William Hague, former U.K. secretary of state and one-time head of the U.K. Conservative Party, has joined the board of the Intercontinental Exchange Inc. (ICE), the Atlanta-based exchange announced on Thursday.

Hague has joined the boards of both the Intercontinental Exchange and ICE Futures Europe, and he will become chairman of ICE Futures Europe in January 2016 when the current chairman, Sir Bob Reid, retires, ICE said in statement.

Hague was a U.K. member of Parliament from 1989 to 2015, and led the Conservatives from 1997 to 2001. From 2010 to 2014 he was first secretary of state and foreign secretary, and between 2014 and 2015 he was the first secretary of state and leader of the House of Commons.

Commenting on the appointment, Jeffrey Sprecher, chairman and CEO of ICE, said, “[Hague] brings a unique combination of governmental experience and a deep understanding of business. Our markets will benefit from Mr. Hague’s private and public sector expertise as we seek to continue to grow by serving our customers in new ways.”