Stacey Cunningham (born 1974 or 1975)
is an American banker who served as the
67th president of the
New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) from 2018 to 2022. She was the second female president of the NYSE, but the first to hold full leadership of the exchange.
After interning with the NYSE during the 1990s, Cunningham became a trading floor clerk, continuing to work at the exchange until 2005. She took time off to complete a culinary training course, then working at the
Nasdaq
The Nasdaq Stock Market () (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Stock Market) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the US by volume, and ranked second ...
stock exchange as director of capital markets and head of sales for U. S. transaction services. In 2012, Cunningham rejoined the NYSE, and became the exchange's chief operating officer in 2015.
On May 22, 2018, Cunningham was appointed president of the NYSE. In November 2018, she was listed as one of
BBC's 100 Women. In December 2021, she announced that she would be stepping down from her role as NYSE president and joining the NYSE board of directors.
Early life
As a child, Cunningham had a strong interest in math and science in school. She later studied at
Lehigh University
Lehigh University (LU) is a private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer and was originally affiliated with the Epis ...
, graduating in 1996 with a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering.
She has five siblings and when she was young her father worked at a brokerage firm.
Career
In 1994, while still a university student, Cunningham completed a summer internship at the NYSE.
Two years later, she began working there as a trading floor clerk.
At the time, Cunningham was one of the few dozen female employees on the trading floor – compared to over a thousand male employees.
She spent eight years employed as a specialist for
Bank of America
The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank w ...
.
In 2005, feeling frustrated with the lack of technological transition at the NYSE,
she left the exchange and studied at the
Institute of Culinary Education
The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) is a private for-profit culinary college in New York City. ICE is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC), and offers career training diploma programs in the cu ...
, working briefly as a chef at a restaurant.
From 2007 to 2011, Cunningham worked at the
Nasdaq
The Nasdaq Stock Market () (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Stock Market) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the US by volume, and ranked second ...
stock exchange, first as director of capital markets and then as the head of sales for U.S. transaction services.
Cunningham rejoined the NYSE in 2012. She served as the exchange's chief operating officer from 2015 to 2018.
Her job involved handling the exchange's cash equities markets, relationship and product management, and internal governance services.
On May 22, 2018, at the age of 43,
Cunningham was named the 67th president of the NYSE, taking over from
Thomas Farley.
Cunningham is the first woman to be appointed president of the NYSE.
Although
Catherine Kinney had been co-president of the exchange in 2002, the position had not entailed full leadership at the time, being firmly overseen by the CEO or chairman of the NYSE.
In an interview with reporters, Cunningham said that she has handled working in traditionally male-dominated environments – such as stock exchanges or engineering school – by never showing any doubt about "whether or not I should be where I was.”
In December 2021, Cunningham announced that she planned to step down from her role as NYSE president and join the exchange's board of directors, with
Intercontinental Exchange
Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (ICE) is an American company formed in 2000 that operates global financial exchanges and clearing houses and provides mortgage technology, data and listing services. Listed on the Fortune 500, S&P 500, and Russell ...
executive
Lynn Martin replacing her on January 3, 2022.
See also
*
List of presidents of the New York Stock Exchange
This is a list of presidents of the New York Stock Exchange.
References
{{reflist, 30em
External linksPresidents and Chairmen of the New York Stock Exchange( PDF)
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The B ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cunningham, Stacey
New York Stock Exchange people
Lehigh University alumni
Presidents of the New York Stock Exchange
American women bankers
American bankers
BBC 100 Women
Living people
1970s births
21st-century American women