Nasdaq Executive Vice Chairman Ed Knight named Chairman and Zoom COO Aparna Bawa named Vice Chair
Washington, D.C. – TechNet, the national, bipartisan network of innovation economy CEOs and senior executives, today announced Ed Knight, Executive Vice Chairman of Nasdaq, has been named Chairman of TechNet and Aparna Bawa, Zoom’s Chief Operating Officer, has been named Vice Chair. Both will serve for two years.
Knight replaces Greg Becker, President and CEO of SVB, who served as TechNet Chairman since 2020. Becker will remain on TechNet’s Executive Council. Knight has served on TechNet’s Executive Council since 2016. Bawa joined in 2020.
“I am honored to be elected Chairman of TechNet and am looking forward to working in tandem with Aparna, Linda, the Executive Council, and the entire TechNet team to address the key issues facing the innovation economy over the next two years,” said Ed Knight, Executive Vice Chairman of Nasdaq and Chairman of TechNet. “Greg has done an outstanding job guiding TechNet through an unprecedented period for the technology industry. Together, we aim to build upon that momentum while championing the policies that foster long-term growth, protect jobs, and facilitate transformative technological advancements for an industry that continues to be the driving force of the U.S. economy.”
“Over the past 20 years, Ed has been a key driver of Nasdaq’s continuous advancements in market modernization, corporate governance reform, and increased transparency in the capital markets. His perspective on the key issues impacting our economy will guide TechNet during a pivotal time for our industry. He’s been a valued member of our Executive Council, helping us advance our top priorities, and I’m thrilled he’ll be taking on an expanded role with TechNet,” said Linda Moore, TechNet President and CEO.
Moore added, “I’m also excited to have Aparna as our Vice Chair. She’s been a fresh and welcomed voice on our Executive Council for the past two years. At Zoom, she helped quickly scale the company, turning it into an indispensable platform used to easily connect businesses and customers, doctors and patients, and teachers and students across the world. This experience will be invaluable to our organization, which includes many startups hoping to achieve Zoom’s level of success.”
“Since joining the Executive Council, I’ve seen up close the many ways that TechNet is advancing public policies and private sector initiatives to help make the United States the world leader in innovation. I look forward to working alongside the entire TechNet team to build on this success by advocating for policies that foster a climate of innovation and promote job creation and economic growth,” said Bawa.
“Shortly after I became Chairman of TechNet in January 2020, the pandemic changed everything, but through it all the organization emerged stronger than ever before. The TechNet team has grown in size and we’ve added more than 50 members. This growth further enabled TechNet to advance policies at the federal and state level, furthering innovation and economic growth,” said Becker. “I applaud Linda and the entire TechNet team for all they’ve done for our industry during this critical time. I also want to thank the Executive Council for placing their trust in me three years ago, and I look forward to continuing our work together knowing that with Ed and Aparna, TechNet is in great hands.”
“Greg’s experience leading the expansion of the world’s only financial institution dedicated to the innovation sector around the globe made him the ideal person to chair TechNet through an unprecedented period in our history. TechNet would not have experienced the growth and success it has over the past three years without Greg’s steady guidance and support. It has been invaluable, and I’m grateful that he will remain an active member of our Executive Council for years to come,” said Moore.
About Edward Knight:
Edward Knight currently serves as Executive Vice Chairman of Nasdaq, where he manages global government relations and serves as a senior advisor on public policy and litigation. During his tenure as Nasdaq’s General Counsel from 2001 to 2019, Knight championed many causes for investors and public companies: proxy reform; corporate governance modernization, including the JOBS Act passage in 2012; regulatory reform; immigration reform; and enhancing the self-regulatory organization model. He has worked tirelessly to ensure Nasdaq’s U.S. equity market maintains its position as the premier global marketplace for capital formation.
Knight is a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and sits on its Committee on Corporate Affairs. He is Vice Chairman of the Board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Interim Chairman of the U.S.-India Business Council. He is a member of the Nasdaq Dubai Board and the Board of the World Federation of Exchanges. He currently serves as a member of the Advisory Board of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and as a member of the District of Columbia, Texas, and Supreme Court Bars. He is based in Nasdaq’s Washington, D.C. office.
Before serving as FINRA’s Chief Legal Officer from 1999-2001 and then Nasdaq’s General Counsel, Knight served as General Counsel of the U.S. Department of the Treasury from September 1994 to June 1999 — the longest tenure since the position was created in 1934.
About Aparna Bawa:
Aparna Bawa serves as Zoom’s Chief Operating Officer, responsible for oversight of the people experience, government relations, security, privacy, compliance, trust and safety, and legal functions. She has also served as Zoom’s chief legal officer, general counsel, and secretary. Prior to Zoom, Bawa served as senior vice president and general counsel of Magento Inc., an e-commerce platform company, until its acquisition by Adobe Inc., and vice president, general counsel, and secretary of Nimble Storage Inc., which was acquired by Hewlett Packard Enterprise. She also led the legal and corporate development functions for Inphi Corp.
Early in her career, Ms. Bawa was an investment banker at Lehman Brothers and Deutsche Bank, where she executed multiple equity and debt financing transactions for technology clients. She also practiced law as a corporate and securities attorney for Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. Ms. Bawa holds a B.Sc. in accounting from Marquette University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.