Jeffrey C. Sprecher

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Jeffrey C. Sprecher is the founder, chairman and CEO of Intercontinental Exchange Group Inc. (ICE) and chairman of the New York Stock Exchange. He began as CEO of the Intercontinental Exchange when the exchange started up in May of 2000. He became chairman of the board two and a half years later.
ICE acquired NYSE Euronext in November of 2013 in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $8.2 billion. The deal called for $11.27 in cash and 0.1703 shares of ICE for each NYSE Euronext share.
Sprecher serves on the CFTC Global Markets Advisory Committee and the CFTC Energy Markets Advisory Committee. He also is a member or the Energy Security Leadership Council.
In November of 2024, Sprecher was inducted into the Futures Industry Association's Futures Hall of Fame, which was established in 2005 to commemorate outstanding contributions to the global futures and options community. He is a member of the class of 2025.
He is married to former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who was senior vice president of corporate affairs at ICE and served as CEO of Bakkt.
== Background ==
As the markets were turning increasingly electronic, Sprecher recognized the potential for building and operating a transparent and efficient marketplace for electronic over-the-counter energy commodities trading and in 1997 purchased Continental Power Exchange (CPEX), the predecessor company that was renamed ICE, for $1.
He formed Intercontinental Exchange in 2000, with CPEX contributing all of its assets, primarily electronic trading technology, as well as its liabilities. He spearheaded the assembly of 13 leading wholesale commodity market participants that became the company's initial shareholders, acquiring equity interests and the commitment to provide order flow to provide liquidity for the new electronic marketplace. 
In June 2001, Sprecher negotiated the acquisition of IPE Holdings Plc, owner of the International Petroleum Exchange (IPE), London, a way to combine ICE's electronic platform for OTC products with the exchange-traded energy derivatives market. The acquisition enabled ICE to create the industry's first cleared OTC products through IPE's clearing provider, LCH.Clearnet. 
In turn, the IPE began to develop its futures markets on ICE's trading platform and became the first energy commodity exchange to become fully electronic in April 2005. IPE was re-named ICE Futures in October 2005 and became a publicly traded company on Nov. 16, 2005, with its listing on the New York Stock Exchange. 
In September 2006, Sprecher also negotiated the acquisition of the New York Board of Trade (NYBOT), the world's leading softs commodity exchange with a wholly owned clearing subsidiary. The transaction closed in January 2007, with NYBOT becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of ICE. 
Politically in 2007, Sprecher donated to Collins for Senator, Price For Congress, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Chambliss for Senate, David Scott for Congress, Hillary Clinton for President, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Bob Etheridge for Congress Committee and McConnell Senate Committee '08.
In November 2008, Sprecher was an honorary committee member of the FIA Futures Cares Charity Dinner where over $300K was raised in support of the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
=== Early Career ===
Before acquiring CPEX, Sprecher held a number of positions, primarily in the power industry. For 14 years, he served as president of Western Power Group, Inc., a developer, owner and operator of large central-station power plants in California.
=== ICE Challenges CME ===
One of the events that stands out in Sprecher's career at ICE was a David-and-Goliath move in which ICE challenged the futures market giant Chicago Mercantile Exchange in its bid to acquire the Chicago Board of Trade. While ICE ultimately was unsuccessful in its efforts, the price of the acquisition for CME grew substantially in the "bid/ask war" as major CBOT shareholders demanded a higher ante from CME. This high-profile news event, along with an aggressive marketing effort in the energy space and other new acquisitions, put ICE's brand in the spotlight very shortly after its inception. Then in August 2007, ICE acquired the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange.
=== Recognition ===
Sprecher in 2006 was selected by MarketWatch (Dow Jones' online site for news, market data, portfolios, mutual funds, personal finance, and discussions) as one of five finalists for the "MarketWatch CEO of the Year," based on a track record that included stock price performance, customer service, treatment of employees and corporate-governance initiatives. In 2002, he was chosen by Business Week magazine as one of seven "Top Entrepreneurs of the Year. He also was a finalist in Ernst & Young's "Entrepreneur of the Year Program".
=== Education ===
A native of Wisconsin, Sprecher earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Wisconsin and an MBA from Pepperdine University.
== In the News ==
On July 1, 2008, Sprecher responded to a BusinessWeek column on oil speculation, saying that ICE's markets are neither dark nor unregulated.
InterContinental Exchange acquired the Chicago Climate Exchange in 2010 for $600 million. 
== Resources ==
== In the Media ==
*Financial Times View from the Top, August 8, 2008
== Video ==
===JLN Industry Leader Video Series Boca 2017===
===JLN Industry Leader Video Series Boca 2015===
===JLN Exchange Leader Video Series Boca 2014===
==Podcasts==
===In the ICE House===
== References ==	
Category: Exchange CEOs
Category:InterContinentalExchange
Category:ICE
Category:ICE Senior Executives
Category:ICE Board Member
Category:CFTC Energy and Environmental Markets Advisory Committee Member
Category:MarketsWiki Page of the Day
Category:Futures Hall of Fame Members