Deirdre Somers re‐elected as FESE Vice President.

On 29th  November 2012, the General Assembly of the Federation of European Securities Exchanges (FESE) unanimously approved to renew the appointment of Hans‐Ole Jochumsen, Executive Vice President of the NASDAQ OMX Group as well as President of NASDAQ OMX Nordic and responsible for NASDAQ OMX Global Data Products, as the FESE President for one year. The Board also unanimously renewed the appointment of Deirdre Somers, CEO of the Irish Stock Exchange as Vice President of FESE for an additional year.

FESE President Mr Hans‐Ole Jochumsen said:

“I thank FESE Members for their confidence. It is an honour to lead our industry at such a critical juncture. We are in the middle of fundamental reforms on both sides of the Atlantic which will have a transforming impact on our members. We support the regulatory work being done in Europe and we will continue to engage constructively with our key stakeholders including the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council. Going forward, we will also focus increasingly on the growth agenda. Regulated Markets are at the heart of our equity markets. Exchanges can do much to support market‐led growth in Europe. This issue will be on the top of FESE’s agenda going forward”.

FESE Vice‐President Ms Deirdre Somers said:

“I am delighted that our members have asked me to stay on as FESEs Vice‐President for an additional year. Our industry is facing critical challenges going forward and the work of FESE will be instrumental in shaping our regulatory future. Exchanges play a fundamental role in our national economies. Exchanges uniquely contribute to our economy by helping companies raise capital. During the next year, our focus will be on how exchanges can help foster economic growth and stability. I look forward to working with FESE and its Members over the coming year as well as continuing the excellent cooperation with Hans‐ Ole Jochumsen”.

About the Editor:

Hans Ole JochumsenAbout Hans‐Ole Jochumsen, President NASDAQ OMX Nordic and Executive Vice President NASDAQ OMX

Hans‐Ole Jochumsen is Executive Vice President of the NASDAQ OMX Group, heading up the Transaction Services Nordic business area.  Transaction Services Nordics is an integrated marketplace of seven independent Nordic and Baltic exchanges, offering trading in Nordic and Baltic equities, commodities and fixed income products. In addition, Mr Jochumsen is the executive responsible for NASDAQ OMX’s Global Data Products business area, which creates innovative real‐time and historical data products.

Prior to the merger between NASDAQ and OMX, Jochumsen served as President and member of the OMX Executive Team. Hans‐Ole Jochumsen has played a key role in the strategic development of OMX and the business area Information Services & New Markets in particular. During Jochumsen's tenure, OMX has successfully launched the Nordic Market Data offering, bringing the market data distribution from seven different Nordic and Baltic marketplaces into one source. Jochumsen has also led the launch of the news distribution service and significant developments on the Baltic markets.

Previously, Jochumsen served as President and CEO of Copenhagen Stock Exchange and FUTOP Clearingcentralen Ltd. He was at the helm of the Copenhagen Stock Exchange during its exceptional turnaround from 1998‐2006. He also spearheaded the merger of the Copenhagen and Stockholm exchanges.

From 1990 to 1998 Jochumsen served as member of the Manangement Board of the following Danish financial institutions; BRFkredit, GiroBank and BG Bank. The latter being the third largest bank in Denmark.

Deirdre SomersAbout Deirdre Somers, CEO, Irish Stock Exchange

Deirdre has been Chief Executive of the Irish Stock Exchange (“ISE”) since June 2007. With the ISE since 1995, Deirdre was instrumental in establishing the ISE’s leading position in   international primary markets through the listing of international investment funds and fixed income instruments. As Director of Listing in the ISE, as well as being responsible for the main equity market, Deirdre oversaw the establishment a number of specialist markets, in particular the ESM, the ISE’s enterprise market which focuses on growth companies. She is outspoken about the importance of the role of markets as a relevant and accessible funding source for issuers, particularly for high potential SME companies.

A Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland, Deirdre is Vice‐President of the European Federation of Securities Exchanges, where she chairs FESE’s Strategy subgroup.  She is a member of the IFSC Clearing House Group, which co‐ordinates the development of the international financial services sector in Ireland. She also sits on the National Council of IBEC, which represents the interests of business in Ireland.

About FESE

The Federation of European Securities Exchanges (FESE) represents 46 exchanges in equities, bonds, derivatives and commodities through 21 full members from 30 countries, as well as 4 Observer Members. FESE is a keen defender of the Internal Market and many of its members have become multi‐jurisdictional exchanges, providing market access across multiple investor communities. FESE represents public Regulated Markets. Regulated Markets provide both institutional and retail investors with transparent and neutral price‐formation. Securities admitted to trading on our markets have to comply with stringent initial and ongoing disclosure requirements and accounting and auditing standards imposed by EU laws.

As of October 2012, FESE members had up to 9,026 companies listed on their markets, of which 8% are foreign companies contributing towards the European integration and providing broad and liquid access to Europe’s capital markets. Many of our members also organise specialised markets that allow small and medium sized companies across Europe to access the capital markets; 1,428 companies were listed in these specialised markets/segments in equity, increasing choice for investors and issuers.

For further information:

FESE Press Release Brussels, 5th December 2012