On October 17, 2006, it was announced that Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) would acquire the Chicago Board of Trade. The $25 billion deal will create the world’s biggest market for derivatives. Behind this deal is Craig Donohue, who, since his appointment as CEO in 2004, has set CME’s vision and developed growth strategies to expand the company’s core business lines and global distribution. He had a pivotal role in the successful CME’s demutualization in 2000, the company’s initial public offering in 2002, and a historical transaction processing agreement with the Chicago Board of Trade in 2003.

After receiving a BA from Drake University in 1983, Donohue earned a Juris Doctor from John Marshall Law School in 1987, a Master of Laws degree in Financial Services Regulation from HT Chicago-Kent College in 1989, and a Master of Management degree from Northwestern University in 1995.

Donohue, who is Chairman of the Board the National Council on Economic Education (NCEE), a nonprofit organization, is a third-generation Irish American with roots in County Cork. He lives in Northbrook, Illinois, with his wife and their three children.