If John Thain does bring in his NYSE Euronext colleague Nelson Chai (pictured right) as the new CFO at Merrill Lynch & Co., he would not be getting someone with investment banking experience, as noted in this Dealscape blog. But one thing Chai does have is deal experience, having led the charge on NYSE's expansion since joining the exchange in its combination with Archipelago Holdings in 2006. Chai was interviewed for this Corporate Dealmaker article on the subject.

Here's how Chai described the Big Board's strategy for us in March 2007: "You want to strive toward a global marketplace that is dealing in the three large global currencies -- dollar, euro and yen. What you'll see us do is continue to look for areas to expand our product portfolio opportunities in the U.S. as well as in Europe and in some of the emerging growth markets." -- Kenneth Klee

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