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Bruce Tonkin

Chief Operating Officer

Bruce Tonkin



Current Position: Chief Operating Officer (COO) at auDA - .au Domain Administration Ltd.

Location: Greater Melbourne Area, Australia

Professional Background



Dr. Bruce Tonkin serves as the Chief Operating Officer for .au Domain Administration Ltd. (auDA), where he is responsible for the operations of the .au country code Top Level Domain. Before his appointment as COO, he joined auDA as the Project Lead for the Registry Transformation Project.

Previous Roles:
  • Chief Strategy Officer at Melbourne IT: Bruce was responsible for planning strategic initiatives to ensure the long-term benefits for the company.

  • Chief Technology Officer at WebCentral

  • Deputy Director, ANSPAG at Monash University

  • Consultant at AT&T-Bell Laboratories


ICANN Involvement:
  • Vice Chair of the ICANN Board of Directors from June 2007 to November 2016.

  • Former Member of the ICANN Board.

  • Current Member of ICANN's Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) and Registrar Stakeholder Group (RrSG).


Education



  • Bachelor of Engineering

  • Ph.D. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering


Achievements & Recognition



  • Successfully launched .au Direct domain namespace, allowing Australians to register shorter domain names directly under .au.

  • Recognized for contributing to DNS Abuse Institute Advisory Council.

  • Led the Registry Transformation Project resulting in auDA awarding the registry contract to Afilias in December 2017.

  • Featured in the ICANN 53 - Buenos Aires playing card deck.


Notable Contributions



  • Implemented new rules to enhance the trust and security of the .au domain.

  • Actively participated in international Internet bodies and represented Melbourne IT in ICANN Meetings since 2002.

  • Contributed to the development of ICANN's new gTLD policies and actively worked on enhancing trademark protection mechanisms.


Social Media & Online Presence






Public Speaking & Events



  • Interviewed on multiple occasions including ICANN 42 in Dakar, Senegal.

  • Active participant in ICANN's multi-stakeholder models and law enforcement discussions.


Conclusion



Dr. Bruce Tonkin's extensive experience in strategic technological roles and his leadership in domain administration make him a prominent figure in the domain name industry. His current role at auDA, along with his past contributions at ICANN and Melbourne IT, highlight his capability to drive significant projects that enhance domain security and compliance. This positions him as a key influencer in the domain administration and Internet governance sectors.