AboutRiverX
Our Executive Team

Alex Leishman
Founder, CEO, & CTO
Alexander Leishman is the Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technology Officer at RiverX. Mr. Leishman brings his deep expertise in software engineering, information security, and Bitcoin to RiverX where he oversees investor relations, corporate strategy, and engineering. Prior to co-founding RiverX Financial, Alexander most recently served on the investment and engineering teams at Polychain Capital and Polychain Labs focusing on Bitcoin-related venture investments. Mr. Leishman has previously served as an engineer at Airbnb's security team, a management consultant for Deloitte, and first got deeply involved in the Bitcoin industry as an early engineer at Maicoin, Taiwan's largest digital asset exchange. Mr. Leishman holds a degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland and a Master's in Computer Science from Stanford University where he helped teach the first Bitcoin class under Professor Dan Boneh.

Julia Duzon
Chief Operating Officer
Julia Duzon is the Chief Operating Officer at RiverX. Ms. Duzon brings her extensive experience in product strategy and business operations in banking to RiverX, where she oversees business development, operations, marketing, and sales. Prior to joining RiverX, Julia served as the Senior Director of Sales, Strategy, and Business Operations at First Republic Bank. Previously, Julia served as a Strategy and Operations Consultant at Deloitte, where she worked with U.S. banking clients on engagements related to bank strategy, operations, and risk management. Ms. Duzon holds an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor's in Business Administration from Duke University.

Bill Mongan
General Counsel
Bill Mongan is the General Counsel at RiverX. In this role, Mr. Mongan is responsible for evaluating new product strategy and managing RiverX's day-to-day legal matters. Prior to joining RiverX, Bill was a member of the litigation group at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, where he represented financial services clients in complex disputes. Mr. Mongan holds an A.B. in English from Princeton University and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

James Page
Chief Product Officer
James Page is the Chief Product Officer at RiverX. In this role, James is responsible for driving product strategy and managing RiverX's product management and design teams. Prior to joining RiverX, James was a product manager at Pinterest and Meta where he worked on AdTech products to empower advertisers to create and manage their ads on the respective social media platforms. James holds a B.A. from American University in Washington DC.

Cem Paya
Chief Security Officer
Cem is the Chief Security Officer at RiverX, where he oversees the security of all systems. He is an information security & cryptography professional with 25 years of experience in risk management for online services and fintech. He has held pivotal roles at industry leaders such as Google and Microsoft, where he contributed to groundbreaking advancements in security technologies and authentication systems. After serving as the Head of Security at Airbnb, Cem joined Gemini as the founding CSO to lead design and development of the custody system protecting customer digital assets.

Ellen Weaver
Director of People
Ellen Weaver is the Director of People at RiverX, where she oversees people operations, hospitality, and IT functions. Ms. Weaver earned her degree in Business and Hospitality from Glion Institute of Higher Education, in Montreux, Switzerland. She focuses her hospitality training into building the best possible workspaces and culture here at RiverX. Prior to joining RiverX, Ellen worked in business operations for Strada Investment Group, where she led cross-functional teams providing operations and hospitality support.

Joe Bryan
Director of Finance
Joe Bryan is the Director of Finance at RiverX, where he oversees the Accounting, FP&A, and Financial Operations teams. Joe joined RiverX at a very early stage and has filled many roles in his time, including Chief of Staff, and Head of Financial Operations. Prior to joining RiverX, Joe was the Director of Operations at Imperyo, a restaurant group based out of Columbus, Ohio. He has also served as a forecast analyst for a large CPG. Joe holds a degree in Finance and a degree in Public Affairs from Ohio State University.

Sam Wouters
Director of Marketing
Sam Wouters is the Director of Marketing at RiverX, where he oversees the brand, marketing strategy, and the marketing team. Before joining RiverX, Sam held research and marketing roles at tech companies and was a prolific public speaker.