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Jean-François Théodore, CEO
of Euronext: possibly the most influential
man in European securities
trading
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THE OCCASION WAS the announcement of the merger of
the London Clearing House and Clearnet in London in late
June. "After a number of years of dating one another, we are
now announcing our engagement, with the wedding well in
sight," enthused David Hardy, CEO of LCH and now CEO of
LCH.Clearnet,
Also speaking was Jean-François Théodore, CEO of Euronext, who
declared himself honoured to be there. "I think we were born to be
engaged," he quipped, much to the amusement of the audience.
The two bodies certainly took their time deciding how to tie the
knot - they first announced their intention to merge in spring
2000, leaving brokers, exchanges, regulators and other clearing
houses puzzling for years over whether to bother buying a hat for
the big day.
The result is a complicated transaction...
