Clara Furse
Encyclopedia
Dame Clara Hedwig Frances Furse DBE
(born 1957) was the Chief Executive of the London Stock Exchange
between 2001 and May 2009, and was the first female to occupy the position. In 2005 she was ranked 19th in Fortune magazine's
Most powerful women in business list.
Furse was born in Canada to Dutch parents, and educated at schools in Colombia, Denmark and Britain. She graduated from the London School of Economics
in 1979 with a BSc
in economics.
She was appointed Chief Executive of the London Stock Exchange in February 2001, and stepped down on 20 May 2009, though she will remain on the board until mid-July. Prior to joining the Exchange, she was Group Chief Executive of Credit Lyonnais Rouse from 1998-2000.
Her career has spanned a broad range of global financial markets. She began her career in 1979 as a broker, joining Phillips & Drew
(now UBS
) in 1983, becoming a Director of the company in 1988, Executive Director in 1992, Managing Director in 1995 and Global Head of Futures in 1996. She also served as a board member and Deputy Chairman of LIFFE (1991-99).
She is a member of the Board of Euroclear
, LCH.Clearnet
and Fortis
, and became Non-Executive Director
of Legal & General
in June 2009. On 3 December 2009 she was appointed Non-Executive Director to the board of Nomura
. She is also a member of the Shanghai International Financial Advisory Council. She is a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute, a member of the CBI President's Committee, the CBI Task Force on Climate Change and a Member of the Court of the Worshipful Company of International Bankers.
In 2007, Furse was listed among Time
s 100 Most Influential People in The World.
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 1957) was the Chief Executive of the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
between 2001 and May 2009, and was the first female to occupy the position. In 2005 she was ranked 19th in Fortune magazine's
Fortune (magazine)
Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. Founded by Henry Luce in 1930, the publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner. In turn, AOL grew as it acquired Time Warner in 2000 when Time Warner was the world's largest...
Most powerful women in business list.
Furse was born in Canada to Dutch parents, and educated at schools in Colombia, Denmark and Britain. She graduated from the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
in 1979 with a BSc
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in economics.
She was appointed Chief Executive of the London Stock Exchange in February 2001, and stepped down on 20 May 2009, though she will remain on the board until mid-July. Prior to joining the Exchange, she was Group Chief Executive of Credit Lyonnais Rouse from 1998-2000.
Her career has spanned a broad range of global financial markets. She began her career in 1979 as a broker, joining Phillips & Drew
Phillips & Drew
Phillips & Drew was a large stockbroking partnership and company based in the City of London, England. It was fully acquired by the Union Bank of Switzerland in 1986, which itself merged with the Swiss Bank Corporation in 1998, to become UBS AG....
(now UBS
UBS AG
UBS AG is a Swiss global financial services company headquartered in Basel and Zürich, Switzerland, which provides investment banking, asset management, and wealth management services for private, corporate, and institutional clients worldwide, as well as retail clients in Switzerland...
) in 1983, becoming a Director of the company in 1988, Executive Director in 1992, Managing Director in 1995 and Global Head of Futures in 1996. She also served as a board member and Deputy Chairman of LIFFE (1991-99).
She is a member of the Board of Euroclear
Euroclear
Euroclear is a user owned and governed Brussels, Belgium based financial services company that specializes in the settlement of securities transactions as well as the safekeeping and asset servicing of these securities. It was founded in 1968 as part of J.P...
, LCH.Clearnet
Clearing house (finance)
A clearing house is a financial institution that provides clearing and settlement services for financial and commodities derivatives and securities transactions...
and Fortis
Fortis (finance)
Fortis N.V./S.A. was a company active in insurance, banking and investment management. In 2007 it was the 20th largest business in the world by revenue but after encountering severe problems in the financial crisis of 2008, most of the company was sold in parts, with only insurance activities...
, and became Non-Executive Director
Non-executive director
A non-executive director or outside director is a member of the board of directors of a company who does not form part of the executive management team. He or she is not an employee of the company or affiliated with it in any other way...
of Legal & General
Legal & General
Legal & General Group Plc , commonly known as Legal & General, is a multinational financial services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Its products include life insurance, general insurance, pensions and investments. It has operations in the United Kingdom, Egypt, France, Germany,...
in June 2009. On 3 December 2009 she was appointed Non-Executive Director to the board of Nomura
Nomura Securities Co.
is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nomura Holdings, Inc. , which forms part of the Nomura Group. It plays a central role in the securities business, the Group's core business. Nomura is a financial services group and global investment bank. Based in Tokyo and with regional headquarters in Hong Kong,...
. She is also a member of the Shanghai International Financial Advisory Council. She is a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute, a member of the CBI President's Committee, the CBI Task Force on Climate Change and a Member of the Court of the Worshipful Company of International Bankers.
In 2007, Furse was listed among Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
s 100 Most Influential People in The World.
Damehood
She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2008 Birthday HonoursBirthday Honours 2008
The Birthday Honours 2008 for the Commonwealth Realms were announced in June 2008, to celebrate the Queen's Birthday of 2008.The recipients of honours are displayed or referred to here as they were styled before their new honour, and arranged firstly by the country whose ministers advised the Queen...
.
External links
- Clara Furse: A profile from the BBC (Jan 2001)
- London Stock Exchange Press release announcing Furse's appointment as Chief Executive.
- UK stock exchange defends its boss BBC news story (Feb 2003)
- BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour - Timeline:Clara Furse
- Profile: Stock Exchange boss Clara Furse a profile from thisismoney.co.uk (Dec 2004)