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.[1]
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.[2]
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.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5]
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She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2008 Birthday Honours.