Michael Ashley Spencer, Baron Spencer of Alresford, is a British businessman, the self-made billionaire Founder and former CEO of ICAP (later NEX Group), a major global financial technology and interdealer broker. His career is rooted in physics, computing, and high-stakes financial trading.

Spencer graduated from Corpus Christi College, Oxford University, in 1977 with a B.A. in Physics. His career began in finance at Simon & Coates and Packard Securities. His philosophical commitment centers on technological efficiency, market structure optimization, and long-term asset hold in the essential financial services sector.

• NEX Group (Former Founder & CEO): The core publicly traded asset, a major provider of electronic trading and post-trade services (sold to CME Group for £3.9 billion in 2018).
• Financial Pioneer: He pioneered the electronic trading and interdealer broker model, transforming the wholesale financial markets.
• Political Role: He is a major Conservative Party donor and holds a life peerage in the House of Lords.
• Academic Background: He holds a degree in Physics from Oxford University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics.

Lord Michael Spencer's strategic genius was his commitment to electronic trading. He founded ICAP (Intercapital) in 1986, building it into the largest interdealer broker in the world. His structural contribution is immense: driving the technological modernization of the global financial wholesale markets, successfully navigating the shift from voice broking to electronic platforms. The company successfully executed its IPO on the LSE.

The pinnacle of his financial career was the £3.9 billion sale of NEX Group (the restructured ICAP) to CME Group in 2018. He is a major Conservative Party donor and a long-time member of the House of Lords. His wealth is secured by the colossal liquid gains from the NEX Group sale and his long-term private investments (managed through IPGL).

Lord Michael Spencer's social impact is structural, stemming from ICAP/NEX Group's role in providing essential market infrastructure for global financial institutions. His ICAP Charity Day is a major philanthropic event, raising millions for various causes globally. His political role provided a structural contribution to U.K. economic and financial policy.

His structural contribution is tied to his belief in technological efficiency and his influential role in global financial strategy.

Lord Michael Spencer maintains the professional, composed style of a financial executive. His attire is consistently bespoke, favoring dark, tailored suits. His aesthetic reflects serious authority and stability, typical of a leader in the global financial sector.

Residing in London, U.K., his luxury is the immense security and financial reward derived from his multi-billion pound fortune. His life is dedicated to investment strategy, financial technology, and political philanthropy.