Furse, a group chief executive of Credit Lyonnais, is the first woman to be appointed to the top spot in the 200-year history of the London exchange. She will commence her duties on 5 February.

A former deputy chairman of Liffe and a managing director of UBS where she worked for 15 years, Furse fills the position vacated by Gavin Casey, who stepped down in the aftermath of the LSE's failed merger with Deutsche Borse.

Don Cruickshank, chairman of London Stock Exchange, says Furse will bring considerable business acumen and operational and IT experience to the role. "Her knowledge of European and global operations will be of immense value to the exchange as we widen and strengthen the scope of our European business," he says.

Observers expect Furse to push for a closer relationship between the LSE and the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange. During her fifteen-year tenure at UBS, Furse was primarily responsible for the Swiss bank's global futures and options business.

Commenting on her new appointment, she says: "I look forward very much to working with our member shareholders, the Board, and the management team to develop the business and to ensure that London strengthens still further its position as one of the world's leading stock exchanges."

Furse, who is 43, is Dutch and has worked in the City for 21 years. She studied at the London School of Economics, speaks several European languages and lives in London with her husband and three children.