Nicky Newton-King is the former CEO (having worked there for a total of 23 years) of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange She led the JSE’s major business strategies and transactions, transformation of its workforce, regulatory evolution, technology investments and positioning as a thought leader amongst global exchanges, global multi-lateral organisations, and ESG protagonists. The JSE was also a leading part of South African business leadership championing SA Inc to ratings agencies and investors. Further, she engaged key government and public sector leaders on the steps necessary to retain investor confidence

Prior to that, she was a partner at Webber Wentzel, specialising in mining, corporate, and securities law

Covid-19 affected Nicky’s gap year plans for 2020, so she worked on a number of SA Inc initiatives, including building the case for grants for vulnerable workers and bringing Woza Matrics free-to-air television. This was to assist matrics in the poorest areas obtain some level of academic support as they prepared for their final exams. It took massive multi stakeholder buy-in, with all involved contributing their resources for free. This resulted in all the Woza Matrics now engaging with all 3 TV stations, 4 hours a day, 7 days a week for 3 months.

She was the CEO of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange South Africa 2012 – 2019 , a period which coincided significantly with Jacom Zuma’s years as President of SA. This resulted in a need for strong expertise in managing the intersection of business and politics while also steering the JSE through a number of large investments that fundamentally changed both the profile of the JSE and the way JSE clients interacted with the JSE.

She retired believing that the JSE needed new energy to lead the next stage of its transformation.

Previous roles included:

• DEPUTY CEO Johannesburg Stock Exchange South Africa 2004 – 2011
• VARIOUS EXECUTIVE ROLES Johannesburg Stock Exchange South Africa 1996 – 2004
• PARTNER Webber Wentzel South Africa 1991 – 1996; started articles at Webber Wentzel in 1991 and left as one of their youngest partners with the JSE, ISDA, and a major South African mining company as key clients
• Board: World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) 2012-2019; the WFE is the trade organisation to which all the world’s major exchanges belong. Re-elected in 2018 with close to unanimous membership support
• Board: Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) 2016-2019; Nicky was part of the leadership of BLSA positioning business as a critical national asset and fighting the White Monopoly Capital rhetoric
• Co-chair: UN Global Investors for Sustainable Development CEO Alliance 2019
• Appointed by UN Secretary-General to co-ordinate global business support for its Sustainable Development Goals
• Board: Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre 2015 – current
• Board Chair: Somerset College (2016 – current_ – an independent school in Somerset West, Western Cape. She joined the Board in 2016 and has chaired the school since 2019, guiding it to being one of the top-performing independent schools in the country, now recognised for its leading commitment to ESTEAM education and for transitioning to online education within days of the Covid-19 lockdown being announced earlier in 2020
• 2003 – South African Businesswoman of the Year and World Economic Forum Global Leader of Tomorrow