Adena Friedman

Adena Friedman became President and CEO of Nasdaq in 2017, becoming the first woman to lead a major US stock exchange. She had previously served in senior roles at Nasdaq and left to serve as CFO at Carlyle Group before returning. Under her leadership, Nasdaq has expanded beyond its traditional stock exchange business into market technology, compliance analytics, and financial crime management through acquisitions. Nasdaq now derives a significant majority of its revenues from technology and analytics services rather than traditional exchange fees. Friedman has also been a voice on market structure issues, ESG integration in corporate reporting, and the role of technology in modernizing financial markets. Her leadership represents a significant milestone for women in financial market infrastructure.