Healy to retire from ISE in June

TOM Healy is to step down as chief executive of the Irish Stock Exchange (ISE) in June after 20 years in the job.

Mr Healy, aged 56, informed the board of the exchange of his decision yesterday.

ISE chairman David Kingston said Mr Healy played an enormous role in the market’s development over the past two decades, including the demerger from the London Stock

Exchange in 1995.

“Twenty years ago the Irish Stock Exchange was a small branch of the London Exchange with no international business, which seemed to have a limited future. Today the exchange is a thriving business,” Mr Kingston said.

“It is the world leader in the funds listing business, and the dominant player in Europe in the listing of specialist debt. It is now an integral part of the financial services infrastructure in this country. That has all been achieved under Tom’s leadership.”

In addition to his role as ISE chief executive, Mr Healy is a director of the trading settlements system CREST, chairman of the working committee of the Federation of European Stock Exchanges, member of the Advisory Board of the European Capital Markets Institute and a board member of the Irish Auditing & Accounting Supervisory Authority.

Mr Healy said in a statement yesterday that the ISE is well positioned to respond to challenges which will emerge from the ongoing evolution of the capital markets in Europe.

The ISEQ has reached unprecedented levels under Mr Healy’s tenure. In 1995, the value of all the companies listed on the market was around €17 billion. Yesterday it approached €120bn.