Affiliation: Self-Employed
Nomination Committee Evaluation: Qualified
Candidate Speech
Nominee Questionnaire
1. Board of Trustees Qualifications and Responsibilities
Please review the ARIN Board of Trustees Expected Qualifications and Responsibilities thoroughly. Please describe, providing specific details, any barriers you foresee to your fully meeting those qualifications and undertaking those responsibilities. A Trustee’s responsibilities have usually required about 5-10 hours per week.
I do not foresee any barriers to meeting the required qualifications for ARIN Board of Trustees and undertaking the associated responsibilities.
2. Conflicts of Interest
a) Please disclose any conflicts of interest you may have, real or perceived, that would impact your ability to perform your duty as a member of the ARIN Board of Trustees. (If no conflicts, please enter “N/A”)
N/A
b) How do you propose to resolve any conflicts identified in (a)? (If no conflicts identified, please enter “N/A”)
N/A
c) Are you currently eligible to serve on the Board of Trustees according to the Conflict of Interest Requirements and the eligibility requirements?
Yes
d) If not currently eligible, describe how you will become eligible to serve, if elected (i.e., “If elected, I will resign from the position of ____________ before 31 Dec 2022”). If currently eligible, please enter “N/A”.
N/A
3. Education
a) Please list any degree(s) you received, the institution and the date issued.
- Master of Laws (E-Business Law), Osgoode Hall, York University, 2003
- Bachelor of Laws, McGill University, 1986
- Bachelor of Business Administration, Simon Fraser University, 1986
b) Please list any professional designations, certifications, or development education (non-degree) and the dates completed.
- Member of the Law Society of British Columbia since 1987
- Member of the Law Society of Ontario since 2001
- Innovation Governance Program (iGP), Canadian Council of Innovators, Level 1 and Level 2 completed 2022
- “Get On Board” Governance Education Program, Canadian Board Diversity Council, completed 2014
- Continuing Legal Education courses completed annually in various areas of the law, including privacy, security, human resources, and corporate/commercial law.
4. Employment and Experience
a) Please provide the name of any company or organization you currently are employed by, or from which you receive directly or indirectly a material portion of your compensation. Please describe the business of each such entity, your current title, and the office address of the organization.
I am currently self-employed. Until May 2022, I worked as the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Interaxon Inc.
b) Please refer to the ARIN Board of Trustees Guidance to the 2022 Nomination Committee in answering this question: Please describe your relevant professional experience and expertise and explain how this background will make you an effective trustee.
I am a seasoned lawyer and executive with expertise in large and complex commercial transactions and corporate governance and oversight. I have worked in multiple sectors, including telecommunications, technology, and not-for-profit. Over the past 20+ years I have worked extensively in international markets with exposure to over 175 countries. While working for BlackBerry, I personally negotiated complex and strategic agreements with wireless carrier partners throughout the world, including, Canada, USA, Brazil, Chile, China, Columbia, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Turkey, UK, and Venezuela.
I have extensive experience working with and advising both corporate and not-for-profit boards which has culminated in my broad governance proficiency. In 2014, I was selected by the Canadian Board Diversity Council as one of Canada’s Diversity 50 Board Candidates. Most recently, I served as the Corporate Secretary of a private company, Interaxon Inc., and served as a Board Member and Chair of the Governance and Bylaws Committee for a not-for- profit organization, the Association of Neighbourhood Houses of British Columbia, which employs over 600 people and has an annual operating budget of about CDN$25,000,000.
I have completed the Canadian Council of Innovator’s iGP Innovation Governance Program, the Canadian Board Diversity Council “Get on Board” Governance Education Program and earned a Master of Laws (E-Business Law) from Osgoode Hall Law School (York University), a Bachelor of Laws from McGill University, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University. I am a member in good standing with both the Law Society of British Columbia and the Law Society of Ontario.
My training (LLM, LLB, and BBA), board and governance experience, and the global corporate executive roles I have held during my career (including General Counsel, Associate General Counsel, Head of Legal for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Corporate Secretary, and VP Legal) have prepared me to be an effective ARIN trustee.
Attach a resume, curriculum vitae, or other biography highlighting your experience most relevant to the duties of the ARIN Board of Trustees. (PDF, DOC, DOCX files only)
https://arin-elections.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/bawa_resume.pdf
You may also optionally include additional web links to external websites (e.g., social media), though not as a substitute for your biography. One URL per line.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/naseembawa/
5. Governance Experience
a) Please identify any boards on which you currently serve that carry fiduciary duties, whether at a for-profit or non-profit organization. Please note how long you have served and what offices, if any, you have held.
Currently not serving on any boards
b) Please identify any other boards on which you have served in the past 10 years that are not included in answer to (a), listing your dates of service.
Interaxon Inc., Corporate Secretary, 2019 – 2022
Association of Neighbourhood Houses of British Columbia, Chair of the Governance and Bylaws Committees and Member of various other committees, including Marketing & Fundraising, Housing, CEO Selection, and Capital Assets – 2015 to 2021
c) What is the role of ARIN’s Board of Trustees?
The role of ARIN’s Board of Trustees is to guide ARIN’s strategic direction and provide insight, strategic advice and support to the CEO and management team. Further, the Board of Trustees is responsible for providing fiscal oversight and ensuring that the organization has established healthy governance processes that ensure compliance with ARIN’s bylaws and applicable laws. As part of its governance responsibilities, the board also has to ensure that stakeholders in the Internet community are represented.
d) How does your past governance experience prepare you to help fulfill that role by serving as an ARIN Trustee?
The Association of Neighbourhood Houses is a complex professionally run well established organization that operates in over 50 sites, has an annual operating budget of about $25 million, and employs more than 600 people. Being part of this organization for over 6 years, I participated in establishing the strategic plan for the organization, chaired both the Governance and Bylaws Committees, and supported other committees, including the Capital Asset Committee, CEO Selection Committee and Marketing & Fundraising Committee. The learnings from my role with ANHBC and other organizations I have served plus my extensive governance training and professional background, I believe, have prepared me to fulfill the role of an ARIN Trustee.
6. Understanding of ARIN’s role in the Internet governance ecosystem
a) What is ARIN’s role in the Internet governance ecosystem?
ARIN plays an Internet Governance role both at the ARIN regional level and on a global level. At the regional level, it keeps its community informed, fosters a working relationship with the countries forming the ARIN region, and promotes education, awareness and transparency. It also supports multi-stakeholder dialogue relating to global Internet governance issues facing governments and the Arin Community. At a global level, ARIN ensures that it is aware of the regulatory changes that impact both the ARIN region and the global Internet Community and endeavors to improve global knowledge relating to Internet governance, including technical implications of proposed Internet governance policies.
b) Describe any past experience or involvement with ARIN or other Internet governance bodies.
I have had no significant direct involvement or experience with ARIN. However, the experience and skills I have developed in the past 30+ years (including through my work with the Law Society of British Columbia, a self -regulated body) are transferable to Internet governance bodies.
7. Board Discussion Topics
a) Risk Oversight and Management
i) Understanding and overseeing organizational and environmental risk is an important responsibility of Trustees. What do you see as potential risks to the organization, and which are newer risks that have emerged more recently?
In addition to compliance, operational, financial/economic and reputational risk, Trustees have to ensure that they have oversight over cybersecurity risk.
ii) How should the Board best discharge its responsibilities regarding risk oversight and management?
Ensure that management has established appropriate policies and procedures to identify potential risks, measure the frequency and severity the risk, identify how the risk can be mitigated, and monitor the results. It appears as if ARIN’s management has undertaken this task and through its Charter, the Risk & Cybersecurity Committee has been tasked with regularly reviewing the Risk Register and reporting its findings and recommendations to the board. Through this mechanism, the Board can discharge its responsibility of risk oversight and management.
iii) How will you contribute to strengthening risk oversight and management at ARIN?
I have a strong legal and governance background, which includes knowledge relating to employment law, privacy and security. I will use this knowledge and experience to the extent required by serving on the Risk & Cybersecurity Committee and other Committees.
b) Strategy
i) Supporting and reviewing the strategic direction identified by ARIN’s management, in consultation with its membership, is an important responsibility of Trustees. Based on your understanding of ARIN’s current strategic plan and the environment in which it operates, what opportunities or challenges do you foresee for the organization?
Advancing Internet routing security through deployment and adoption of RPKI (Resource Public Key Infrastructure) is a key challenge for the organization. If ARIN is successful in achieving its strategic goal relating to RPKI adoption, it can become and opportunity to enhance its services by preventing Internet route hijacking and other attacks, thereby ensuring that there is a more reliable Internet.
ii) How might these challenges and opportunities influence current or future strategic plans?
Adequate resources will need to be allocated to support and promote this initiative.
iii) Please explain how your background and experience would help in addressing what you believe are ARIN’s greatest challenges.
As a lawyer, I have a strong background in data protection and privacy. Ensuring that data held or processed by any organization I have worked with is protected from unauthorized access, attack and destruction has been an important goal for me. I would try to contribute my knowledge and experience by participating in the Risk & Cybersecurity Committee.