Lofthouse ‘proud‘ of ASX legacy but her exit leaves the market with more uncertainty
The exchange operator's CEO is leaving after three years at the helm marked by operational glitches and clashes with regulators.
Outgoing ASX chief executive Helen Lofthouse insists she is “proud” of the legacy she is leaving at the exchange operator despite a tenure marked by operational glitches and rebukes from regulators.
Shares in the ASX fell by 1.9% on Thursday even as the bourse reported an 8.3% uplift in its half-year statutory net profit after tax of $263.6 million, two days after Lofthouse announced she would step down in May.
While operating revenue grew, it posted a 20% jump in expenses largely due to costs relating to an inquiry launched by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) in July 2025 on governance, risk and culture after repeated technology failures from its Clearing House Electronic Sub-register System (CHESS).
Lofthouse told Capital Brief that given phase one of its bungled CHESS project is set go-live in April, now is the “right time for a new leader to do the next phase”.
