Australian stock exchange operator ASX shakes up executive ranks under new CEO (updated)

ASX

21/09/2026 24:31

Recasts and writes through
By Scott Murdoch
SYDNEY, Sept 21 (Reuters) - New Australian Securities Exchange ASX.AX Chief Executive Anthony Attia has shuffled his executive team less than a month after joining, as the stock exchange operator upgrades its technology and seeks to put several trading outages behind it.
The ASX said on Monday it had appointed Keir Barnes as the company's next chief financial officer, replacing Andrew Tobin, who is due to retire. Barnes joins from property developer Dexus DXS.AX.
Mark Peterson will become the ASX's managing director of clearing and settlements, which is a new role, while Elaine Vaisanen has been appointed chief operating officer.
The ASX's current chief operating officer, Diona Rae, will leave the company, ASX said in a statement.
The executive changes come as the exchange is midway through a major technology overhaul to upgrade its ageing settlement systems, which have been blamed for a number of trading outages.
The ASX's stock is trading up about 10% so far this year. UBS last week upgraded ASX to a buy recommendation off the back of increased trading volumes in the past few months.
     Peterson was the chief executive of the New Zealand Exchange for nine years until April this year. Vaisanen was most recently the head of fund services for JPMorgan JPM.N in Asia Pacific. She was with the bank for 25 years, according to her LinkedIn profile.
"They are high calibre, seasoned executives who will help speed up this next phase in ASX’s development and explore opportunities for future growth," Attia said in a statement on Monday.
Attia began at the ASX on September 1, joining from Euronext as the stock exchange operator's board sought an international candidate to repair ​its damaged reputation.
The ASX's failed upgrade of its settlement system dates back more than nine years, and the exchange has been criticised by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and the Reserve Bank of Australia.
     In December, ASIC imposed an additional capital charge of A$150 million ($107 million) on ASX.
A new clearing system will run on more advanced technology, replacing a three-decade-old system known as the Clearing House Electronic Subregister System (CHESS).
($1 = 1.4041 Australian dollars)

(Additional reporting by Nikita Maria Jino in Bengaluru; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Lincoln Feast.)
((Nikita.Jino@thomsonreuters.com;))