Ms. Friedman will be joining The Carlyle Group as Managing Director, Chief Financial Officer and Member of the Operating Committee, based in Washington, D.C.Former NASDAQ OMX CFO David Warren has been appointed special advisor to the CEO and Ronald Hassen, Senior Vice President, Controller and Principal Accounting Officer will become interim CFO, while a permanent replacement is sought.

"Adena has been a valued and trusted partner of mine since I joined as CEO," said Bob Greifeld, Chief Executive Officer of NASDAQ OMX. "She has played a tremendous role in the growth and success of NASDAQ OMX over her 18 years with the company. Her leadership skills, outstanding business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit have driven a number of game changing transactions for NASDAQ OMX. I have great respect for Adena personally and professionally and wish her much success at Carlyle."

Ms. Friedman assumed the role of CFO in 2009 in addition to overseeing corporate strategy. She directed NASDAQ's acquisition of OMX AB, through which NASDAQ OMX acquired the Nordic and Baltic markets and a global exchange technology business. She also managed NASDAQ OMX's acquisition of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, now one of the largest options exchanges in the U.S. In 2005, Friedman directed NASDAQ in its acquisition of the INET ECN, which enhanced NASDAQ's technology infrastructure and further improved its trading capabilities. Before assuming her role as CFO, Ms. Friedman served as head of Global Data Products, a $250M business unit within The NASDAQ OMX Group. She joined NASDAQ in 1993.