Uniswap’s First President and COO Steps Down – Who’s Poised to Take Over Now?

Uniswap Prez:- In a major C‑level shake‑up, Uniswap Labs’ President & COO, Mary‑Catherine Lader, has announced her resignation.

In a post on X this Tuesday, Lader wrote, “After four incredible years as President and COO of Uniswap, I’m starting something new.” Although she offered no details about her next venture, the former Uniswap President described her journey alongside CEO Hayden Adams as an “awesome adventure.”

Personal news: after four incredible years as President & COO of @Uniswap, I’m starting something new.

This is a new chapter for crypto. We’ve come a long way since I started digital assets at BlackRock in 2015, and building with @haydenzadams was an awesome adventure.

I’m…

— Mary-Catherine Lader (@Mclader) July 15, 2025

Uniswap Labs’ Greatest TradeFi Asset Departs

Mary-Catherine Lader, now the former Uniswap President, joined the DeFi firm in June 2021 as both COO and President. She was the greatest TradeFi asset of the firm, having a 15-year career that includes stints at global investment giants, BlackRock and Goldman Sschs.

In her four-year tenure as President and COO of Uniswap Labs, Mary-Catherine had established in 2021the first C-suite operations function of Uniswap which was then just emerging as a 3-year old startup. She then oversaw the roll-out of Uniswap’s most efficient AMM design to date – the Unisawap V3.

Under her leadership, Uniswap Protocol deployments grew from a single‑chain DEX to a multi‑chain infrastructure platform.

She also co‑founded Uniswap’s $100 M+ venture arm, Uniswap Ventures and co‑headed the initiative alongside Matteo Leibowitz, the Ventures Lead who was formerly Uniswap’s Strategy Lead. The venture arm has till now made 11-12 strategic investments with the portfolio including LayerZero, Tenderly among other names.

In October 2022, Mary-Catherin Lader as Uniswap President also helped navigated Uniswap Labs through a “crypto winter” to close a $165 million Series B round led by Polychain and a16z. This ended up becoming one of DeFi’s largest-ever equity raises—validating the company’s strong foothold.

Other important events that marked her tenure include the launch of Uniswap Wallet and the acquisition and integration of NFT aggregator Genie.

On her departure, core Protocol Engineer Ian Lapham said that she “helped evolve Uniswap from a small group of coders in a Brooklyn studio, to a full fledged team seriously shaping the future of finance.”

Who Can be the Next Uniswap President?

Uniswap Labs, like most high‑growth startups, fills its senior executive roles – including the President/COO – through a lengthy and complex procees. This includes the combination of CEO nomination, investor‐board approval, and often external executive search support.

When Mary ‑ Catherine Lader was hired as the first COO in June 2021, the announcement consistently refer to a formal statement by Uniswap Labs’ leadership. It clearly signaled that CEO Hayden Adams and Board of Directors were crucial vetting and ratifying the appointment before making it public.

As of now, there are no credible public rumors or leaks naming a specific successor for Uniswap Labs’ President/COO role. However, if Uniswap chooses to look internally, the strongest potential candidates would likely come from its existing C‑suite and senior leadership.

This may include Chad DePue – Vice President of Engineering, Will Ruben – Vice President of Product, Teo Leibowitz – Ventures Lead & former Chief of Staff, Padmini Pyapali – Director of Engineering among other possible names.

And if Uniswap Labs opts for an external search, it may look to seasoned DeFi professionals or once again recruit a TradFi executive to lead the firm. Nonetheless, it may take weeks for the exact name to be out.

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