Nicky Newton-King retired as Chief Executive of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) at the end of September 2019 after 23 years at the JSE. She spent much of 2020 during the Covid lockdown working on a number of SA Inc issues, including arguing for the enabling of state grants for vulnerable workers and driving the launch of Woza Matrics on free–to–air television. This assisted matric students in the poorest areas of South Africa obtain some level of academic support to prepare for their final school exams, while schools struggled to remain open.  

Nicky joined the JSE from the law firm Webber Wentzel where she was a partner. Prior to becoming CEO, Nicky held a number of executive roles at the JSE and was then deputy CEO for eight years. Nicky graduated from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa with BA LLB degrees and in 1994 obtained an LLM degree with first class honours from the University of Cambridge, England. In 2006, Nicky spent five months at Yale University as a Young Global leader.  

Nicky was a World Economic Forum Global Leader of Tomorrow and subsequently a WEF Young Global Leader. She was also South Africa’s 2003 Businesswoman of the Year. Nicky has served on the board of the World Federation of Exchanges, Business Leadership South Africa and, prior to her retirement, was appointed co-chair of the UN Global Investors for Sustainable Development CEO Alliance by the UN Secretary General, to co-ordinate global business support for the Sustainable Development Goals.  

Among Nicky’s great pleasures are serving on the board of the Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre, chairing Somerset College (an independent private school in the Western Cape, South Africa), spending time with her family and cycling wherever her bike takes her.