Over more than two decades on the Board of Directors, Javier Salazar has both witnessed and played a leading role in the organization’s transformation over nearly a quarter of a century. From its early years, marked by a strong sense of familiarity and rapid growth, to LACNIC’s consolidation as a regional benchmark for Internet number resources, his perspective combines experience, self-reflection, and a firm commitment to defending the values of the Internet community in Latin America and the Caribbean.
“Javier Salazar, or ‘Chencho,’ as his friends call him, has managed to conceal his remarkable intelligence and capacity to contribute behind a cheerful, playful personality,” says Ernesto Majó, CEO of LACNIC.
Majó also highlights his exceptional knowledge of technology, particularly in network operations and security. “He always makes precise contributions that go straight to the heart of each discussion. His sharp perspective enriches our conversations and pushes us to consider every angle in order to make the best decisions for the institution,” he adds.
Over the course of 21 years, Salazar witnessed LACNIC’s evolution from a still-emerging organization, with few formal processes and many informal dynamics, into a solid institution with clearly defined rules, policies, and structures.
Yet what he values most is not the institutional growth itself, but what was never lost along the way: the collaborative spirit, the camaraderie, and the sense that people genuinely enjoy the work they do. For Salazar, preserving that original ethos through decades of change is LACNIC’s most significant achievement.
He also views the organization’s history as one of continuous evolution — each phase bringing meaningful organizational and strategic shifts, while maintaining an unbroken thread of institutional identity.
As a symbol of that process, he points to the “LACNIC House,” a space that had to be built virtually from the ground up and ultimately grew both in terms of infrastructure and institutional relevance. The initial idea of becoming the Internet House for the region was no longer merely an aspiration; it had become a reality.
That continuity was also reflected in LACNIC’s leadership. Transitions between different executive directors took place without disruption, with each new stage building on the previous one. According to Salazar, no one came in to undo what had already been done, but rather to strengthen it and enrich it with their own experience. This ability to sustain a coherent direction over so many years helps explain part of LACNIC’s institutional strength.
The Role of Structure
Beyond the organization’s visible role — its community, events, policies, and regional representation — Salazar places strong emphasis on LACNIC’s internal growth.
Behind that public presence lies a complex structure of people, teams, and responsibilities that demands ongoing planning and attention. The work extends well beyond the administration of Internet resources: it encompasses sound process management, financial foresight, workforce stability, succession planning, and the organizational capacity to sustain long-term commitments. Much of this effort takes place out of sight, yet it is fundamental to how the organization functions.
For Salazar, building community is both one of LACNIC’s greatest challenges and one of its most significant achievements. He recognizes that the organization brings together multiple, overlapping communities — the Board, the staff, the members, the technical community, partners, and Internet users at large.
But the real challenge, he argues, lies in consistently upholding practices that may appear straightforward yet demand extraordinary discipline over time. He often draws a parallel with physical fitness: everyone knows what needs to be done, but the difficulty is in sustaining it. The same holds true for policies and processes. Defining them may be relatively simple; applying them day after day, with coherence and genuine commitment, is where the real work lies. That, he contends, is where an institution’s true value is revealed.
A Shifting Profile
LACNIC’s community has also changed profoundly over the years. In its early days, it was a predominantly technical space; today it brings together a far more diverse range of participants — lawyers, regulators, public policy specialists, and a broad array of stakeholders from across the digital ecosystem.
This diversity reflects the evolution of the Internet itself and, at the same time, has raised the level of maturity of the discussions.
However, this complexity has also introduced new challenges. According to Salazar, there are now more interests at play, and not everything operates solely on the basis of good faith. For that reason, he believes it is essential to strengthen processes and continually protect the principles that uphold the organization’s legitimacy.
In this context, he identifies trust as LACNIC’s most valuable asset. Legitimacy, he argues, does not stem solely from formal structures, but from the capacity to do things well — making decisions that are well-founded, deliberated, transparent, and properly executed. Even when those decisions are difficult or unpopular, the community tends to accept them when it can see that they were reached with rigor and in good faith.
Among the practices he considers essential to sustaining that legitimacy, Salazar highlights two pillars: transparency and active listening. For him, listening does not simply mean hearing opinions — it means analyzing them and acting accordingly.
That listening must extend to all voices, including those from outside the region or from critical sectors within the community itself. Trust, he explains, is built when people feel they have genuinely been heard — even when the final outcome does not align with their expectations.
Core Values
When reflecting on the values that sustain LACNIC, Salazar points to integrity, honesty, transparency, teamwork, and collaboration. To these he adds another element — one that is less visible and often underestimated: the commitment of daily effort.
Behind every event, every policy, and every decision lies an enormous investment of hours and dedication that rarely registers from the outside, yet is essential to keeping the organization functioning.
Looking ahead, he believes LACNIC’s greatest challenge will be to rethink its own role. While number resource management remains the institution’s core mandate, the broader technological landscape has shifted considerably. The exhaustion of IPv4 addresses, the coexistence with IPv6, and the emergence of new technologies present a very different environment from the one in which LACNIC was founded.
Among those shifts, artificial intelligence stands out as one of the most consequential. Salazar notes that its impact will extend across regulation, security, public policy, and society at large. The Internet community, he argues, cannot afford to sideline this conversation — it must remain alert to transformations that are accelerating at an ever-increasing pace.
Rather than offering definitive answers, he calls for an open and flexible posture toward the future. It is not always possible to anticipate where technological change will lead, he acknowledges, but what is indispensable is to observe it carefully and be prepared to adapt.
As a closing message to those who serve — or will serve — on the LACNIC Board, he returns to a fundamental principle: act with independence, and always place the common good above personal or sectoral interests. Those who take on responsibilities within the organization must set aside narrow allegiances and think first of the institution and the community they represent.
