Washington, D.C. — TechNet, the national, bipartisan network of innovation economy CEOs and senior executives, today announced the newest addition to its Executive Council of technology industry leaders: Ed Knight, Nasdaq’s Executive Vice President and Global Chief Legal and Policy Officer.
In his current role, Knight oversees all legal matters for Nasdaq, a leading provider of trading and exchange technology services and the second-largest stock exchange in the world.
In joining TechNet’s Executive Council, Knight issued the following statement: “Ensuring that the U.S. has the most pro-innovation business climate in the world for startups to grow and prosper is an economic imperative that unites Nasdaq and TechNet. For the U.S. tech sector to remain an engine of economic opportunity and life-enhancing innovations, we must advance public policies that help startups grow, scale, and go public, while investing in the high-skilled workforce we need to create new breakthroughs in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence. I look forward to contributing to TechNet’s advocacy efforts on these and many other issues as a member of its Executive Council.”
In welcoming Knight to the Executive Council, TechNet President and CEO Linda Moore said: “Ed Knight is a highly regarded leader with extensive public and private sector experience who will bring to our Executive Council a unique understanding of the public policy challenges technology companies encounter today. In 2019, we will face a divided Congress as well as new state legislatures and governors across the country. In this time of transition, we welcome Ed’s expertise and guidance as we work with policymakers on emerging technologies and advance policies that promote innovation and entrepreneurship. We are so pleased to welcome him to our Executive Council.”
Knight joins TechNet’s prestigious Executive Council of technology leaders, which also includes:
- Greg Becker, CEO, Silicon Valley Bank
- Matt Cain, President and CEO, Couchbase
- John Chambers, Founder and CEO, JC2 Ventures; Chairman Emeritus, Cisco
- John Doerr, Chairman and Founder, Kleiner Perkins
- Michael Gregoire, Former CEO, CA Technologies
- Terry Howerton, Co-Founder and CEO, TechNexus
- Aaron Levie, CEO, Co-Founder and Chairman, Box
- Kim Polese, Chairman, CrowdSmart
- Ellen Richey, Vice Chairman, Risk and Public Policy, Visa
- KR Sridhar, Co-Founder and CEO, Bloom Energy
- Julie Sweet, CEO — North America, Accenture
Edward Knight is Executive Vice President and Global Chief Legal and Policy Officer of Nasdaq where he is responsible for overseeing legal services across the global organization and providing legal counsel to senior management. Under his leadership, the Nasdaq legal and regulatory team was honored as an innovation leader by the Financial Times in December 2015. Knight was awarded a “special mention for outstanding innovation” among North American public company general counsels. Knight previously served as General Counsel of the U.S. Department of the Treasury from September 1994 to June 1999, where he was the Department’s longest-serving General Counsel since the position was created in 1934. Upon his departure, Knight received the Alexander Hamilton Award — the department’s highest honor — from Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin. He also received the Honor Award from the Secret Service. Before being named General Counsel, Knight served as Executive Secretary and Senior Advisor to Secretary of the Treasury Lloyd Bentsen.
Prior to his tenure at the Treasury, Knight was a partner with the law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer, and Feld in its Washington, D.C., office. A Texas native, Knight received his B.A., with honors, in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin and his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law. He serves as a Trustee of the University of Texas Law School Foundation. Knight is a member of the District of Columbia, Texas, and Supreme Court Bars. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and its Committee on Corporate Affairs. He also sits on the Leadership Board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness. Knight served as a member of the Obama Transition Team at the U.S. Treasury Department from 2008 to 2009.