Nasdaq Appoints Thomas G. Stemberg,
Thomas W. Weisel, and Mary Jo White
To Board of Directors at Annual Meeting

New York, N.Y.—- The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc., today announced the approval of its shareholders to appoint Thomas G. Stemberg, founder of Staples; Thomas W. Weisel, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Thomas Weisel Partners; and Mary Jo White, former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and currently Chair of the Litigation Department at Debevoise & Plimpton, to the firm's Board of Directors. The nominations were voted on by shareholders at Nasdaq's annual meeting held yesterday at Nasdaq MarketSite in New York City.

"The expertise of our new board members complements the deep experience of our current board members in both the public and private sectors," said Wick Simmons, chairman and chief executive officer, Nasdaq. "We look forward to tapping their knowledge for the benefit of our shareholders, issuers and investors."

Mr. Stemberg pioneered the office superstore industry when he opened the first Staples store in 1986. Starting with one retail outlet designed to reduce the cost and inconvenience of purchasing office supplies, Staples became one of only six companies in U.S. history to reach $3 billion in sales within 10 years. Today it is an $11 billion company. Stemberg is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School.

Mr. Weisel is Chairman and CEO of Thomas Weisel Partners, a Merchant Bank providing investment banking, institutional brokerage, private equity and asset management exclusively focused on the growth sectors of the economy. Since its launch in January 1999, the firm has generated over $1 billion in revenue, completed over 300 transactions valued at $140 billion and has grown to $2.2 billion in private equity assets under management. Mr. Weisel holds degrees from Stanford University and Harvard Business School.

Ms. White was the first woman to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, a position she held from 1993 to 2002. Under Ms. White's leadership, the Office successfully investigated and prosecuted many cases of national and international significance including those involving: large scale white collar crime, complex securities and financial institution frauds, corporate criminal liability, terrorism, international money laundering and organized crime, among other things. Ms. White is a partner in the law firm of Debevoise & Plimpton, specializing in complex investigations, white collar and SEC enforcement matters, and civil and criminal litigation. She is a graduate of the College of William & Mary, the New School for Social Research and Columbia Law School.

In addition to Ms. White, Mr. Stemberg and Mr. Weisel, the Nasdaq Board of Directors is made up of:

NNasdaq is the world's largest stock market. With nearly 4,000 companies, Nasdaq lists more companies and trades more shares per day than any other U.S. market. Over the past five years, Nasdaq has outpaced all other U.S. markets in listing IPOs. It is home to category defining companies that are leaders across all areas of business including technology, retail, communications, financial serivces, media and biotechnology industries. With operations on three continents, Nasdaq is a key driver of global capital formation. For more information about Nasdaq, visit the Nasdaq Web site at www.nasdaq.com or the Nasdaq Newsroom^SM at www.nasdaq.com/newsroom.