best wishes for the future Paul …. you leave a legacy for future internet enthusiasts
Thank you Paul! A truly great leader is hard to find … difficult to part with, and impossible to forget. it’s always inspiring to talk and hear from you. Thank you for being a great leader, mentor, and role model. Your leadership has inspired us all and hope the new ERA will follow your role model in the future.
All the best Paul. Your role has been commendable to support internet community.
Great job Paul. Your role, in support of internet community has been commendable.
Amazing contributions over the decades. Well done. All the best in your future endeavours.