According to Deloitte, that’s the percentage of female representation technology firms will achieve in 2022 (and even that’s up a couple of points from 2019). When it comes to the percentage of women filling technical roles at those technology firms, that number drops by 8 percentage points to a mere 25%. Considering women makeup 47% of the total labor force, it stands as no surprise that there could be more representation in the technology sector.  

So, why is it that women aren’t equally represented across a range of technological industries?  

The history of women’s employment is fascinating, especially since the inception of the Internet. (Former Palestinian Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, called it “the great equalizer,” in a speech at the International Women’s Leadership Forum in 1997.)  

As we mark National Women’s History Month this March, we’re focusing on a small slice of the tech sector: the domain name industry. 

Domain names (and by extension the domain name industry) are practically inseparable from the Internet itself. In simple terms, domain names help us and our computers make sense of the World Wide Web. When you enter a domain name into your browser, one server talks to another, points to and resolves in your intended destination, whether that be a website or an online program.  

In today’s post, we’re continuing our Women in Domaining series and sitting down with Domain.com’s very own Senior Vice President of Marketing, Karen Dixon. Keep reading to learn about her reluctant entry into the domain industry and hear what she has to say about being a woman in a historically male-dominated industry.  

Women in Domains: An Interview with Karen Dixon  

It’s February in New England. We’re halfway through winter, and as you can imagine, the days are short and cold.  

But even the freezing temperatures don’t discourage Karen from taking care of herself and her responsibilities. Before starting her long and busy days, she’s outside on a run with her Vizsla, Cisco. Then, it’s time for breakfast and to sign on to her computer and start her day working from home, or to take a quick drive into the (now mostly-empty) office.  

That’s where we found her, tea in hand, when we sat down to talk about her career and insights into the domain name industry. 

Hi Karen, thanks for sitting down with us today to discuss women in the domain industry. We appreciate you taking the time to explore this topic with us!

To help us get started, can you describe your current company and role there?  

Thanks for having me as a subject for this interview! I’m more often on the other side of the equation, so it’s fun to get to answer some questions for you.  

I work for Newfold Digital, which is the company that was formed when Web.com and Endurance International Group merged in February 2021.  

I held the role as head of marketing for Domain.com and BuyDomains at Endurance for about 7 years; when Web.com and Endurance joined together I was given the opportunity to continue in that role, overseeing all domain-leading brands (Network Solutions, Register.com, Domain.com, and some others). I’m also responsible for the marketing of domains across our entire portfolio of brands.  

This has been an incredible opportunity for me as it requires differentiation of how we position our various domain brands in the market. Our portfolio of domain brands has very different strategies regarding growth and retention, and I’ve had to rely on many skills and those of my team to ensure we continue to build value for our customers.  At the core of everything we do is the mission to help our customers be successful, whatever that means to them.   

Where did you study and what do you hold your degree in?  

I studied psychology at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont. I considered continuing my degree in psychology after college, but I decided to take a job at an advertising agency instead.  I learned that I was more interested in human behavior as it relates to advertising than I was in counseling.  Human behavior, after all, is very much linked to psychology.  

What did you do prior to joining the domain name industry?  

I held a few roles prior to my time in the domain industry. I worked as a marketing manager, then as a consultant who developed and managed research and marketing strategies that provided insight into my clients’ marketing communications programs. 

I consulted with an early-stage financial/social networking company to build a new brand and implement multichannel and partner marketing programs.  

And before joining the domain industry, I held the role of Group Product Manager at a law firm. There, I was responsible for the growth and management of legal products, where I was able to apply my extensive marketing knowledge and background.   

How did you get started in the domain industry and how long have you been in it?  

I’ve been in the domain business for 10 years. I was hired by Jason Miner, then Chief Operating Officer of BuyDomains (NameMedia), to join the company to help reposition and rebrand Afternic and BuyDomains. Afternic was sold to GoDaddy in 2013, and BuyDomains was acquired by Endurance in 2014.    

I joined the domain business somewhat reluctantly, as I didn’t quite understand the value of domain names and what the domain industry represented.   

I quickly realized that the domain business is fun and fascinating and the individuals that I’ve met and worked with over the years, from registries to registrars and aftermarket providers, have become more than partners, they are friends and make up a community like no other.  

I joined the domain business somewhat reluctantly, as I didn’t quite understand the value of domain names and what the domain industry represented.   

Karen Dixon

As we look back over the past two years, the world of business has undoubtedly changed due to the pandemic. Do you believe it’s affected the domain industry?  

The pandemic has definitely affected the domain industry and we saw that in the rise of demand for domains shortly after the pandemic started, and it continued throughout most of 2021.   

The domain industry continues to grow, as the pandemic solidified for most businesses the need to be able to connect with your customer — a need that does not rely on physical space or location.   

We see our customers use domain names to offer their products online, connect communities, offering services and support to individuals affected by Covid, and so much more.  It’s inspirational to me to play a very small part in enabling our customers to do some really great work through their websites.   

Do you think the pandemic has affected women in the workplace?  

The pandemic has absolutely affected women in the workplace, as it has been well documented that women who are mothers are more likely to be the primary parent handling childcare, taking time off to care for children while schools and daycares are closed, and overall caring for the well-being of their families.   

I am hopeful that the flexibility in remote working that the pandemic has enabled will ultimately be positive in women’s and mothers’ lives. At Newfold Digital, we are hiring most positions remotely and are very flexible about in-person office requirements. If these trends continue, it will benefit women and mothers who need more flexibility in their day to handle childcare responsibilities and disruptions.   

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on that, Karen. As a mother of two, we know that you’ve experienced many of these changes firsthand. And as your employees and coworkers, we appreciate your flexibility and that of Newfold when it comes to those matters.  

We’d like to circle back to something you mentioned earlier about the effects of the pandemic on the domain business. You said that we saw a rise in the demand for domain names, and it made us think about domain name availability. A great number of .com domain names have already been registered, so it can be difficult to find a good primary registration .com domain name. That being said, there are a multitude of additional domain extensions that the general public isn’t as familiar with.  

You’ve been in the domain business for over a decade now, what are your thoughts on these newer TLDs and domain extensions?  

I’m excited about what the new TLDs have brought to customers.  More choice is almost always a good thing.  

In an environment where 65% of exact match domains are unavailable in search results, we need to find more ways to offer good alternatives to individuals who are starting an online presence. The adoption of the new TLDs was slow initially, but I think we are in a place of more universal acceptance of alternative TLDs as a primary domain and their value in brand protection.   

Great insights, thank you!  

Earlier you also mentioned the domain community – made up of individuals, registries, registrars, aftermarket providers, and others. In this “community like no other,” do you feel represented as a woman? 

I feel somewhat represented in the domain community.  

It is still very heavily dominated by men; however, there has been a shift towards more women in leadership roles at domain businesses in the past 10 years. I like to think that I am an example of that, as a senior leader at Newfold which is one of the largest registrars in the world.   

Domain investing still seems to be dominated by men, and I would like to see more women and diversity represented in the domainer community.    

What might you change to make the industry even more welcoming to women and diversity?  

A continuation of promoting women and people of color to leadership roles is essential to achieving equality and representation in this industry.  

Newfold is committed to diversity and inclusion in our recruiting, and these steps are very important to continue our progress of being better representative of the changing demographics of our world.   

What advice would you give to women looking to start a career in domains?   

I would start by encouraging women to look into careers in the domain industry. I think there is low awareness of domains as a career path, and there is a lot of opportunity and room for growth for both men and women who are interested in learning about the industry and motivated to grow their careers.   

Networking is the best way to meet a lot of people and learn about open positions, and there are lots of opportunities for networking in the domain industry.  Events like ICANN meetings and domainer conferences like Namescon are excellent places to start.  

Thank you for sharing your advice, Karen, and for joining us today to discuss women in domaining! We’ve enjoyed learning about your experiences in the domain business and wish you the best with your future endeavors. 

Interested in reading more of our Women in Domaining interviews with leading women in the domain industry? Check out our sit-down with Kelly Hardy, Head of Registry Policy at Centralnic here, and our interview with Neha Naik, Senior Director of Channel Partnerships at Radix Registry here. 

We believe that the Internet has impacted society, culture, and history quite a bit since it became available to the masses in August of 1991. 

And behind the scenes, there are a lot of intelligent, thoughtful, and accomplished women who are influencing the world wide web as we know and experience it today. 

We wanted to speak to those women and find out firsthand what their experiences have been like, to discuss the position of women in domaining, and get their thoughts on the landscape of the future. 

So we sat down with Kelly Hardy, Head of Registry Policy at Centralnic, a leading provider of internet infrastructure services, to speak about her experiences as a woman in this field and why she enjoys working in domains. 

What she has to say is insightful, and provides hope and inspiration for other women who are looking to start a career in tech, which is known to be a male-dominated field. 

Women in Domaining with Kelly Hardy of Centralnic

Hi Kelly, thanks for sitting down with us today to discuss women in domaining. To start, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I don’t think my story is too dissimilar to a lot of people who’ve been in the domain space for a while in that I didn’t have a structured or expected path to get here. 

I started working as a touring music journalist when I was 16 and did that for a little over a decade with time off to go to college. I’ve been a skateboarder most of my life. I have a degree in comic books as comparative literature and had a ton of really strange jobs in the immediate post 9/11 economy. For instance, I briefly had a job opening “anthrax mail” (mail feared to be potentially laced with anthrax) at a water treatment plant in my hometown. I managed an educational performing arts space where I once brought a celebrated performance artist to lecture to the students not knowing he’d recently become a self-described witch doctor. I’ve co-owned a music magazine and small record label and did a bit of time working for big record companies. 

In my mid 20’s I ended up at a brand protection firm and started working with the ICANN community and fell in love with the domain industry. I then opened my own consulting firm and have worked with nearly everyone in the space, including .ME for nearly a decade. I closed that business almost a year ago to become CentralNic’s Head of Registry Policy. 

That is a really interesting career path that brought you to the Domain industry.  Can you describe your current company and your role there?

CentralNic Registry is one of the original domain infrastructure companies. We are a pure play-back end registry provider and also offer marketing, policy advisory, and a vast registrar network to plug our clients into. CentralNic is a really interesting company to work for because there is a deep understanding of the necessity of looking beyond the way we as an industry have always done things and to reach further, connecting the domain space and our clients to the larger Tech and governance communities. 

I am the head of registry policy, which is exactly what it sounds like, but I also run the registry consultancy which is basically a think tank for our registry clients. 

How long have you been in domaining? How did you get your start?

I’ve been in the space since 2006. 

I was a refugee from the music industry where I’d been working as a consultant bouncing between labels helping the heads of record companies, music producers and legal departments streamline their offices and help them make the transition to digital. That kind of thing really kills your love of the actual art but was excellent preparation for the domain industry. 

After that, I worked with Marksmen for a few years and got involved with the ICANN community through them and then started my own consulting firm. I took some time off in the late 2000s to work in television development until I got a call from Garth Miller to work with CoCCA and that was an adventure I didn’t want to turn down. I’ve been primarily working in the space with ccTLDs ever since. 

What attracted you to the domain industry?

The most obvious thing I would say is the travel, and that it is an unusual industry that is full of fascinating characters. 

But if you scratch a little deeper, I think it is that we are providing the infrastructure that connects most of the planet and that is important work. I think it is really beautiful that we help facilitate a tool that can improve lives and change people’s circumstances all over the world. 

I think that we [in the domain industry] are providing the infrastructure that connects most of the planet and that is important work.

Kelly hardy

The most valuable element of the travel is that when you’re going to really remote places, learning how people all over the world use the internet and seeing first-hand that what might be “normal use” to you at “home” doesn’t resemble someone else’s experience. Understanding that this can range from whether it is the device on which the internet is primarily accessed, ingenious ways that small businesses are set up or alternate forms of banking is so helpful for what we do. 

We can’t design a future if we don’t understand what that means holistically. In developing regions, where less stable infrastructure is available, you see people getting really creative. In these instances, we get to see a piece of the future and I think we are really lucky in that way.

As a woman, do you feel represented in the domain community? Why or why not?

This is an interesting question. 

I’ve been in the domain industry long enough that I remember a time when there were maybe a handful of women who had any visibility in the space and the culture was very different. Now the demographic has shifted radically, and generally, for tech, we may have a statistically larger saturation of women. In terms of being able to look around and see other women present, who are being treated like people, I absolutely feel represented. 

In terms of being able to look around and see other women present [in the domain industry], who are being treated like people, I absolutely feel represented.

kelly hardy

However, in terms of women or people of color in positions of power in the domain industry and representation there, we have a long way to go. I have a lot of hope though, seeing how fast and how much the industry has changed. 

CentralNic is the first large company in the industry that I have worked for in-house and I feel really lucky to be involved with an organization that treats its employees well and is invested in their development. Leadership isn’t strictly male and there is real diversity both racially and geographically. There is still work to be done there, but it feels good to support an organization that is self-aware and leading the industry in the right direction.

What might you change to make the industry more welcoming to women?

We need more women and people of color in leadership positions industry-wide. Everyone benefits and we can make better things when there is diversity of thought and experience in the room. 

What are your thoughts on newer TLDs and domain extensions?

I was an early advocate of new TLDs and I feel the same way now that I did in 2008: this is a long game. 

It is not a get-rich-quick scheme and not every TLD will be a success, but I believe there is inherent value in creating TLD diversity on this scale. 

A lot was learned in the last round about what works and what does not. Hopefully, as an industry, we’ve become wiser and have a better idea of what the public user base wants. 

For adoption to really take off, we have to have meaningful promotion of new gTLDs with widespread marketing and education. It isn’t just about selling domains; it is about teaching people how to use the internet as we’ve structured it by releasing new TLDs by the thousand. 

I believe that for this kind of promotion to be effective, everyone involved would have to put ego and self-interest aside and work together to do what is best for the domain ecosystem and the end-user.

Do you have any predictions for what will happen and change within the domain community in the next year? Five years?

I think that the domain community has to start thinking larger than itself. If all we really focus on is selling more domain names, we will stagnate. 

We need to be thinking about what else we can do to make the Internet grow in a meaningful way and what we can be doing for end-users to make their use of the tool easier. 

What advice would you give to women looking to start a career in domains?

I would tell them that this is the rare sector of the tech industry where you can show up and be your entire self. That even though it might not look like it yet, there is room here for everyone and it is getting better and better. And that if you are willing to put in the work you can create something amazing.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us on women in domaining for Women’s History Month, Kelly. We appreciate your insights and look forward to seeing your contributions and expertise at play in the domain industry.