Longstanding market secretary of the former London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange (LIFFE) and icon of London’s derivatives industry, Nick Carew Hunt, passed away this week at the age of 71 after a short illness.
Once the largest futures trading venue in Europe, LIFFE was founded in 1979 and modelled after the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) as an open outcry floor. Carew Hunt led the exchange (now ICE Futures Europe) through numerous phases of growth: including the launch of its trading floor in London’s Royal Exchange, its 1991 move to a larger floor at Cannon Bridge, and its integration into Euronext in 2002.
He remained with the group for its subsequent 2007 Euronext acquisition by NYSE to form NYSE Euronext, and the purchase of NYSE Euronext by Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) in 2013, following which LIFFE was rebranded as ICE Futures Europe. He also played a major role in the venue’s move towards electronic trading in the late 90s.
“[We] join the industry in mourning the loss of Nick Carew Hunt, an integral part of London’s futures community and the growth of the derivatives industry in both the UK and Europe,” said the Futures Industry Association (FIA) in a statement this week.
“Nick was at the centre of some of the biggest evolutions our markets saw across the last four decades. But more importantly, he was a valuable friend and mentor to many across this industry. His deep knowledge as well as his good humour will be missed,” said added FIA president and CEO, Walt Lukken.