Alexandre Kech will join GLEIF as CEO-elect on May 1, 2024. Stephan Wolf, who has served as CEO since GLEIF’s inception in 2014, will work closely with Alexandre Kech to enable a smooth transition before stepping down after ten successful years in the role.

Alexandre Kech brings a unique depth of experience in finance, infrastructure, blockchain, and standardization to the GLEIF leadership position, gained through a variety of leadership positions held over the past 25 years. In his role as CEO, Alexandre Kech will be pivotal in driving further adoption of the LEI and verifiable LEI (vLEI) - the only universally standardized digital legal entity identifier.

“We are thrilled to welcome Alexandre Kech as the new CEO of GLEIF," comments Dessa Glasser, Chair of the GLEIF Board of Directors. "He brings a wealth of experience, leadership acumen, and an outstanding track record that makes him the ideal candidate to both ensure GLEIF’s continued success and drive its growth in the digital space. Alexandre Kech is a truly transformational leader who creates a culture that propels innovation, boosts productivity and performance, and allows people to thrive. Alexandre’s mission is clear: enable GLEIF to realize its full potential and create sustainable value for the whole Global LEI System, including partners, employees, and LEI stakeholders everywhere.”

Commenting on his appointment, Alexandre Kech, GLEIF’s CEO-elect, says: "The potential of the LEI to enhance private and public sector efficiencies, strengthen regulatory oversight, and expand economic inclusion increases exponentially with the integration of digital technologies. I am honored to join the GLEIF team and lead us through this next phase of adoption, innovation, and growth. I am firmly committed to GLEIF’s close collaboration with the Regulatory Oversight Committee (ROC), together with our global network of LEI issuers and other Global LEI System partners and look forward to enhancing both the reach and the impact of the LEI and vLEI."

Prior to joining GLEIF, Alexandre Kech was Executive Board member and Business Head of Digital Securities at SDX, a SIX company, where he was instrumental in driving growth and implementing strategic initiatives that enhanced business performance. Alexandre Kech has specialized in finance at BNY Mellon, payments/securities infrastructure and standards at SWIFT, blockchain and digital assets at Onchain Custodian (ONC), and, most recently, at Citi Ventures. As co-founder and CEO of ONC, Alexandre Kech led a team that built a custody and prime brokerage service for crypto and other digital assets. As Blockchain & Digital Asset director at Citi Ventures, Alexandre Kech was responsible for engaging the European ecosystem with emerging use cases in blockchain technologies and digital assets.

Alexandre Kech is also involved in industry and standardization initiatives. As the convenor of the ISO TC 68 / SC8 / WG3, which produced the ISO 24165 Digital Token Identifier (DTI), he is a member of the DTI Foundation Product Advisory Committee. He also recently served as co-chair of the Global Digital Finance (gdf.io) custody working group.

Paying tribute to GLEIF’s outgoing CEO, Stephan Wolf, Desser Glasser adds: “On behalf of the GLEIF Board of Directors, I would like to sincerely thank Stephan Wolf for his ten years of dedicated service as CEO. Under his visionary leadership, GLEIF has successfully established a global trust network that enables legal entities and their business partners to demonstrate ownership and relationships transparently. Under Stephan’s guidance, GLEIF has made enormous strides while continuing to innovate fearlessly, particularly in the digital space with the introduction of the vLEI. GLEIF’s strong operational performance is clear proof that Stephan leaves the organization standing on a solid foundation. We wish him every success in his future endeavors."

Stephan Wolf, GLEIF’s standing CEO, concludes: “Over the last decade, it has been a great privilege to lead GLEIF through its startup phase and into the thriving organization it is today. My decision to step down comes with a profound sense of fulfillment, pride, and confidence in the exceptional team we’ve built. I look forward to watching GLEIF and the whole LEI ecosystem continue to flourish as it evolves to provide one global identity behind every business.”