They don’t call him Duncan for nothing. Duncan Niederauer, typical of his down-to-earth style, pulled up to the Big Board in a pickup truck.
That was back in 2007, when the former Goldman Sachs exec took the reins at the iconic New York Stock Exchange. It wasn’t exactly corporate, and his transportation mode soon changed.
When he exits as CEO in August, he won’t have to settle for the pickup — his rumored golden handshake of $30 million in cash and stock will buy him more luxurious rides.
The floor does not begrudge the unassuming 55-year-old exec — with a big heart for charity—any bounty.
“I love him,” floor trader Doreen Mogavero told On the Money. Mogavero recalled Niederauer’s early days at the NYSE. His icebreaker of choice—the other Dunkin’. As in Donuts.
“I’ll never forget,” Mogavero said. “He’d buy boxes and boxes of Dunkin’ Donuts and coffee out of his own pocket, bring them down to the floor and chat with us so we could get to know each other much better. It was very personal — a nice way to introduce himself and become part of the exchange community.”
Added Peter Doyle, another NYSE floor trader: “I came over here from the American Stock Exchange, but I can tell you in my brief time seeing Duncan, he was very well received here and outside the exchange.”
Niederauer, for his part, says the transition to ICE ownership at the NYSE has been smooth (much like a frosted donut).
“With our integration well on track, accelerating the final stages of my transition will only extend that progress and provide clarity on future leadership,” Niederauer said in a release.