Founder Robert Pooke retires from CentralNic board

One of CentralNic's original directors announced his retirement on Friday, with the company's board assuring the market his replacement would bring with him a wealth of valuable knowledge.

The AIM-traded internet business, which derives revenue from the sale of domain names, said Pooke would continue as a consultant with the company for the time being. He was one of the founders of CentralNic, and has been involved with the domain name industry since 1998, the board commented.

"Robert Pooke was instrumental in establishing a culture focused on innovation and profitability in CentralNic, a culture which has been instrumental in our recent growth to become a leading global player in the domain name industry", said CEO Ben Crawford.

"I would like to thank Robert and to wish him every success for the future", he added.

CentralNic also announced that Desleigh Jean Jamieson, chief executive of Instra Group, would join the board as a director with immediate effect. Instra Group was acquired by CentralNic in January.

Desleigh would also take on the role of head of CentralNic's operations worldwide. He had led Instra Group's retail operations through double digit growth for the last two years, the board said.

"Desleigh's management skills and experience in driving growth in domain name retailing and online brand protection, will be very valuable to delivering CentralNic's growth strategy", Crawford said.