SDX - SIX Digital Exchange

We’re a global community of inventive minds and skilled experts. Here’s six of them that are leading the company.

Executive Board Members

David Newns

Head SIX Digital Exchange

David Newns was made Head SIX Digital Exchange in October 2021 with a mandate to lead SDX in building the next generation fully regulated digital market infrastructure and establish SDX as a leader in global institutional Digital Assets and Cryptocurrency services. David is an entrepreneur and financial services professional with over 20 years of experience in capital markets. Prior to SDX, he was Senior Managing director at State Street and Global Head of GlobalLink Execution Services. In this role he was responsible for the award winning Currenex and FX Connect independent multi-asset class trading platform businesses. Previously, David was Global Head of Currenex and SwapEx. Before that, he held the roles of Chief Operating Officer for State Street Global Exchange Trading & Clearing and State Street eExchange EMEA. In 2001 David joined Currenex as a founding member of Currenex’s London operation. Before joining Currenex, David held several positions in technical services at MicroStrategy, a leading global provider of enterprise software platforms for business intelligence.

Mathias Studach

Head Finance, Risk & Organizational Development

Mathias Studach joined SDX in July 2018 as Head Finance, Risk and Organizational Development. He has a wealth of experience in financial markets, especially in the management and implementation of enabling-technologies, strategy and controlling. In his previous role as Head Technology at a Swiss private bank in Zurich, he was responsible for the digital transformation of the company and the technological implementation of their Blockchain Asset Management Solution.

marco kessler

Business Head Digital Securities

Marco Kessler joined SDX in October 2018 and has been a key member of the team since its beginning. Marco brings 14 years of experience in capital markets and digital transformation to SDX. During his time at Accenture, Marco contributed significantly to large-scale digital transformation programs for global Swiss banks, particularly in wealth management, advisory and core banking segment. His expertise lies at the forefront of innovation, driving the adoption of digital assets in capital markets and financial market infrastructures.
Throughout his career, Marco has specialized in management and technology consulting, with a focus on business architecture for financial services and IT technology strategy. His contributions to SDX have been invaluable, as he continues to play a pivotal role in building the platform from the ground up. Marco’s dedication to driving innovation and his deep understanding of financial markets make him an integral part of the SDX team.

The appointment is subject to FINMA approval.

Björn Flückiger

Head Legal

Björn Flückiger joined SDX in February 2024, bringing over a decade of legal expertise in financial market law and fintech regulation, both in the public as well as the private sector. Amongst others, Björn was an integral part in the setup and operationalization of FINMA’s Fintech unit, contributing significantly to various regulatory policies, including the development of FINMA’s ICO and stablecoin guidelines. Furthermore, as a distinguished member of the Federal Department of Finance’s working group, he played a pivotal role in the introduction of the forward-looking Swiss DLT bill in 2021. Prior to joining SDX, Björn worked for UBS, providing legal and regulatory advice on the bank’s fintech and digital banking initiatives. Most recently, he served as Head of Legal Services and Regulatory Affairs at Crypto Finance Group, where he managed all legal and supervisory matters of Crypto Finance’s FINMA-licensed entities.

Loïc Guezennec

Head Technology Officer

Loïc Guezennec joined SDX in September 2022 as Head Technology Officer. He has over 20 years of experience in the financial industry and has been developing technology for trading, wealth management, risk and compliance, in both small and large organizations.Prior to SDX, Loïc was CTO and Head of Development at Lombard Odier. His other appointments include Head of Platform Engineering at Credit Suisse and Head of Engineering at Swissquote.

Martin Vetsch

Head Operations

Martin Vetsch joined SDX in July 2022 as Head Operations. In his role, he is responsible for client onboarding, client support and SDX’s day-to-day operations. Martin is an entrepreneur and a senior banking professional with over 20 years of experience in the financial industry. Prior to joining SDX, Martin demonstrated his leadership, strategy, and operational skills, while holding various executive positions in global banks and Swiss regulated entities including Credit Suisse, Vontobel, and VP Bank.

BELÉN ROMANA GARCIA​

Chairperson SDX​

Belén Romana Garcia was appointed as Chairman to SDX in January 2023. She is also member of the board at SIX, Santander and Werfen. Her previous appointments include executive chair of Sociedad de Gestión de Activos Procedentes de la Reestructuración Bancaria, S.A. (SAREB) and member of the board at Aviva PLC and Aviva Italia Holding S.p.A. She has been director-general of the Treasury of the Spanish Ministry of Economy, and board member at Banco de España and the CNMV. Belén was also a director at the Instituto de Crédito Oficial and other entities on behalf of the Ministry of Economy, as well as listed companies like Ageas, Banesto or Acerinox.

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