London - Clara Furse, the chief executive of the London Stock Exchange, was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace Friday as turmoil again raged on the stock market.

Dame Clara, as the 51-year-old will now be known, emerged from the ceremony clutching a presentation box holding the damehood insignia, but refused to speak to the media.

Dame Clara, who has British nationality, was born to Dutch parents in Canada in 1957. She studied at the London School of Economics and began her career in the City of London in 1979.

She took over as the exchange's chief executive in 2001 - the first woman ever to hold the post. (dpa)