In this keynote panel at Consensus 2025, moderator Amber D. Scott brought together four trailblazing executives to share how they’ve helped shape the blockchain space. The conversation ranged from early career pivots and startup grit to global adoption, evolving regulation, and the powerful case for privacy.
Panelists:
Moderator: Amber D. Scott, Outlier Compliance Group
Lisa Loud, Executive Director, Secret Network Foundation
Jelena Djuric, Co-Founder and CEO, Noble
Annelise Osborne, Chief Business Officer, Kadena
Cynthia Acosta, Chief Marketing Officer, Unicoin
Lisa Loud opened by acknowledging the wider shifts in perception and leadership. “When I started in crypto, I was often the only woman in the room. Now, I see change, and more importantly, I see women leading in infrastructure, privacy, and purpose.”
Her work with Secret Network emphasizes privacy as a human right and as a necessary foundation for AI. “Privacy isn’t just about shielding data. It’s about preserving autonomy as we enter the agentic age.”
For Jelena Djuric, co-founding Noble was about solving practical problems in financial infrastructure. “Stablecoins are the gateway to real-world adoption,” she said. Noble’s focus on issuing native stablecoins on Cosmos has made it a crucial piece of the interoperable finance stack. “It’s not just about building bridges, but building trust in how money moves.”
Annelise Osborne brought a traditional finance lens. Formerly at Moody’s, she now helps Kadena tackle blockchain scalability and usability for enterprises. “We need to make blockchain not just usable, but inevitable. That means business models, not just protocols.” She highlighted Kadena’s hybrid architecture and energy-efficient proof-of-work model as tools for real-world adoption.
Cynthia Acosta positioned Unicoin as a more stable and transparent alternative to the first generation of cryptocurrencies. “We’re equity-backed and designed for longevity. Our community cares about purpose, not just speculation.” For Acosta, representation matters, but traction speaks loudest. “We want to show that you can build responsibly, globally, and inclusively.”
Moderator Amber D. Scott guided the discussion into leadership styles and the hurdles women often face in tech. Djuric shared that her boldest move was launching Noble during a bear market. “Everyone said ‘wait for better timing.’ But there is no perfect time. There’s only the time you make.”
Osborne added that traditional finance instills discipline, but Web3 demands resilience. “You can’t plan everything. You adapt, you pivot, and you keep the mission clear.”
When asked what advice they’d offer the next generation, Loud was direct: “Don’t wait to be invited. Build, speak, and claim space.”
Djuric agreed, adding: “You don’t have to come from crypto to lead in crypto. Curiosity, integrity, and execution are what count.”
Acosta emphasized collaboration over competition: “It’s not a zero-sum game. The more women, and underrepresented groups, who step up, the richer the ecosystem becomes.”
Each panelist also touched on the future. For Loud, the fusion of privacy and AI is urgent. “Decentralized AI must be built on secure, user-controlled data. Otherwise, we’re replicating the worst of Web2 but faster.”
Djuric sees modularity and stablecoins unlocking new user experiences. “Finance shouldn’t be a black box. We’re building systems where users see and understand what’s happening under the hood.”
Osborne predicts enterprise adoption will follow usability. “We need to make compliance seamless, user interfaces intuitive, and value creation clear.”
Acosta closed with a vision rooted in values: “We can build better economies but we have to embed ethics, accessibility, and sustainability from the start.”
The panel was a celebration of leadership, showing how women are reshaping the blockchain world, not just by participating but by setting the pace.
