Aussie sharemarket operator ASX names its first female boss

The company that runs the $2.5 trillion Australian sharemarket has made history with a huge announcement.

The ASX has named its first female chief executive. Picture: NCA NewsWire / James Gourley

A historic change is coming for the company that runs the $2.5 trillion Australian sharemarket.

ASX Ltd on Thursday announced it would promote Helen Lofthouse to the top job – the company’s first female chief executive officer and managing director.

Ms Lofthouse will replace Dominic Stevens at the end of July.

Her appointment comes after a four-month international search and adds to the handful of women who sit at the top of Australia’s largest companies.

The new chief executive of the ASX, Helen Lofthouse, is the first woman to take up the position. Picture via ASX

The Australian Council of Superannuation Investors in March said just 13 of the top 200 companies had female chief executives.

Ms Lofthouse has been with the ASX since 2015 and runs the company’s largest business by revenue, the markets segment.

“I am honoured and humbled to be chosen as the CEO of ASX given the critical role it plays in Australia’s financial markets,” Ms Lofthouse said in a release.

“I am looking forward to helping shape ASX’s future as we continue our transformation and leverage our technology platform to deliver further value for customers, staff, shareholders and the investing public.

In March, just 13 of the top 200 companies had female chief executives. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Swift

“I am also indebted to Dominic Stevens for ensuring ASX is in a strong financial, operational and technological position and with considerable growth optionality when he leaves.”

One of Ms Lofthouse’s major tasks will be overseeing the $250m CHESS clearing and settlement replacement project, which has been delayed several times over the past couple of years.

Earlier in May, the ASX said the new distributed ledger technology would no longer “go live” in April 2023.