ADENA TESTA FRIEDMAN

I am currently responsible for overseeing 3 of Nasdaq's 4 business segments  - Global Information Services, Global Listing Services, and Global Technology Solutions. Collectively they generate approximately $1.2B in revenue and generate a 40% operating margin. I have been back at Nasdaq since June 2014, when I returned after serving as the CFO of The Carlyle Group, a global alternative asset management firm, for three years. Prior to my time at Carlyle, I served as the CFO of Nasdaq, and before that served in several business and strategy roles at the firm. I originally joined Nasdaq in 1993.  

 

In my current role, every day presents a new challenge and opportunity. No two days are alike - something I really enjoy about the role. I could spend my day focusing on operational issues and ideas, or meeting with our clients, or speaking at a conference, or focusing on the firm's strategy and financial performance. Another element that I believe is critical to my ability to enjoy my job is that fact that I truly believe in the mission of Nasdaq and its role in the economy, not only in the US, but globally where we partner and provide the technology that powers over 80 markets around the world.

 

I attended business school at Vanderbilt after college, so I generally knew that I wanted to work in business. My desire was to be a product manager in the financial service industry - a pretty narrow focus. And amazingly, I had the opportunity to be a product manager early in my career at Nasdaq. But, as much as a person may try to plan a career, there is a lot of luck and circumstance that play a large role as well.  

 

It is really hard to narrow my favorite memories of ALC down to just a few. My memories are absolutely dominated by the friends I made there - Betsy Tomlinson, Marnie Miller, Hillary Veeder, Kim Merriman, Molly Brooks, Natalie Egan Gochnour (counselor), and Liz Grant (counselor) just to name a few. Living together, growing up together, and sharing all of the camp experiences created special, lasting friendships that I will never forget. In terms of activities, I loved the annual talent show! And, I really enjoyed tennis, riding, gymnastics, and the hiking/camping trips. I also absolutely loved the Church in the Pines - I would visit Church in the Pines whenever I wanted time to think and to reflect on my life (as young as I was back then). It was a truly spiritual, peaceful place for which I really haven't found a substitute anywhere else in my life.  All in all, I had a wonderful four summers at ALC!

 

Living together with 5 other girls was not always easy - learning to live with different personalities, to create bonds with a diverse set of girls, that has certainly helped as I started managing people in my career. I had one experience where I did not stick up for one of my friends, and that remains one of my most difficult memories. I certainly learned that loyalty to friends and family is more important than anything else in life. On the positive side of my experiences, I learned to take risks at camp. I stood in front of dozens of girls during the talent show doing things that were perhaps embarrassing, but I learned to have fun with the experience. I took risks by entering the tennis tournament, or signing up for a challenging hike. Heading a business today requires that I take measured risks, and I feel that many of my childhood experiences prepared me for today's role, including my time at ALC.