Shareholders Vote to Oust Chief of LSE

Shareholders of the London Stock Exchange voted to oust its chief, Gavin Casey, on a show of hands, accusing him of botching plans to merge with Frankfurt’s exchange and leaving the 200-year-old LSE vulnerable to a hostile takeover. The vote at an emotionally charged annual meeting triggered a secret ballot to decide the fate of Casey, who led efforts to merge Europe’s two biggest markets and form a Pan-European trading powerhouse. The ballot will also determine whether Chairman Don Cruickshank and director Michael Marks will hang on to their posts. Ballot results were expected to be announced soon. Shareholders were angered at the LSE’s handling of its aborted plan to merge with Frankfurt’s Deutsche Boerse.