On November 2, Euronext said its Supervisory Board intends to nominate David Knibbe, currently chief executive of NN Group, as Euronext’s next chief executive and chair of its Managing Board. Reuters and Bloomberg reported the succession plan; Euronext’s announcement sets the planned nomination for the company’s annual general meeting on May 20, 2027. The nomination is not yet an appointment.
Knibbe has led NN Group since 2019, according to Euronext. Stéphane Boujnah, who has led Euronext since 2015, is expected to step down from his CEO and chair roles in May 2027. That gives the group a defined transition window, while leaving the formal handoff contingent on the votes and regulatory clearances still ahead. The release does not set an earlier start date or describe an overlap with Knibbe’s current role.
The Supervisory Board acted on a recommendation from its Nomination Committee after considering several candidates. Euronext said Knibbe’s experience leading a regulated business, delivering operational transformations, integrating businesses and overseeing technology change matched the group’s priorities. The board also said it expects him to build on the growth and transformation delivered under Boujnah’s leadership. Those are the company’s stated reasons; it has not announced a change in strategy alongside the succession.
The scope is substantial. Euronext operates regulated exchanges in Belgium, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal, and provides services across listing, trading, clearing, settlement and custody. The leadership change is therefore happening at a group whose infrastructure spans multiple European markets, rather than at a single national exchange.
For readers following a succession already in motion, the timeline has a useful point of comparison with Genworth’s expected CEO handoff from Thomas McInerney to Jerome Upton. Euronext’s case has an additional governance step: Knibbe is being proposed for both the CEO role and chair of the Managing Board, and shareholders will consider that nomination at the May 20, 2027 meeting. The board has named its preferred successor, but the decision remains subject to shareholder and regulatory approval. The next meaningful marker is the AGM, not a change already completed. Until then, Knibbe remains the nominee rather than Euronext’s confirmed next chief executive.
