.IE Annual Report 2022

In Strategy 2024, we reaffirmed our Purpose: “to enable and empower people, communities and businesses across Ireland to thrive online”, and we assure our stakeholders of our continued commitment into the future. As we strive to achieve our strategic objectives, set out on the previous page, we will be true to our values of Equality – Excellence – Endeavour. As a company limited by guarantee, .IE’s financial reserves are its only source of capital and it is therefore critically important that we maintain a capital base fully adequate to meet current and prospective business requirements. In recording an after-tax surplus of €217k (2021 - €489k) we improved our financial strength in 2022, despite lower new registrations of 48,168 (2021 - 62,198). At year end, net liquid funds were €2.8m and investments totaled €5.8m. The Company’s financial position remains strong and in line with our financial objectives. It is these financial reserves which empowers us to invest in setting up a new centre of excellence in data analytics, licensing the TITAN registration platform and approving a €1 million investment over four years in the .IE Digital Town programme. The three pillars of this four-year .IE Digital Town programme have been developed to foster digital enhancement and adoption in Ireland; helping businesses, citizens and communities to harness the benefits of the Internet and to thrive online. The Board congratulates the winners of the .IE Digital Town Awards 2022 on their inspiring projects. I would like to acknowledge the continued dedication and diligence of our Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) which was established eight years ago to advise the Board on policy matters. Representative of a broad range of stakeholders, the PAC continued in 2022 to play an important role in assisting us to develop our policies in line with the changing Internet cybersecurity environment. Balancing the rights, responsibilities and obligations of Internet multi-stakeholders is important to us. On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank the members for their contribution to the ongoing policy development process at the registry. I would like to thank our Chief Executive, the executive team and all our staff for their continued dedication and commitment in 2022. In particular, the Board appreciates the team’s commitment to building the .IE brand and to maintaining a resilient technical infrastructure, particularly given the challenging circumstances during the two years to January 2022, when pandemic-related restrictions were finally lifted. To deliver on our ambitious plans set out in the Strategy 2024, it is vital that we continue to attract, nurture and retain talent. There is intense competition for talent in the digital economy, but .IE is viewed as a trustworthy organisation with a purpose and values which are attractive for highly motivated individuals who want to make a positive contribution to the Internet community. We are pleased to have achieved the KeepWell accreditation and join the Top 100 ranked companies Leading in Wellbeing. Outlook The outlook for the digital economy remains extremely positive. The challenge will be to ensure that Ireland’s communities, towns and micro businesses can leverage long-term benefits from new levels of productivity and e-commerce sales, and retain the benefits of remote working. We welcome the EU regulatory focus on cybersecurity and ongoing data protection. However, we are aware of the potential for disruption and the challenges and implications for the future cost base for our channel, and for SMEs. We are confident that the .IE team will continue to provide efficient infrastructure and services to the citizens and businesses of Ireland and help them thrive online. Louise English Chair 7 July 2023 Chair’s Statement Chair’s Statement Ensuring that the .ie namespace infrastructure is safe and secure for our Internet users and for Irish business is a critical priority for the Board. In this context, as an Operator of Essential Services, designated by the Department of Communications, we are actively engaged in coordinating responses to new EU cyber regulations. .IE is the trading name of IE Domain Registry CLG / Annual Report & Review 2022 4