Ashishkumar Chauhan

Managing Director & CEO National Stock Exchange of India (NSE)

Shri Ashishkumar Chauhan is the MD & CEO of the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE). A technocrat from IIT Bombay and IIM Calcutta, he was part of the found-ing team at NSE. He is credited with setting up first screen-based trading in India, mobile trading, mutual fund distribution through exchanges, markets for SME shares, satellite telecom, the NIFTY index, derivatives trading and many other modern developments in the Indian stock markets. He is considered as the father of modern financial derivatives in India.

Ashish has been fulfilling NSE’s mandate of being a frontline regulator that ex-tends well beyond any comparable exchange in the world. NSE, today, is the larg-est exchange in the world in terms of the number of orders and trades per day. He has been instrumental in the success of NSE IFSC and in bringing SGX NIFTY to GIFT IFSC which is a pivotal moment in Indian Financial Markets in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modiji’s vision for Amrit Kaal. He has also played a significant role in the establishment of the Social Stock Exchange.

Prior to joining NSE back in 2022, he was the MD and CEO of the Bombay Stock Ex-change for 10 years. He is a member of the University Grants Commission and the Chancellor of the University of Allahabad. He is on the board of IIM Calcutta, ONDC and other institutions of repute. He is a faculty at Nottingham University, UK and Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada. He has also worked in the Reliance group and as the CEO of Mumbai Indians IPL cricket team in its formative years.

A Book titled ‘Sthithpragya: The Process of Maintaining an Equilibrium’ addresses his life’s journey. He has been awarded many awards in India and abroad including the Most Influential CEO Award by CEO Monthly in 2024, lifetime achievement award from Global Custodian at Singapore in 2023, Lifetime Achievement award in the field of Information Technology by CTO Magazine, Istanbul, Top 50 CIOs in the world by Information Week, US, Digital Icon of the Year, Asian Banker of the Year and many more.

John McKenzie

Chief Executive Officer, TMX Group & Chair, The World Federation of Exchanges

John McKenzie is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of TMX Group.

Mr. McKenzie is a member of the TMX Group Board of Directors and also a member of the Board of Directors of several TMX Group subsidiaries.

Mr. McKenzie has worked for TMX for over 25 years. Prior to his appointment as CEO on August 17, 2020, he served as Chief Financial Officer and was responsible for corporate strategy, corporate development, investor relations and the financial management of the company as well as for the administrative oversight of TMX Group’s Capital Formation business. He has led various TMX acquisitions, including the Maple transaction, and the acquisitions of Montréal Exchange and Trayport.

From July 2015 to August 2016, Mr. McKenzie served as President of CDS, Canada’s equity and fixed income clearing house and a wholly-owned subsidiary of TMX Group. Prior to that he was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and CFO of CDS.

Mr. McKenzie is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario (FCPA, FCMA) and has an MBA from Edinburgh Business School, HeriotWatt University and an Honours BA from Wilfrid Laurier University. He has served on a number of boards, and is currently the Chair of the World Federation of Exchanges, and a Board Member and Treasurer for the Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation.

Nandini Sukumar

Chief Executive Officer The World Federation of Exchanges

Nandini Sukumar is the Chief Executive Officer of the World Federation of Exchanges, the global association for exchanges and CCPs. The WFE represents more than 250 exchanges and clearing houses globally, educating stakeholders on the vital role played by market infrastructures in the real economy and as a standard setter, finding the consensus on issues among the global membership. Of our members, 37% are in Asia-Pacific, 43% in EMEA and 20% in the Americas. WFE’s 87 member CCPs and clearing services collectively ensure that risk takers post some $1.1 trillion (equivalent) of resources to back their positions, in the form of initial margin and default fund requirements. WFE exchanges, together with other exchanges feeding into our database, are home to over 49,054 listed companies, and the market capitalisation of these entities is $116.58 trillion; around $155 trillion (EOB) in trading annually passes through WFE members (at end 2024). Ms. Sukumar is Vice Chair of IOSCO’s Affiliate Members Consultative Committee and Chair of the AMCC’s Sustainability Taskforce.

Nandini Sukumar

Chief Executive Officer The World Federation of Exchanges

Nandini Sukumar is the Chief Executive Officer of the World Federation of Exchanges, the global association for exchanges and CCPs. The WFE represents more than 250 exchanges and clearing houses globally, educating stakeholders on the vital role played by market infrastructures in the real economy and as a standard setter, finding the consensus on issues among the global membership. Of our members, 37% are in Asia-Pacific, 43% in EMEA and 20% in the Americas. WFE’s 87 member CCPs and clearing services collectively ensure that risk takers post some $1.1 trillion (equivalent) of resources to back their positions, in the form of initial margin and default fund requirements. WFE exchanges, together with other exchanges feeding into our database, are home to over 49,054 listed companies, and the market capitalisation of these entities is $116.58 trillion; around $155 trillion (EOB) in trading annually passes through WFE members (at end 2024). Ms. Sukumar is Vice Chair of IOSCO’s Affiliate Members Consultative Committee and Chair of the AMCC’s Sustainability Taskforce.

John McKenzie

Chief Executive Officer, TMX Group & Chair, The World Federation of Exchanges

John McKenzie is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of TMX Group.

Mr. McKenzie is a member of the TMX Group Board of Directors and also a member of the Board of Directors of several TMX Group subsidiaries.

Mr. McKenzie has worked for TMX for over 25 years. Prior to his appointment as CEO on August 17, 2020, he served as Chief Financial Officer and was responsible for corporate strategy, corporate development, investor relations and the financial management of the company as well as for the administrative oversight of TMX Group’s Capital Formation business. He has led various TMX acquisitions, including the Maple transaction, and the acquisitions of Montréal Exchange and Trayport.

From July 2015 to August 2016, Mr. McKenzie served as President of CDS, Canada’s equity and fixed income clearing house and a wholly-owned subsidiary of TMX Group. Prior to that he was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and CFO of CDS.

Mr. McKenzie is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario (FCPA, FCMA) and has an MBA from Edinburgh Business School, HeriotWatt University and an Honours BA from Wilfrid Laurier University. He has served on a number of boards, and is currently the Chair of the World Federation of Exchanges, and a Board Member and Treasurer for the Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation.

Khalid Abdullah Al-Hussan

Chief Executive Officer, Saudi Tadawul Group & Vice-Chairman, The World Federation of Exchanges

Eng. Khalid Abdullah Alhussan is a Board member and the Chief Executive Officer of Saudi Tadawul Group. He also serves as the Chairman of the Saudi Exchange, the Securities Depository Center Company (Edaa), the Securities Clearing Center Company (Muqassa), Wamid, an applied technology services business and the innovation arm of Saudi Tadawul Group. Additionally, Al Hussan is a board member in the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) and Tadawul Real Estate Company, and E-Finance for Digital and Financial Investments (S.A.E).

Alhussan has more than 16 years of capital market and financial sector experience and possesses a wide range of expertise from business development and corporate planning to strategy and operations. Preceding his appointment as CEO of the Group, Eng. Khalid was the CEO of The Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) - now known as the Saudi Exchange - for more than 5 years.

Throughout his tenure at the Exchange, Khalid has overseen the introduction and implementation of several key development programs, including the Qualified Foreign Investor (QFI) framework, the inclusion of Tadawul in the emerging markets’ indices, the launch of Nomu and the derivative markets, the development of the fixed income market and the record-setting IPO of Saudi Aramco. Notably and most recently, led the transformation into the Saudi Tadawul Group.

Prior to joining the Exchange, Eng. Khalid worked in the insurance sector, managing areas of business product development and strategy.

Khalid is an engineer and holds an MBA from the University of Colorado, where he is also a certified entrepreneur.

Memberships in Board Committees: Member of the Investment Committee, Member of the Governance, Risk and Compliance Committee.

Carlson Tong

Chairman, Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Limited & Working Committee Chair, The World Federation of Exchanges

Mr Carlson Tong is Chairman of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited.  

Mr Tong is also an Independent Non-Executive Director of MTR Corporation Limited, Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited and the Hong Kong Investment Corporation Limited; and a director of the World Federation of Exchanges. He is also a member of the International Advisory Council of National Financial Regulatory Administration.

He was Chairman of KPMG China and Hong Kong from 2007 to 2011 and was Chairman of the Asia-Pacific region and a member of KPMG’s global board from 2009 to 2011. He was also an independent non-executive director of Standard Chartered PLC from 2019 to 2024.

Mr Tong has been actively involved in capital markets throughout his career, with deep expertise in corporate governance and regulatory compliance. He served as a member of the Main Board and Growth Enterprise Market Listing Committee of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited from 2002 to 2006, before becoming the chair from 2006 to 2008. 

Mr Tong was appointed Chairman of the Securities and Futures Commission from 2012 to 2018. He oversaw the launch of several major policy initiatives during his term, including the introduction of the landmark Stock Connect programme and the mutual recognition of funds between Mainland China and Hong Kong.

Mr Tong has also been devoting his time to the local community, and was very active in Hong Kong’s education and youth sectors. He was Chairman of the English Schools Foundation, the Hong Kong Sports Institute and the University Grants Committee of Hong Kong.

Mr Tong is a Fellow of both the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He received the 2022 ICAEW Outstanding Achievement Award, and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Business Administration by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, an honorary Doctor of Social Science by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, as well as an honorary Doctor of Social Sciences by the Education University of Hong Kong. 

Mr Tong was awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star and the Gold Bauhinia Star by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in 2014 and 2019, respectively.

Abena Amoah

Managing Director Ghana Stock Exchange

Abena Amoah is the first female Managing Director of the Ghana Stock Exchange, appointed by the Exchange’s Council on November 24, 2022. Ms. Amoah, who joined the Exchange as Deputy Managing Director on August 1, 2020, has been in the capital market industry over the past 25 years and is highly respected for her technical knowledge, business acumen, outstanding professionalism, and integrity. 

She is currently the Co-Chair of the International Capital Market Association (ICMA) Pan-African Committee, and the World Federation of Exchanges named her one of the top 20 Women Leaders for 2023.

She has broad boardroom experience gained from serving on, or advising, the boards of publicly listed, private and not-for-profit organisations such as the Central Securities Depository (Ghana) Limited, Minerals Income and Investment Fund, Access Bank (Ghana) PLC, Coronation Asset Management (Nigeria), Kosmos Energy Ghana HC, The Foschini Group (Ghana) Ltd, the University of Ghana, the Ghana Petroleum (Stabilization and Heritage) Funds and the African Women’s Development Fund. 

She has previously worked with the BlackIvy Group LLC; Renaissance Group, where she was CEO of New World Renaissance Securities Ltd and Head of Investment Banking & Finance in West Africa (ex-Nigeria) for Renaissance Capital; and Strategic African Securities Ltd, where she was Executive Director.

She is an alumna of the University of Ghana, which recently awarded her with an Honorary Doctorate Degree for her immense contribution to Industry. She has also undertaken academic and leadership studies at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Harvard Business School, and the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business.

Dato’ Fad’l Mohamed

Chief Executive Officer Bursa Malaysia

Dato’ Fad’l Mohamed was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bursa Malaysia Berhad on 1 March 2025. In this capacity, he also serves as the director of key subsidiary companies within the Bursa Malaysia Group. Dato’ Fad’l brings a track record spanning 30 years in legal, capital markets and investment banking, across various roles. He most recently served as Managing Director, Group Wholesale Banking at RHB Bank Berhad. Prior to that, he was the CEO of Maybank Investment Bank from 2018 until 2024.

Before joining Maybank Investment Bank in 2015, Dato’ Fad’l was the Managing Director of Maestro Capital Sdn. Bhd., a licensed corporate finance adviser he founded in 2004, In that role, he advised on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising and IPOs. Dato’ Fad’l’s career foundation included stints in Dresdner Kleinwort Benson, an investment banking firm, the Securities Commission Malaysia, and Messrs Rashid & Lee. Dato’ Fad’l obtained a Masters in Business Administration from Imperial College London, UK and a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) degree from the University of London, UK. In addition, he holds a Certified Diploma in Accounting & Finance from The Chartered Association of Certified Accountants, and is a Fellow Chartered Banker with the Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers. Dato’ Fad’l is also a Certified Expert in Sustainable Finance, from the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management.

Dato’ Fad’l is passionate on advancing the nation’s business and financial landscape through developing collaborative and nurturing ecosystems. He currently serves as Deputy President of the Kuala Lumpur Business Club.

Bjørn Sibbern

Chief Executive Officer SIX Group

Bjørn Sibbern has been the CEO of SIX since January 2025. Previously, since joining SIX in January 2024, he led the stock exchange business as Global Head Exchanges and a Member of the Executive Board. Bjørn Sibbern has experience managing large teams in the fields of trading, funds, post-trade, listings, IPOs, data, index business, and technology. Before joining SIX, he served as Executive Vice President and President of European Markets at Nasdaq. In this role, he led the Nasdaq markets and exchanges across the Nordic and Baltic regions. He was also responsible for trading, listing, clearing, settlement, and the data business in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and the Baltic nations. Prior to this, Bjørn was Executive Vice President and responsible for Nasdaq global data, data & analytics and index business working out of Nasdaq headquarter in New York. Before joining Nasdaq, Bjørn Sibbern was CEO at E*TRADE Bank Denmark from 2006 to 2008 and held key roles at OMX and Stocknet Norway. The Danish citizen holds an Executive Master in Business Administration, a Graduate Diploma in Finance, and a Master in Business Administration and Commercial Law from Copenhagen Business School.

Other Activities and Mandates

Chairman, Bolsas y Mercados Españoles SA (BME), Madrid

Chairman or Board Member of various SIX Group Ltd companies

Chairman of the Board of Directors Aquis Exchange Ltd., London

Nithin Kamath

Founder, CEO Zerodha

Nithin bootstrapped and founded Zerodha in 2010 to overcome the hurdles he faced during his decade long stint as a trader. Today, Zerodha has changed the landscape of the Indian broking industry. Zerodha is the largest retail brokerage firm in India by all measures, and one of the largest retail trading platforms in the world by activity.

He is a member of the SEBI Secondary Market Advisory Committee (SMAC) and the Market Data Advisory Committee (MDAC).

Zerodha is the largest retail brokerage firm in India by all measures, and one of the largest retail trading platforms in the world by activity.

Lalit Keshare

Co-Founder and CEO Groww

Mr. Lalit Keshare is currently the Co-Founder and CEO of Groww.

Mr. Keshare has over two decades of experience in building consumer focused technology products. Before founding Groww, he was in a senior role in the product management team at Flipkart, where he launched and led Flipkart Quick and helped launch Flipkart Marketplace. In 2011, he co-founded an online learning company called Eduflix.

Mr. Keshare is passionate about building customer-centric products that can improve access to financial services for people across India.

He won the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award (Startup Category) in 2024.

Frank La Salla

President, CEO and Director DTCC

Francis (Frank) La Salla is President, CEO and Director of DTCC. He also serves as President and CEO of DTCC’s principal operating subsidiaries, DTC, FICC and NSCC and is a member of the DTCC Executive Committee.

Frank joined DTCC in June 2022 following a 28-year career at BNY, where he held several senior-level positions, including most recently as CEO of its Issuer Services business and a member of the BNY Executive Committee, the senior-most leadership committee at the firm. Earlier in his tenure, he served as CEO of BNY’s Alternative Investment Services and Structured Products business and was a member of the Executive Committee of Pershing LLC, where he was Co-Head of Global Client Relationships and Head of Trading Services. Frank also served as President and Chief Operating Officer of BNY Clearing Services LLC.

Prior to joining BNY, Frank was CEO of BHF Securities Corporation, the U.S. broker-dealer subsidiary of Germany’s BHF Bank AG, and COO of Société Generale Securities, responsible for developing the French financial institution’s U.S. brokerage business.

Frank currently serves as a member of the FDIC’s Systemic Resolution Advisory Committee, which provides counsel on a broad range of issues that impact systemically important financial institutions. He is also a member of the CFTC’s Innovation Advisory Committee, which helps the Commission keep pace with how breakthrough innovations, such as artificial intelligence and blockchain technologies, are transforming markets, and enables the agency to develop adaptive regulations and maintain robust financial oversight.Frank is also on the Board of Trustees of Catholic Charities of New York. From October 2012 to June 2022, he was a member of the Board of Directors of Euroclear SA/NV, the Belgium-based Central Securities Depository, where he served on the Board Risk Committee and the Nominations, Governance and Compensation Committee.

Frank holds numerous industry registrations and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's Board of Arbitrators. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from The City University of New York and a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Wagner College. He also holds a Master of Arts in Theology from Fordham University.

Edward Knight

Executive Vice Chairman Nasdaq

As Executive Vice Chairman, Edward Knight manages global government relations and serves as a senior advisor on public policy and litigation.

During his tenure as Nasdaq’s General Counsel from 2001 to 2019, Knight championed many causes for investors and public companies: proxy reform; corporate governance modernization, including the JOBS ACT passage in 2012; regulatory re-form; immigration reform; and enhancing the self-regulatory organization model. He has worked tirelessly to ensure Nasdaq’s U.S. equity market maintains its position as the premier global marketplace for capital formation.

Knight currently serves as a member of the Advisory Board of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and is a member of the District of Columbia, Texas and Supreme Court Bars. He is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and sits on its Committee on Corporate Affairs. Knight is Vice Chairman of the Board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Chair of the U.S.-India Business Council. He is also chair of TechNet's Executive Council. He is a member of the Nasdaq Dubai Board and the Board of the World Federation of Exchanges. He is based in Nasdaq’s Washington, D.C., office.

Before serving as FINRA’s General Counsel from 1999-2001 and then NASDAQ’s General Counsel, Knight served as General Counsel of the U.S. Department of the Treasury from September 1994 to June 1999 — the longest tenure since the position was created in 1934. Upon his departure, he received the Alexander Hamilton Award, the Department's highest honor. He also received the Honor Award from the Secret Service. Before being named Treasury General Counsel, Knight served as Executive Secretary and Senior Advisor to Secretary of the Treasury Lloyd Bentsen. He also served as a member of the Obama Transition Team at the U.S. Treasury Department in 2008-2009.

Prior, he was a partner with the law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer and Feld in Washington, D.C. A Texas native, Knight received his Bachelor of Arts, with honors, in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas School of Law.

Dr. Reena Aggarwal

Robert E. McDonough Professor of Finance and Director, Georgetown Psaros Center for Financial Markets and Policy Georgetown University

Dr. Aggarwal specializes in domestic and global financial markets; market regulation, short term funding markets; equity and corporate bond markets; small business financing; capital raising; ETFs; corporate governance including proxy voting, executive compensation, and director elections; role of institutional investors; FinTech and financial inclusion; and ESG attributes of firms.

She combines rigorous data-driven scholarship with deep knowledge of the institutional workings and regulation of financial markets. She is a renowned scholar, her work is very well-cited, and has served on the editorial boards of several finance journals. Her research has received numerous awards.

Selected Appointments/Roles: Until recently, Dr. Aggarwal was the Vice Provost for Faculty at Georgetown University, responsible for building a diverse and world-class faculty. She managed all aspects of faculty affairs for 2000+ faculty. This included hiring, merit and compensation, promotion and tenure, faculty development, and fiscal planning. She deeply cares about diversity and inequity, and played a leading role on the Presidential Task Force on Gender Equity.

As the Interim Dean of the business school, she was responsible for the school’s strategy, fund raising, programs, budget, operations, and stakeholder engagement including faculty, staff, students, leadership of the university, board, alumni, and donors.

She has served on the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on the Future of Financing and Capital; Fulbright Scholar to Brazil; Distinguished Scholar at the Reserve Bank of India’s CAFRAL; Senior Research Scholar at the SEC; Visiting Scholar at the IMF; and Visiting Professor of Finance at MIT's Sloan School of Management.

Corporate Boards: Cohen & Steers (NYSE:CNS); New York Life Investment Management IndexIQ; Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending. These board positions at asset management firms give her real-time insights into the functioning of the markets in the areas of real assets, infrastructure, fixed income, equity, and ETFs.

Awards: Named among "Outstanding Faculty" in the Business Week Guide to the Best Business Schools, and voted an outstanding professor by students. Honored with the Allan N. Nash Distinguished Doctoral Graduate Award by University of Maryland, and the Distinguished Alumni Award, BITS Pilani, India.

Ph.D. in Finance, University of Maryland, 1985

M.M.S. (Master of Management Studies, 5-year) BITS Pilani, India, 1979

Dr. Matthias Voelkel

Chief Executive Officer Börse Stuttgart Group

Dr. Matthias Voelkel has been Chief Executive Officer of Börse Stuttgart Group since 1 January 2022. He is also Chairperson of the Management Board of Börse Stuttgart Digital Holding GmbH.

Prior to this, Dr Matthias Voelkel joined McKinsey in 2006, was elected partner in 2013 and became leader of the global Capital Markets Infrastructure and Exchanges Practice in 2014. Before joining McKinsey, he was an advisor to the Chairwoman of the European Parliament's Committee for Budgetary Control from 2002 to 2004.

Dr. Matthias Voelkel holds a doctorate in law and studied at the Universities of Freiburg, Oxford and Heidelberg. He completed his legal clerkship at the law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and the German Embassy in the US, among other locations. 

Since March 2023, Dr. Matthias Voelkel has been a member of the Board of the “Deutsches Aktieninstitut” (DAI) and is committed to strengthening the German and European capital markets.

Dilip Asbe

Managing Director & CEO National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)

Dilip Asbe has been the Managing Director and CEO of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) since 2018, following his tenure as the Chief Operating Officer. A pivotal figure in the payments industry, he has significantly contributed to the design, development, and management of major payment platforms including Immediate Payment Service (IMPS), Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS), the RuPay card network, and the highly acclaimed Unified Payments Interface (UPI). Under his leadership, NPCI processes over 18 billion financial transactions monthly, showcasing his exceptional team mentorship and operational expertise.

With him at the helm, NPCI has further diversified and established three subsidiaries viz. NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL) for globalization of UPI and RuPay, NPCI Bharat BillPay Ltd (NBBL) for bill payments and NPCI BHIM Services Ltd. (NBSL) for BHIM UPI.

His groundbreaking work with UPI has earned him several prestigious accolades: the ‘Changemaker of the Year’ award from Business Line, presented by the late Finance Minister Arun Jaitley; the ‘Policy Change Agent of the Year’ award from the Economic Times in 2018, presented by former Vice President Venkaiah Naidu; and the ‘Financial Express Award in Fintech’ category in 2019, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. In 2020, CNBC TV18 recognized him as ‘The Disruptor’ at the India Business Leader Awards. In February 2023, he received the Public Service Excellence Award 2022 from AIMA, and in March 2023, he was honoured with the BMA TCS Business Leader of the Decade Award by Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar. Further, in May 2023, he received the CNBC-TV18 India Business Leader Award for outstanding contribution to Brand India, presented by Housing and Petroleum Minister Hardeep S. Puri. In January 2025, he was also awarded the Digital Person of the Year – Impact Legend award by IAMAI.

Dilip Asbe holds a Master of Science (MS) degree in Global Management (Executive Programme) from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), UK, and a degree in Electronics Engineering from Mumbai University. He is also an alumnus of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program (AMP 2024).

Samara Cohen

Global Head of Market Development BlackRock

Samara Cohen, Senior Managing Director, is Global Head of Market Development for BlackRock where she helps to shape the evolution of market structure to support investor access and product innovation. She is a member of the firm’s Global Executive Committee (GEC).

Samara works with stakeholders across the capital markets ecosystem, including investors, academics, market makers, trading venues and service providers. In partnership with Global Corporate Affairs, Global Product Solutions, BlackRock Global Markets & Index Investments, and Digital Assets, she is focused on advancing market structure priorities on behalf of investors.

Samara previously was Chief Investment Officer of ETF and Index Investments and led teams delivering the market quality and investment integrity for BlackRock’s index funds and iShares ETFs.

Samara is a member of the GEC Investment Subcommittee and the GEC Talent Subcommittee. She is also the GEC sponsor for BlackRock’s Women’s Initiative & Allies Network (WIN) and Co-Head of the Global Diversity Steering Committee (GDSC).

Prior to rejoining BlackRock in 2015, Samara was a Managing Director in the Securities Division of Goldman Sachs, where she built and led the Global Market Transition team to develop and deliver solutions to clients in the evolving market structure and regulatory environment following the 2008 global financial crisis. Samara first joined BlackRock in 1993 as an analyst in the Institutional Client Business.

Samara has been recognized for her leadership in the financial services industry. In 2023 and 2024, Samara was named one of American Banker’s Most Powerful Women in Finance. She has been honored as one of Barron’s Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance for the past four consecutive years. In 2025, she received the Women’s Bond Club Merit Award for her outstanding contributions to the industry. She is a member of the Board of the Directors for the Securities Industry Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), and a member of the Board of the BlackRock Foundation.

She earned a BS Econ in Finance from the Wharton School and a BA in Theatre Arts from the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania. She earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Thomas Book

Member of the Executive Board Deutsche Börse AG

Thomas Book is a member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Börse AG, responsible for Trading & Clearing. A pioneer in electronic trading, he joined Deutsche Börse Group in 1995 as a member of the team that rolled out Deutsche Terminbörse’s remote membership concept across Europe and the US, gaining deep insights into the impact of innovation and technology in the exchange industry. Book was also a member of the project team that built Eurex, the first cross-border exchange merger of its kind. In 2001, he rounded off his profound industry knowledge with his Ph. D. thesis Electronic Exchange Trading and Global Markets”. As a member of the Executive Board of Eurex and Eurex Clearing, Book subsequently shaped Deutsche Börse’s trading and clearing business for many years. From 2007 to 2016, he was responsible for the clearing business of Eurex, expanding the value proposition following the 2008 financial crisis. In 2016, he took responsibility for trading at Eurex as its CEO, before being appointed to the Executive Board of Deutsche Börse in 2018. He is responsible for the Trading & Clearing division, which includes Cash Market, Financial Derivatives, FX & Digital Assets, Commodities and Market Data.

Craig Donohue

Chief Executive Officer Cboe Global Markets

Mr. Donohue is Chief Executive Officer and a director, having served in these roles since May 2025. Previously, he was Chairman of the Board of Directors at Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), the world’s largest equity derivatives clearing organisation.

Mr. Donohue joined OCC as Executive Chairman in January 2014, helping to lead change across the organisation following OCC’s designation as a Systemically Important Financial Market Utility by the Financial Stability Oversight Council. In 2016, he took on the additional role of Chief Executive Officer, serving in that capacity for three years. He returned to the role of Executive Chairman in 2019 before transitioning to Chairman of the Board of Directors in January 2024.

Prior to joining OCC, Mr. Donohue spent more than two decades in global financial markets, including serving as CEO of CME Group from January 2004 to May 2012.

Mr. Donohue is a former board member and Chairman of the Council for Economic Education and the Executives’ Club of Chicago, and previously served as a director of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

He holds a Master of Management from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management, a Master of Law in Financial Services Regulation from IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, a Juris Doctor from The John Marshall Law School, and a Bachelor of Arts in political science and history from Drake University.

Jorge Alegria

Chief Executive Officer Bolsa Mexicana de Valores

He has held various positions of high responsibility in the financial and markets sector, including Senior Director of CME Group (Chicago Mercantile Exchange), representative in Mexico and in charge of the development of markets, clients and derivative products for Latin America.

Previously he served as Managing Director of MexDer (Mexican Derivatives Market) and as Deputy Managing Director of the Mexican Stock Exchange, in charge of Market Operations and Data Services of the BMV Group. Prior to that, he was CEO of ABN AMRO Securities (Mexico) and Deputy Managing Director of Scotia-bank Inverlat México.

He chaired the International Options Markets Association (IOMA) abroad for three years. Mr. Alegría graduated as a Public Accountant specialized in Finance from ITAM (Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México), where he has also been a part-time professor teaching the topic of Derivatives Markets in Mexico. He has taken and taught various advanced courses and seminars in Mexico and abroad, specialized in capital markets, FINTECH and financial derivatives.

Valdene Reddy

Group Chief Executive Officer Johannesburg Stock Exchange

Valdene’s career spans over two decades in financial markets. She joined JSE in 2015 as Head of Equity and Equity Derivatives and was promoted to Director of Capital Markets at JSE in 2020. Before joining the JSE in 2015, Valdene worked at two international investment banks in equity and equity derivatives sales and trading, covering local and foreign institutional clients.

During her 10-year tenor at the JSE, she has been responsible for all capital raise and trading activity on the exchange across all markets. This includes the sourcing of new listings across equity, debt and structured products, as well as the development and management of all secondary market trading in cash and derivative markets.

A large part of Valdene’s role focusses on mobilizing capital flow and investment into South Africa by targeting aligned intent and execution between public and private sector. This is a high imperative for showcasing the country, the capital markets and driving investment into SA.

In addition, Valdene has extended the development of new markets in South Africa, including the launch of JSE Private Placements and JSE Ventures Voluntary Carbon Market. She is also responsible for JSE Investor Services which is a transfer secretary and share plans business, acquired by the JSE in 2021.

Valdene holds a Bachelor of Business Science, Actuarial Science degree from the University of Cape Town; is a Certified Director with the Institute of Directors South Africa and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Sumer Dewan

Co-Head Equity Trading Norges Bank Investment Management

Sumer Dewan serves as the Head of the Singapore Office and Co-Head Equity Trading at NBIM. He began his career at JPMorgan in New York and later London before joining NBIM in Singapore. Sumer graduated from Babson College with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

Norges Bank Investment Management manages the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global. They manage assets worth more than 22,000 billion kroner, or about 2,200 billion dollar. The fund is invested in international equity and fixed-income markets and in real estate and renewable energy infrastructure. 

The fund is the largest single owner in the world’s stock markets, owning almost 1.5 percent of all shares in the world’s listed companies. This means that they have holdings in about 7,100 companies worldwide. The fund also receives a steady flow of income from lending to countries and companies. In addition, the fund owns hundreds of buildings in some of the world’s leading cities and have invested in renewable energy infrastructure since 2021. 

Navneet Munoot

Managing Director and CEO HDFC Asset Management Company

Navneet Munot is the Managing Director and CEO of HDFC Asset Management Company and the current Chairman of the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI). A veteran with over three decades in financial markets, he previously served as the Chief Investment Officer at SBI Mutual Fund, where he was instrumental in its massive growth. A qualified Chartered Accountant and CFA charter holder, Munot is recognized as a thought leader in Indian capital markets. He is a strong advocate for long-term compounding, "Atmanirbhar India," and ESG principles, currently chairing SEBI’s advisory committee on Environmental, Social, and Governance matters.

Sunil Benimadhu

Dr. James Zhan

Chair of the Executive Board World Investment Conference, World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA)

Dr. James Zhan is the Chairman of the WIC Executive Board, World Investment Promotion Organisation (WAIPA, Geneva). He is a founding Chair of the Global Alliance of Special Economic Zones (GASEZ), representing special zones and parks in over 150 countries.

Concurrently, Dr. Zhan serves as Chief Advisor to the Chairman of the World Free Zones Organization. He is also a senior Fellow associated with the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), and a member of the fDi Editorial Advisory Board of the Financial Times.

Dr. Zhan holds advisory positions at leading academic institutions, including Oxford University, Columbia University, Cornell University, and Fribourg University. Previously, he served as academic advisor to centres at Cambridge University and Geneva University, and a Senior Research Associate at Oxford University.

From 2023 to 2024, Dr. Zhan served as the Chief Advisor to the Secretary-General at the United Nations Trade and Development Agency (UNCTAD). Prior to this, he spent 15 years (2008 to 2023) as Senior Director of Investment and Enterprise at UNCTAD, also serving as Chief Editor of the UN World Investment Report and Transnational Corporation journal.

During his tenure at the United Nations, Dr. Zhan provided strategic policy advice to heads of state, ministers, and parliaments across more than 100 developing and developed countries. He advised and facilitated cabinet strategic meetings of a number of governments. At international level, he facilitated consensus-building processes of many global summits and ministerial conferences, including the G20, BRICS, ACP, APEC, and ASEAN. For example, he drafted and facilitated the negotiations of the G20 Guiding Principles for Global Investment Policymaking in 2016.

He led the formulation of the Investment Policy Framework for Sustainable Development (IPFSD), a new generation of investment strategies used in over 150 countries and major regional groupings. He also spearheaded the UN efforts to reform the international investment system, including the Reform Package for the International Investment Regime. Additionally, he founded the World Investment Forum in 2008, leading it to become a premier global platform for investment stakeholders.

Dr. Zhan was the Founding Chair of the World Investment for Development Alliance, a coordination mechanism for major international organizations dealing with investment issues – including the World Bank, World Economic Forum, UNCTAD, OECD, UNIDO, ILO, UNWTO, AIB, ITC, and WAIPA. He also co-chaired the Executive Board of the UN Family Business for Sustainable Development Initiative, in collaboration with the Family Business Network International.

His extensive contributions in advisory roles include serving as Chief Strategic Advisor to the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies, and as a member of the Advisory Council of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). He was also a member of the Global Agenda Councils on Advanced Manufacturing (2012-2013) and for Trade and Investment (2014-2018) at the World Economic Forum.

Dr. Zhan has published over 150 journal articles and book chapters on investment, trade, technology, sustainable finance, and industrial strategies. He also led the preparation of more than 300 publications and reports for the United Nations. His expertise is frequently featured in leading global business and economic media, including The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Financial Times, and Bloomberg.

Julie Becker

Chief Executive Officer Luxembourg Stock Exchange (LuxSE)

Julie Becker has been at the helm of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange (LuxSE) since April 2021. She joined LuxSE in 2013 and was appointed to its Executive Committee in 2015, before being named Deputy CEO in 2019, and CEO two years later.

Her career in the financial sector in Luxembourg spans over two decades and includes positions at the Central Bank of Luxembourg and Dexia.

In 2016, Julie Becker founded the Luxembourg Green Exchange (LGX), the world’s leading platform for sustainable securities. A recognised expert in the field of sustainable finance, Julie Becker has represented LuxSE and LGX at numerous, international expert forums and conferences over the past years, including the EU High-Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance from 2017 to 2019 and the United Nations High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development in 2023.

Julie Becker is a member of the board of directors of several Luxembourg-based financial industry associations and the Chairwoman of LuxCMA, a capital markets industry association established in 2019. She was awarded "The inventor" by Global Landscape as part of their campaign "16 Women Restoring the Earth" in 2019 and was named the "Most Influential Economic Decision Maker in Luxembourg" in the 2022 edition of the Paperjam Top 100.

Julie Becker played a crucial role in the founding of the Luxembourg Women in Finance Charter. She is a member of the Luxembourg Gender Finance Task Force, launched in 2023, and the EIB’s Women Climate Leaders Network, launched in 2024. She was appointed as a member of the University of Luxembourg’s Board of Governors in 2023, and as a Bloomberg EU Women in Finance ambassador in 2024.

Julie Becker specialises in regulatory and legal matters linked to capital markets.

She holds a Master’s Degree in European & Comparative Law and a Master’s Degree (DEA) in Private Law from the University of Nancy II, France. She is also an alumna of the Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, USA.

Radhika Gupta

MD & CEO Edelweiss Mutual Fund

Radhika commenced her professional voyage with esteemed firms like Microsoft, McKinsey and Company, and AQR Capital Management. In 2009, she co-founded Forefront Capital Management in Mumbai, India, which was later acquired by Edelweiss Financial Services Limited in 2014, marking her entry into the asset management sector. Ascending to the CEO position at Edelweiss Mutual Fund (Asset Management Company Limited) in 2017, her strategic leadership significantly augmented the assets managed by the company from ₹ 6,700 crore (as on 31st March 2017) to ₹ 1,04,896 crore (as on 31st March 2023). During her tenure, Radhika played a pivotal role in the acquisition of JP Morgan Mutual Fund, leading its seamless integration into Edelweiss in 2016-2017. Under her guidance, Edelweiss Mutual Fund launched the Bharat Bond ETF in 2019, India’s first corporate bond ETF, marking a significant milestone in the company's journey. This innovation, along with others, propelled Edelweiss Mutual Fund to a top 13 spot by September 2023, up from a rank of 30 in March 2017. Radhika's focus on innovative and solution-led products, along with building a strong investment team imbued with a culture of risk awareness and governance, have been the cornerstones of this remarkable growth.

Dr. James Klutse Avedzi

Director-General Securities and Exchange Commission of Ghana (SEC)

Dr. James Klutse Avedzi is a distinguished Chartered Accountant and seasoned public financial management professional with over 25 years of dedicated service to Ghana’s public sector. He is currently the Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and a Board Member of the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA).

He represented the people of Ketu North as a Member of Parliament from 2005 to 2025, where he demonstrated exemplary leadership in promoting transparency, accountability, and sound fiscal governance.

During his 20-year parliamentary career, he served as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (2017-2025) and Chairman of the Finance Committee (2009-2017), leading critical reviews of the Auditor General’s reports, national budgets, and financial agreements. He also served on the Board of the Ghana Revenue Authority (2009-2012), where he contributed to reforms in tax administration and revenue mobilization.

Before entering Parliament, Dr. Avedzi held key positions at the Ministry of Health, including Head of the Financial Reporting Unit, where he introduced computerized reporting systems (REPAC and PROAC) and trained accountants nationwide. His expertise in public financial management has been instrumental in strengthening internal controls, enhancing accountability, and improving the efficiency of financial reporting within public institutions.

At the international level, he has advanced Ghana’s leadership in fiscal oversight through roles as Vice Chair of the West Africa Association of Public Accounts Committees (WAAPAC), the African Organisation of Public Accounts Committees (AFROPAC), and the Commonwealth Association of Public Accounts Committees (CAPAC).

He holds an MBA in Finance and Accounting from the University of Liverpool and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (Ghana) and the Chartered Institute of Taxation (Ghana). He has also been conferred with an Honorary Doctor of Arts for his distinguished contribution to public service.

Ashishkumar Chauhan

Managing Director & CEO National Stock Exchange of India (NSE)

Shri Ashishkumar Chauhan is the MD & CEO of the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE). A technocrat from IIT Bombay and IIM Calcutta, he was part of the found-ing team at NSE. He is credited with setting up first screen-based trading in India, mobile trading, mutual fund distribution through exchanges, markets for SME shares, satellite telecom, the NIFTY index, derivatives trading and many other modern developments in the Indian stock markets. He is considered as the father of modern financial derivatives in India.

Ashish has been fulfilling NSE’s mandate of being a frontline regulator that ex-tends well beyond any comparable exchange in the world. NSE, today, is the larg-est exchange in the world in terms of the number of orders and trades per day. He has been instrumental in the success of NSE IFSC and in bringing SGX NIFTY to GIFT IFSC which is a pivotal moment in Indian Financial Markets in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modiji’s vision for Amrit Kaal. He has also played a significant role in the establishment of the Social Stock Exchange.

Prior to joining NSE back in 2022, he was the MD and CEO of the Bombay Stock Ex-change for 10 years. He is a member of the University Grants Commission and the Chancellor of the University of Allahabad. He is on the board of IIM Calcutta, ONDC and other institutions of repute. He is a faculty at Nottingham University, UK and Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada. He has also worked in the Reliance group and as the CEO of Mumbai Indians IPL cricket team in its formative years.

A Book titled ‘Sthithpragya: The Process of Maintaining an Equilibrium’ addresses his life’s journey. He has been awarded many awards in India and abroad including the Most Influential CEO Award by CEO Monthly in 2024, lifetime achievement award from Global Custodian at Singapore in 2023, Lifetime Achievement award in the field of Information Technology by CTO Magazine, Istanbul, Top 50 CIOs in the world by Information Week, US, Digital Icon of the Year, Asian Banker of the Year and many more.

Nandini Sukumar

Chief Executive Officer The World Federation of Exchanges

Nandini Sukumar is the Chief Executive Officer of the World Federation of Exchanges, the global association for exchanges and CCPs. The WFE represents more than 250 exchanges and clearing houses globally, educating stakeholders on the vital role played by market infrastructures in the real economy and as a standard setter, finding the consensus on issues among the global membership. Of our members, 37% are in Asia-Pacific, 43% in EMEA and 20% in the Americas. WFE’s 87 member CCPs and clearing services collectively ensure that risk takers post some $1.1 trillion (equivalent) of resources to back their positions, in the form of initial margin and default fund requirements. WFE exchanges, together with other exchanges feeding into our database, are home to over 49,054 listed companies, and the market capitalisation of these entities is $116.58 trillion; around $155 trillion (EOB) in trading annually passes through WFE members (at end 2024). Ms. Sukumar is Vice Chair of IOSCO’s Affiliate Members Consultative Committee and Chair of the AMCC’s Sustainability Taskforce.