Adena Friedman Quotes

Powerful Adena Friedman for Daily Growth

About Adena Friedman

Adena Friedman is a distinguished American business executive, renowned for her significant contributions to the financial industry. Born in 1970, she grew up in New York, where she developed an early interest in finance and technology. Friedman earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Brown University in 1992 and subsequently obtained a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School in 1995. After starting her career as a corporate attorney at Cravath Swaine & Moore, she quickly transitioned to the financial sector, joining NASDAQ OMX Group in 1996. Her impressive rise within the company saw her appointed as the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NASDAQ in 2017, making her the first woman to lead a major U.S. stock exchange. Previously, she served as the NASDAQ's Chief Operating Officer and held various other key positions within the organization. Friedman has been instrumental in modernizing NASDAQ's technology infrastructure, fostering innovation, and driving growth for the company. She is also a prominent advocate for gender diversity in leadership roles across industries. Notable quotes from Adena Friedman include: 1. "We believe that if you can provide a more efficient marketplace, you can create more liquidity, which leads to price discovery and ultimately benefits investors." 2. "Diversity is not just the right thing to do; it's the smart thing to do." 3. "I don't think we should be thinking about diversity as a challenge. We should be thinking about it as an opportunity." Throughout her career, Adena Friedman has demonstrated exceptional leadership and strategic acumen in navigating the ever-evolving financial landscape. Her contributions to NASDAQ and the broader industry continue to shape the future of global capital markets.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Innovation is key to our growth and success."

Adena Friedman's quote underscores the importance of innovation as a fundamental driver for growth and achievement in any organization or enterprise. Innovation represents a continuous process of finding novel solutions, creating new ideas, and developing better ways of doing things to remain competitive in today's dynamic and rapidly evolving business landscape. This notion reinforces the idea that embracing change, taking calculated risks, and being open to creativity and new possibilities can lead to sustained success and growth for any organization.


"We are committed to creating a more efficient market structure that benefits all investors."

This quote by Adena Friedman emphasizes her dedication towards establishing an enhanced market infrastructure that serves the interests of all investors. In simpler terms, she aims to design a market system where transactions occur smoothly, costs are reduced, information is accessible, and all types of investors - big or small - can make informed decisions and benefit equally.


"Technology has changed the way we interact with markets, and it will continue to do so in the future."

This quote by Adena Friedman highlights the transformative role technology plays in shaping our interaction with financial markets. It suggests that technology is not merely a tool for market transactions but a driving force behind how we engage, analyze, and make decisions within these markets. As technology continues to evolve, it will further revolutionize the way we interact, offering increased efficiency, accuracy, and accessibility in financial decision-making processes. This transformation holds significant implications for investors, traders, and regulators alike, as they adapt to new tools and strategies in an increasingly technologically-driven marketplace.


"The role of Nasdaq is to empower our clients by providing them with innovative technology solutions and insights."

Adena Friedman's statement emphasizes that the primary function of Nasdaq, as a global technology company, is to equip its clients (which can include various entities like financial institutions, businesses, and investors) with cutting-edge technology solutions. These tools aim to streamline operations, enhance efficiency, and drive growth. Additionally, by offering insights, Nasdaq intends to provide valuable knowledge and perspectives that empower its clients to make informed decisions and navigate the complex financial landscape effectively.


"The digital era offers exciting opportunities for market participants, but it also comes with new challenges that require us to evolve our strategies and solutions."

Adena Friedman's quote emphasizes that the digital age presents numerous possibilities for investors, traders, and businesses in financial markets. The potential benefits include increased efficiency, accessibility, and innovative solutions enabled by technology. However, she also acknowledges that this new technological landscape brings fresh challenges. These challenges could be related to cybersecurity threats, regulatory changes, or the need to adapt existing strategies to fit the digital era. In essence, she suggests a proactive approach is necessary to capitalize on opportunities while navigating and overcoming new challenges in the digital financial market.


Listen to clients, employees, and peers and stay open to their ideas, feedback, and answers. Doing so is vital to the success of any leader.

- Adena Friedman

Leader, Doing, Clients, Peers

Starting a new job can be nerve-racking , but it's also exciting. You're embarking on a new future, positioning yourself to write a fresh story on a clean slate.

- Adena Friedman

New, Embarking, Also, Story

One of many strengths that I often see in successful women on Wall Street is a responsible balance between risk taking and risk mitigation - the ability to assess situations smartly and make the right medium-to-long-term decisions without being lured into reckless, short-term profit-taking.

- Adena Friedman

See, Short-Term, Without, Lured

Rejection should ignite soul-searching, and the soul-searching must be absolutely honest.

- Adena Friedman

Honest, Should, Absolutely, Ignite

We believe behavioral science, cognitive computing, and machine intelligence are essential to a successful, holistic surveillance offering and critical to efficient and effective organizational compliance with an increasingly intricate global regulatory environment.

- Adena Friedman

Critical, Organizational, Essential

New products, new markets, new investors, and new ways of doing things are the lifeblood of growth. And while each innovation carries potential risk, businesses that don't innovate will eventually diminish.

- Adena Friedman

Innovation, Doing, New, New Products

If it's a cliche to say that intellectual curiosity keeps your mind sharp, your senses alert, and your capabilities cutting-edge, that's because it's true.

- Adena Friedman

Mind, Senses, Capabilities, Sharp

I come to work every day thinking I have to earn my job, and I really believe that. I don't have a given right to my job; I need to prove my value in my role every single day.

- Adena Friedman

Prove, Role, Given, Single Day

I had children very young. You go through a period of immense guilt about being a working mother.

- Adena Friedman

Guilt, Through, Very, Immense

One of the things I liked about the movie 'Minority Report' was they used a lot of futurists as consultants to really try to understand what the world really would be like in 50 years.

- Adena Friedman

Movie, One Of The Things, Report

You need to have a lot of human judgment involved in the financial industry in terms of risk management, in terms of investment decisions, and things that really allow us to blend the best of technology and the human brain.

- Adena Friedman

Financial, Need, Allow, Human Brain

Many women try to advance in their careers by having all the answers; by being the go-to person for information and advice; or by building expertise in a particular field. However, as they progress, gain broader responsibilities, and grow into leadership roles, they realize that their span of control is too vast to be able to know every answer.

- Adena Friedman

Advice, However, Roles, Broader

In 1998, Nasdaq started a project called Next Nasdaq - or what Nasdaq was going to become - and they decided to handpick some of the up-and-comers. I was chosen as one of the people. It was a great opportunity for me and, I guess, a reflection of the fact that I was seen as someone who was developing her career pretty well.

- Adena Friedman

Career, Next, Some, Great Opportunity

By definition, risk exposes businesses to danger.

- Adena Friedman

Risk, Danger, Definition, Businesses

The companies that choose to list on Nasdaq are among the most innovative, risk-taking businesses in the world, and they are proof to us all that prudent risk-taking drives our economy forward.

- Adena Friedman

Forward, Choose, Risk-Taking, Businesses

We definitely are a supporter of lowering corporate income tax and managing through the reprehension of cash for companies because we do think that'll give them more ammunition to grow their businesses and expand what they do.

- Adena Friedman

Through, Income, Ammunition, Businesses

We tax our companies more than any other country in the world, so we really are not really encouraging businesses to grow and expand, and over time, that's going to make it so that we diminish our role in the global economy.

- Adena Friedman

Country, Other, Role, Businesses

Nasdaq is investing in the technologies, talent, and capabilities that solve the complex challenges our clients face.

- Adena Friedman

Face, Clients, Technologies, Investing

We have the Nasdaq private market. But we also want to make sure that every investor has an opportunity to ultimately join in growth and the success of these great companies that we have that have been formed in the United States.

- Adena Friedman

Private, Been, United States, Formed

I have been measured on my merit and on my accomplishments.

- Adena Friedman

Been, Measured, Merit, Accomplishments

It's hard not to take it personally when being wait-listed, passed over for a promotion, or losing a client to a competitor. But while feeling aggrieved may be an understandable reaction, it's not productive - it's not a good use of the experience.

- Adena Friedman

Reaction, Over, May, Client

If you really think about the fabric of the United States, or the finance of any economy, finance is a true underpinning of what makes the economy great - if it can be done successfully, responsibly, and with a client orientation.

- Adena Friedman

Think, United States, Client

Don't assume that opportunity will come to you. Put yourself forward when there is an opportunity.

- Adena Friedman

Opportunity, Forward, Will, Assume

You never stop learning.

- Adena Friedman

Learning, Never, Stop, Never Stop

The ability to have influence and create change and drive the strategy of an organization is really what excites me.

- Adena Friedman

Change, Me, Excites, Strategy

Entry-level jobs are excellent opportunites to educate young women about the realities of the financial world and can prepare them for the next move up within the firm or another area of the financial industry.

- Adena Friedman

Next, Young Women, Area, Educate

A leader who listens is one who is malleable and willing to refine her views and actions as she learns new information or hears a better idea.

- Adena Friedman

Leader, New, Willing, Hears

Empowering those around you to be heard and valued makes the difference between a leader who simply instructs and one who inspires.

- Adena Friedman

Leader, Empowering, Makes, Between

Some companies have a very well-defined program that they bring young people into to help them figure out what they really like to do to get them exposure to senior management early.

- Adena Friedman

Some, Very, Figure, Early

My favorite kick is the roundhouse. I'm very capable of kicking a tall person in the head with a roundhouse.

- Adena Friedman

Head, Very, Kicking, Tall

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