Adam Maciejewski, in his eighth month as chief executive of the Warsaw Stock exchange, is a man in a hurry. The 19-year WSE veteran was handed a one-year contract in January, sources familiar with the situation said, to improve the bourse’s tarnished reputation and diversify it into new asset classes and geographies.

It was an unexpected ascension, Maciejewski admitted. His predecessor, Ludwik Sobolewski, was forced to resign over allegations he had approached WSE-listed companies to finance a film starring his girlfriend, a former public relations executive at the exchange, according to media reports at the time.