- Company
- Nasdaq
- Role
- Chair & CEO
- Est. Net Worth
- $100 Million
- Stage
- Established
- Industry
- Finance
Adena Friedman
Chair & CEO at Nasdaq
About
Adena Friedman became Nasdaq's CEO in 2017 and Chair in 2024, the first woman to lead a major U.S. stock exchange. She has transformed Nasdaq from a traditional exchange into a diversified technology and analytics company serving capital markets worldwide.
Current Company
Nasdaq — Chair & CEO
Reinventing What a Stock Exchange Can Be
Adena Friedman became CEO of Nasdaq in 2017 and Chair in 2024, making her the first woman to lead a major U.S. stock exchange. Adena Friedman had spent most of her career at Nasdaq, joining in 1993 and rising through the organization before a brief stint at The Carlyle Group. Her return to Nasdaq as President and then CEO signaled the company’s commitment to a leader who understood both its legacy and its potential.
Under Adena Friedman’s leadership, Nasdaq has transformed from a traditional stock exchange into a diversified technology and analytics company. Adena Friedman has invested in anti-financial-crime technology, market surveillance, ESG analytics, and cloud-based market infrastructure, repositioning Nasdaq as a technology provider to capital markets worldwide — not just a venue for listing and trading stocks. Adena Friedman’s vision is a Nasdaq where technology revenue eventually eclipses exchange revenue, fundamentally changing the company’s identity and growth trajectory.