Xavier Rolet transformed the London Stock Exchange Group during his tenure as chief executive officer, driving the firm's market value from approximately £800 million to £14 billion. Throughout his career, he has advocated for funding small and medium-sized enterprises to stimulate innovation and job creation, while championing the open-access model now integrated into European financial regulations.
Early Career and Education
Born in 1959 in Aix-les-Bains, France, Rolet spent his childhood in France and Algeria. He graduated from KEDGE Business School in 1981 with a master's degree in management science and finance before serving as a second lieutenant and instructor at the French Air Force Academy. He later earned an MBA from Columbia Business School in 1984. His early professional path included roles at Goldman Sachs in New York and London, Credit Suisse First Boston, and Dresdner Kleinwort Benson. Between 2000 and 2008, he held leadership positions at Lehman Brothers in New York, London, and Paris.
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Rolet joined the board of the London Stock Exchange in March 2009, becoming CEO two months later. He pioneered the open-access model, which replaced traditional vertical silos within the exchange industry, a shift later codified in MiFIR European legislation. His leadership involved a series of strategic acquisitions, including MillenniumIT, FTSE Group, LCH.Clearnet, and the Frank Russell Company. By 2016, through the acquisition of Citigroup's index business, FTSE Russell became the world's largest index company, with $15 trillion in assets under benchmark. In 2018, LCH data indicated the group cleared more than $1 quadrillion in notional contracts and securities.
Professional Appointments and Later Ventures
Since leaving the London Stock Exchange Group in 2017, Rolet has held numerous board and advisory positions. He served as CEO of CQS starting in December 2018 and has acted as chairman of the technology firm Prytek and World Quantum Growth Acquisition Corporation. His academic and policy involvements include serving as a Harvard University Senior Fellow and board member at the Yale University Center for Business and the Environment. He has also held board roles at PhosAgro and Verseon, and served on the Bank of England's Financial Services Forum.
Recognition and Honors
In 2015, Queen Elizabeth II appointed Rolet an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. His other distinctions include being named a Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour in France and receiving the Order of Ouissam Alaouite from Morocco. The Harvard Business Review included him in its 2017 list of the world's 100 best-performing CEOs, and he received lifetime achievement awards from both Risk magazine and Futures and Options World in 2018.
Fast facts
- Born: 1959, Aix-les-Bains, France
- Education: KEDGE Business School, Columbia Business School
- LSE Group valuation growth: £800 million to £14 billion
- Honorary KBE: Appointed October 2015
- Legion of Honour: Appointed January 2016
- CEO of CQS: Appointed December 2018
- Nationality: France
Questions readers ask
What major regulatory change is associated with Rolet's time at the London Stock Exchange?
He pioneered the open-access model, which is now reflected in the MiFIR European legislation implemented in 2018.
Which financial institutions did Rolet work for before joining the London Stock Exchange?
He worked for Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse First Boston, Dresdner Kleinwort Benson, and Lehman Brothers.
Achievements
- Affiliated with London Stock Exchange Group
- Educated at Columbia Business School and KEDGE Business School
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