James Deck

Born and raised in Canada, James immigrated to Australia in 2003, becoming a citizen and now residing in Queensland with his wife.

Having been involved in auDA since 2012, James sees many opportunities for the organisation and, should he be appointed as a Supply Class Director, James will help build an auDA that:

- Is transparent

- Has excellent communication with all stakeholders

- Gives direct registration the scrutiny it deserves (in particular, implementation)

- Ensure the success of the Registry, regardless of the operator

- Continues to pursue successful reform.

His extensive professional experience to date, and passion for the industry will ensure his valuable contribution to the auDA Board.

James has been involved in auDA since the 2012 Industry Advisory Panel and has subsequently participated in the 2015 Names Panel.

Recently James was appointed to a Constitutional Review Committee by the auDA Board. The committee will consider and review auDA’s Constitution, including making recommendations for improvements and reformations, incorporating detailed consideration of the objects of auDA in addition to consideration of its values. The committee will also evaluate the Constitution to ensure it complies with relevant legislation, including the Corporations Act 2001, Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission Act 2012 and will assess the Constitution against ICANN’s expectations of ccTLDs.

Currently Chair of the Australian Web Industry Association (AWIA), James has been a Director of the organisation for two years. While at the helm, James has led the conception and creation of a robust a 5-year plan and has led the Association in its transformation from WA-based Incorporated Association to a public company limited by guarantee. With the aim of improving service delivery and the strategic focus of the Board, James hired staff to help shoulder the operational workload and has also revitalised the national Australian Web Awards, increasing participation from East Coast members and increasing the quality of the award presentation, the number of entries and improving operational processes. Through his tenure on the Board of the AWIA, James has developed his comprehensive network of business owners in the digital marketing space across Australia, many of whom are current auDA members or potential members.

James established Toowoomba-based digital agency, 1300 Web Pro, in 2004. Since then the company has expanded to become a combined agency featuring digital marketing, website development and advanced software development and has recently opened a second office on the Gold Coast. Its internal start-up division is currently piloting an IoT remotely monitored vaccine refrigerator and an online real estate auction site that uses eBay-style time based auctions, a groundbreaking first for Australia. 1300 Web Pro manages approximately 900 domains for its clients, with over half being .au domains. In addition to standard registrations and transfers, the company assists clients with aftermarket domain purchasing and drop catching. His position with 1300 Web Pro has allowed him to become involved in high end IT strategy, including undertaking audits of IT resources and providing high end user support.

James has developed significant experience in digital technology since the 90’s, from holding server systems administration roles to deploying and supporting Internet Servers and developing web-based programming. His current role sees him take responsibility for a leading and developing a wide range of large-scale technical projects, both internal to his company and for external clients. James has a Master of Business Administration and is passionate about building his company in the digital space.