Return to Bakkt.com
Akshay Naheta
Akshay Naheta
Chief Executive Officer and Member of Board of Directors, Bakkt

Prior to joining Bakkt in March 2025, he founded Distributed Technologies Research (DTR) in January 2023, a company building the next-generation financial infrastructure focused on programmable finance for businesses and consumers globally.

From January 2017 to May 2022, Akshay served in various executive roles at SoftBank Group, most recently as Senior Vice President, Investments, where he directly reported to Masayoshi Son, founder and CEO of SoftBank. He was instrumental in overseeing several of the firm’s most significant technology investments, including ARM, Auto1, and Nvidia.

In 2011, Akshay founded Knight Assets & Co., an investment management firm specializing in arbitrage and value-oriented strategies. He began his professional career at Deutsche Bank AG, where he served from 2005 to 2010, ultimately holding the position of Head of Principal Strategies. In this role, he was responsible for managing proprietary trading and structured transactions across multiple asset classes globally.

Akshay was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and was included in Fortune’s “40 Under 40” list of the most influential young leaders in business in 2020. He has also been honored with the Young Alumni Achievement Award by the University of Illinois.

He holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science (with highest honors) in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Karen Alexander
Karen Alexander
Chief Financial Officer, Bakkt

Karen Alexander is the Chief Financial Officer of Bakkt, Inc. (NYSE: BKKT). Previously, she served as the Interim Chief Financial Officer from May 2022 to August 2022 and joined in June 2021 as the Chief Accounting Officer. 

Prior to joining Bakkt, Karen worked at GE Capital from October 2004 to April 2021 in finance and accounting roles, most recently serving as Global Technical Controller from January 2017 to April 2021. She began her career as an external auditor with Arthur Andersen LLP and Ernst & Young LLP. 

Karen holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Miami University (Ohio).

Nicholas Baes
Nicholas Baes
Chief Operating Officer, Bakkt

Nicholas Baes is the Chief Operating Officer of Bakkt, Inc. (NYSE: BKKT). Previously, he served as Chief Technology Officer. 

Prior to joining Bakkt in April 2023, Nicholas served as the Chief Technology Officer of Apex Crypto and the Vice President of Engineering at PEAK6 Investments. He has held several lead positions in the TradFi, FinTech and crypto market segments, including Intercontinental Exchange. 

Nicholas holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Mathematics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Marc D'Annunzio
Marc D'Annunzio
General Counsel, Bakkt

Marc D’Annunzio is the General Counsel and Secretary of Bakkt, Inc. (NYSE: BKKT). Marc joined Bakkt in May 2019 and guided the Company through its IPO on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021. 

Prior to joining Bakkt, Marc spent 20+ years as a payments and corporate transactions lawyer for major law firms including Alston & Bird and McKenna Long & Aldridge (now Dentons). His experience includes M&A transactions, strategic alliances, international expansion, and complex commercial relationships, including co-branded and private label card programs, processing relationships, new product launches, and compliance. 

Marc holds a Juris Doctor and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and History, each from the University of Michigan.

Ankit
Ankit Khemka
Chief Product Officer, Bakkt

Ankit Khemka is the Chief Product Officer of Bakkt, Inc. (NYSE: BKKT) since June 2025.

Ankit previously served as Global General Manager and Head of Marketing at Revolut, where he led the company’s growth, brand, and global expansion strategies. He also served as Chief Marketing and Product Officer at Kape Technologies, driving product strategy and growth for flagship brands like ExpressVPN. 

Earlier in his career, he worked with Rocket Internet, leading growth ventures across the United States, Latin America, India, and Asia as well as playing a key role in scaling HelloFresh in the United States. 

Ankit holds a Bachelor of Technology in Electronics and Communication Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati.