Takeaways

• The Green Impact Exchange has appointed veteran finance executive James Buckley as its Chief Financial Officer.
• The appointment follows the exchange’s recent approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, as it builds leadership and prepares new sustainability-focused financial products.
• The exchange plans to launch an index of companies with measurable environmental benefits and develop financial instruments tied to certified carbon credits.

The Green Impact Exchange (GIX), the nation’s first stock exchange focused on sustainability, has appointed veteran finance executive James Buckley as its Chief Financial Officer. The move marks another step in the exchange’s effort to build leadership and prepare for the launch of new market products aimed at supporting climate-focused companies.

Buckley joins the green stock exchange after nearly two years of independent consulting and CFO work. Before that, he spent more than 25 years at Prudential Financial, where he held several senior roles in finance and treasury. His final position at the firm was vice president of finance and international treasurer.

During his tenure at Prudential, Buckley led financing activities for the company’s international insurance business and oversaw major global capital initiatives. He also managed banking relationships and played a key role in the company’s international financial strategy.

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The appointment comes as the Green Impact Exchange continues to build out its leadership team following approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Since receiving regulatory clearance, the exchange has hired a chief operating officer, chief product officer, and chief commercial officer, along with five new board members.

According to the company, Buckley’s experience in complex financial environments will help guide the exchange as it develops a new model for capital markets focused on sustainability.

GIX Chief Executive Officer Dan Labovitz said Buckley’s expertise will bring the financial discipline needed to modernize how equities exchanges operate.

“Buckley will provide the financial rigor and strategic perspective that we need as we modernize the traditional equities exchange,” Labovitz said in a statement. He added that Buckley’s experience working in highly regulated industries will help the company build a more transparent system for capital formation and secondary market liquidity.

Before joining Prudential, Buckley also held senior roles at ADP and AXA Equitable, where he worked in treasury, corporate development, and mergers and acquisitions functions. His long career in financial leadership positions is expected to support GIX as it prepares to launch innovative market products.

One of the key offerings in the exchange’s product roadmap is a new index made up of companies that deliver “measurable environmental benefits.” The exchange also plans to introduce a financial instrument that would allow investors to trade certified carbon credits linked to the index.

The sustainable finance initiative is designed to help investors identify businesses actively contributing to the low-carbon economy while creating new opportunities in carbon credit trading.

Buckley said the exchange could change how companies interact with public markets.

“Public companies today face a complex landscape where short-term market pressures often conflict with long-term strategic execution,” he said. “GIX represents a fundamental shift in that dynamic.”

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He added that he is excited to join a team of industry veterans working to innovate equity markets and better support small and mid-size companies as they invest in the next generation of climate and sustainability solutions.

With its leadership team expanding and its product roadmap taking shape, the Green Impact Exchange aims to position itself as a platform where investors and companies can align capital with environmental impact.

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Source: ESGDIVE