When markets swooned in April, NYSE Group President Lynn Martin was ready. Years of investment in cutting-edge technologies and processes had prepared the world's largest exchange to weather the volatility and surging trading volumes wrought by tariff concerns.
In a CNBC op-ed, she reassured investors that the "beating heart of the global financial system" had met the challenge, handling more than 1 trillion messages on two separate days with a median processing time of 30 microseconds.
"I felt it was my responsibility to remind people that the NYSE has been around 233 years. We've survived wars, pandemics and geopolitical uncertainty, so don't panic," she explained now. "We're quite proud that our financial markets showed their resilience and strength during that time."
Taking charge comes naturally to Martin, NYSE's president since 2022. A techie with coding skills and a confident demeanor, her skillset—and ability to communicate with markets, employees and investors—is a good match for the times.
Jeff Sprecher, CEO of Intercontinental Exchange, NYSE's parent, has called Martin "bold and determined," and praised her ability to connect with constituents. She "has a unique blend of being able to work both inside and outside of [the] organization," he told an in-house publication in 2021.
Martin's NYSE operates five equity exchanges and two options exchanges and makes most of its money from trading, listing and data. The core equity and options business grew 10% for the year ended in July. She also serves as chair of ICE's fixed income and data services unit, which she started in 2015. In the second quarter, the business generated revenue of $597 million, up 6% from 2024.
It's an increasingly competitive space that demands an agile hand at the helm. Martin might preside over a bell-ringing ceremony one day and dig into the exchange's technological plumbing the next. The business involves a lot of courtship, handholding and high-level meetings.
Over the past year, Martin has overseen a rebound in the IPO market, listing such high-profile names as Circle and McGraw Hill. Through August, the NYSE helped 39 companies raise $15.2 billion in IPOs.
In March, Martin's team also launched a new exchange in Dallas to meet issuer demand. By August, NYSE Texas had already attracted 49 companies. "We saw a variety of companies that had either moved or reincorporated in Texas and wanted to support an emerging financial ecosystem there," she explained.
Martin, whose first job was as a programmer for IBM, credits much of her success to her engineer father, who worked six days a week until he was 80. "Growing up in his household, I developed the same work ethic," she said. That diligence continues to pay dividends for NYSE customers and investors.
