Dame Clara was the first woman to become CEO of the London Stock Exchange (2001-2009), where she led its transition to a publicly listed company through its 2001 initial public offering (IPO) and transformed its technology and governance architecture. She successfully defended against five unsolicited takeover bids—including Nasdaq and Deutsche Börse—and completed the strategic acquisition of Borsa Italiana in 2007, later integrating derivatives and clearing services to broaden the Exchange’s global reach.

She began her career in 1979 as a commodities broker at Phillips & Drew, progressing through UBS to become Global Head of Futures in 1996. She concurrently served as Deputy Chair of LIFFE, where she orchestrated the modernisation of its electronic trading. After her time at UBS, she was Group CEO at Credit Lyonnais Rouse (1998-2000).

Dame Clara’s governance contribution also includes serving as Chair of the Lead Expert Group for the Latest Foresight Project at the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, as an External Member of the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (2013-2016), a Non-Executive Director at Vodafone plc (2014-2023), Amadeus IT Group (2010-2022), Nomura Holdings (2010-2017), and as Lead Independent Director at the UK’s Department for Work and Pensions (2011-2014).

She brings deep cross-sector expertise in:

• Exchange governance & capital markets infrastructure – overseeing strategic platform transformation and defence of major public markets

• Institutional risk & macro‑prudential strategy – shaping UK financial stability as a policymaker at the BoE

• Climate finance & ESG market creation – leading initiatives to establish high-integrity voluntary carbon trading mechanisms

• Board leadership in global trade & finance – steering governance across banking, exchanges, and multinational asset managers

Educated at the London School of Economics (BSc Economics, 1979), Dame Clara commands recognition as a trailblazing leader, named by Time in its 2007 “100 Most Influential People”, and awarded her DBE in 2008. Renowned for her intellectual rigour, cultural versatility, and principled perseverance, she serves as a mentor and board adviser of rare depth, particularly for those navigating global finance, institutional risk, and systemic transformation.