Adena Friedman already broke new socially aware ground when she was named President and CEO of Nasdaq as that’s made her the first woman to lead a global exchange. But she’s taken things farther, championing smaller companies and protecting anyone, from small folks just dipping their toes into investing on up to financial professionals, from criminals.
She’s streamlined IPO access for smaller companies, helping them raise capital faster. The Nasdaq Foundation also offers quarterly grants to entrepreneurs from underserved communities, helping provide financial literacy and access to investors.
Perhaps most important, Friedman has increased Nasdaq’s ability to combat global financial crimes, including fraud, money laundering and even human trafficking. Nasdaq now extends its advanced security technologies to over 2700 banks and supports digital and fiat wallets, which helps large as well as small investors. And that’s important because 2025 also saw her backing tokenized securities and 24/5 trading, which allows even more everyday investors get in the game. Like, say, me.
