ASX names Lofthouse's successor

Despite only announcing its interim chief executive late last month, the ASX has named the permanent successor of current chief executive Helen Lofthouse, who is set to leave the bourse at the end of the month.

Anthony Attia of Euronext, the European bourse, will join ASX as chief executive on September 1, with previously announced interim chief Darren Yip to support the transition.

Attia brings nearly 30 years of experience across both European and US jurisdictions, including Euronext Paris, New York Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange Group, Intercontinental Exchange, and more, specialising in the full value chain of exchange operations - from listing franchises to post-trade services including clearing, custody and settlement.

As chief executive of Euronext Paris and a member of the board of Euronext from 2014 to 2021, and most recently as Euronext global head of derivatives and post trade, Attia has led major strategic and growth initiatives while developing strong relationships with customers, regulators and market participants, the ASX said.

He also played a central role in Euronext's transformation into a leading pan-European market infrastructure group, including overseeing the development of Euronext's proprietary trading platform, Optiq, and the expansion of Euronext Clearing into a multi-asset international clearing house.

One of Attia's core responsibilities will likely focus on the revitalisation of ASX's Clearing House Electronic Sub register System (CHESS), as it looks to complete the replacement of the system by 2029 with Release 2.

The CHESS Release 1 was effective in April.

Despite Attia's global status, he shares some experience in the Asia Pacific region, currently chairing the board of Global Rate Set Systems in Auckland, New Zealand, a position he has held since June 2024.

ASX chair David Clarke said Attia's appointment follows a rigorous global selection process.

"He brings deep exchange experience coupled with a proven track record of technology-enabled transformation and a clear understanding of the responsibilities that come with leading critical market infrastructure," Clarke said.

"I am confident he will build on the momentum at ASX and support the next stage of our transformation."

Attia added: "I am delighted to join ASX at a pivotal moment in its transformation. There is so much potential, and I'm excited to meet everyone at ASX and to engage directly with key stakeholders in Australia's markets ecosystem."

"I look forward to working with the ASX boards and the executive leadership team to further strengthen ASX's role as a steward of critical market infrastructure and to position us as a leading capital markets hub in the Asia Pacific region."

The exchange has come under immense scrutiny following several technical issues last year affecting its clearing and settling system.

It was advised to have "considerable work to do" by the Reserve Bank of Australia to meet the central bank's expectations for an operator of critical market infrastructure.

To rectify the underlying issues, including governance and listing requirements, the Advisory Group on Corporate Governance was formed to replace the ASX Corporate Governance Council in October. The AGCG recently met for the third time, providing an update on the revision of its corporate governance principles.