47 key crypto hires, moves and exits: May 2025

Crypto firms kept busy in May with a steady stream of exec hires, largely in legal, comms, partnerships, and business development. These are the types of hires that lay the groundwork for growth — operational muscle to support the next cycle. Big names included moves at Aleo, Algorand, ParaFi, Taxbit, and others, while familiar faces popped up at the likes of OKX, Bybit, and Gemini.

There’s also a noticeable trend of regulatory and policy talent moving into the space — a signal that firms are anticipating more complex compliance needs ahead. Plus, pseudonymous builders are continuing to take on bigger roles, reflecting crypto’s unique culture.

It’s not a hiring frenzy just yet, but after a quiet Q1, May’s moves hint at companies preparing for a more bullish second half of the year. Stay tuned.

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Hires

• Aleo Network Foundation has brought on Josh Hawkins as EVP of Strategy, Policy & Communications; he was previously SVP of Strategic Positioning & Global Thought Leadership at Circle. BJ Mahal also joined Aleo, stepping in as VP, Head of Partnerships from his former role at FalconX.
• At Algorand Foundation, Jennie Levin was appointed Chief Legal and Operating Officer, following her tenure as Chief Regulatory and Strategy Officer at Figment.
• Arda Global welcomed Matthew Sevey as Chief Technology Officer from Celestia Labs, where he served as Director of Engineering.
• Meanwhile, Toby Thwaites was named Head of Product at Arda, previously holding a senior product management role at ClearToken.
• Summer Mersinger has started as Chief Executive Officer at the Blockchain Association, stepping into the role from her previous position as a Commissioner at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
• Chainlink Labs hired Frank Seibold as MD, Head of Banking and Capital Markets, Americas. He previously led commercial development at Pirum.
• Coinbase expanded its team with Andrew Casey as Head of Consumer & Infrastructure Business Development for Base, from his previous position as Director, Corporate Development at Kraken. Additionally, Christine Plummer joined Coinbase as Global Controller, having served as Deputy Controller, Managing Director at MSCI.
• At Consensys, Jason Culbertson took on the role of VP, Design, following his work at Linktree.
• Circle appointed Christina Cheung as Deputy Chief of Staff to the CEO and Counsel to the President; she formerly served as Associate General Counsel at Polygon Labs.
• Digital Asset welcomed Jonathan Isaac as Chief Marketing Officer, formerly CMO at CoinMarketCap.
• dYdX promoted David Gogel to Chief Operating Officer from his role as VP, Strategy & Operations at the dYdX Foundation.
• William Daley was named Partner at Forteus, transitioning from his position as Vice Chairman of Public Affairs at Wells Fargo.
• Jito Foundation appointed Nick Almond as Head of Governance, bringing leadership experience from Factory Labs.
• Medici Network announced Maartje Bus as its new President; she was formerly VP, Head of Research at Messari.
• David Burke joined ParaFi Capital as MD, Capital Formation, following his role at BlockTower Capital.
• Paxos expanded its growth team with the addition of Paul Bances, formerly of PayPal’s blockchain and crypto division.
• Plaid appointed Will Robinson as Chief Technology Officer, previously VP of Engineering at Coinbase.
• Robot Ventures brought on Michael Cieri as Head of Finance and Operations, continuing his focus from Polygon Ventures.
• At Standard Chartered, Jennifer Lassiter was named Head of Digital Assets, Americas and Europe, following her tenure at The Digital Dollar Project.
• Stellar Development Foundation hired Lauren Strasburg to lead Real World Asset and Tokenization Partnerships from her former role at Zero Hash.
• Taxbit named Amy Fisher as Head of Partnerships, having led partnerships for fintech and crypto at Plaid.
• Temple Capital welcomed Guy Griffiths as CFO, coming from Brevan Howard, and Richard Murray as Partner, formerly CEO at Hilbert Capital.
• TON Foundation’s expansion includes Nikola Plecas as VP, Payments, previously at Visa, and Martin Masser as Head of Growth.
• Arrington Capital expanded leadership with Ravi Kaza as CIO Partner and promoted Colton Conley to Partner.
• Brian Rudick was appointed Chief Strategy Officer at Upexi, where he will oversee the company’s crypto strategy, go-to-market, marketing, and investor relations. He joins from GSR, where he led research and strategic investments, including GSR's investment into Upexi's recent $100M private placement.
• Brad Vopni has joined Gemini as Head of Institutional, bringing experience from Hudson River Trading and a track record in developing capital markets products.
• Roshan Robert was appointed CEO of OKX’s U.S. division to bolster regulatory compliance and operational transparency. He joins from leadership roles at Barclays, Hidden Road, and CLST.
• Patricio Mesri has joined Bybit as Country Manager for Spanish-speaking Latin America, focusing on market expansion, brand positioning, and partnerships across key markets.
• Neel Chopra has joined Steptoe as a partner in its New York office, bringing deep experience from his previous role as Head of Legal (Americas) at Binance, where he oversaw high-profile regulatory and legal matters.
• Trish Turner, a 20-year IRS veteran, has been appointed head of the agency’s digital assets division, replacing two departing executives and stepping in during a key period for crypto tax enforcement.
• Adam Bates was appointed CMO of XION, bringing his experience leading marketing at IOHK (Cardano) during its major growth phase.
• Clear Street welcomed Nakul Mehta and Collin Finnerty as Managing Directors to lead digital asset coverage.
• Wintermute appointed Ron Hammond as Head of Policy and Advocacy, bringing experience from Ripple.

Promotions & Advisory

• Tim Copeland (yes, me) transitioned into a new role at The Block as Head of Growth, after serving as Editor-in-Chief.
• Jordan Fish, commonly known as Cobie, has joined Paradigm as an advisor, bringing his experience as founder of Echo.
• Chris Giancarlo was tapped as an advisor to Sygnum, while continuing his work as Senior Counsel at Willkie Farr & Gallagher.

Exits

• Mihailo Bjelic, co-founder of Polygon Labs, stepped down from the Polygon Foundation board and wound down his day-to-day involvement.
• CFTC Democratic Commissioner Kristin Johnson plans to leave the agency.
• Rohun Vora (Frank DeGods) has stepped down as CEO of DeGods, passing leadership to pseudonymous community members @0x_chill and @pastagotsauce.
• Rushi Manche was suspended from Movement Labs following a market-making scandal.
• Andrew Peel left Morgan Stanley, where he was Head of Digital Asset Markets, to launch a tokenization startup in Switzerland.