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Executive Leadership
Howard W. Lutnick

Howard W. Lutnick
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Howard W. Lutnick is Chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P., one of the world’s leading financial services firms, Chairman and CEO of global brokerage and financial technology company BGC Group, Inc., and Chairman of Newmark Group, Inc., a world leader in commercial real estate services.
Mr. Lutnick joined Cantor Fitzgerald in 1983 and rose rapidly through the ranks to be appointed President and CEO in 1991. Five years later he was named Chairman. In 2004, Cantor Fitzgerald separated out its voice brokerage business to create BGC Partners L.P. In 2008, Mr. Lutnick led the merger of BGC and eSpeed, forming BGC Partners, Inc. In 2011, BGC completed its acquisition of Newmark, and subsequently invested heavily in the growth of the commercial real estate services business. Newmark completed its IPO in 2017 and the Spin-Off from BGC in 2018.
Following the tragic losses suffered on September 11th, 2001, which included the loss of his brother Gary Lutnick, Mr. Lutnick rebuilt the firm and dedicated himself to supporting the families of the Cantor Fitzgerald employees lost that day. In the days after the attack, he launched The Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund which committed $180 million to the 9/11 families over 5 years as well as healthcare coverage over 10 years. The Relief Fund is still active today and looks to aid victims of terrorism, natural disasters, and other emergencies.
Since 9/11, Mr. Lutnick has been recognized as a symbol of resilience, and his story has been widely covered by top financial publications. Mr. Lutnick was named The Financial Times’ Person of the Year in 2001 and Ernst & Young’s United States Entrepreneur of the Year in 2010. In 2023, Mr. Lutnick celebrated his 40th anniversary at the Firm, making him one of the longest-standing CEOs on Wall Street.
Mr. Lutnick is a member of the Board of Directors of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, the Partnership for New York City, Weill Cornell Medicine, the Horace Mann School, and the Board of Overseers of the Hoover Institution. Mr. Lutnick is a recipient of the highest honor granted to non-military personnel by the Navy: the Department of the Navy’s Distinguished Public Service Award.
Mr. Lutnick is a graduate of Haverford College and holds a degree in economics.
Stephen Merkel

Stephen Merkel
Executive Vice Chairman, Executive Managing Director, and General Counsel
Stephen Merkel is Executive Vice Chairman, Executive Managing Director, and General Counsel for Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P., responsible for overseeing legal and compliance functions globally.
Prior to joining Cantor Fitzgerald in 1993, Mr. Merkel was Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at Goldman Sachs & Co., dedicated to the J. Aron Division. Before that, he was an associate with the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. He also served as a law clerk for the Honorable Irving R. Kaufman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Mr. Merkel received a Bachelor’s degree with a major in History and Sociology of Science from the University of Pennsylvania and received his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.
Mr. Merkel is currently on the Board of Trustees for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and on the Board of Directors of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation. He was a founding member of the Wholesale Markets Brokers’ Association for the Americas. Mr. Merkel lives with his wife, Robin Shanus, and has three adult children, David, Gabe and Leo.
Lori Pennay

Lori Pennay
Senior Managing Director
Global Head of Human Resources
Chief Employment Counsel, Americas
Lori Pennay is a Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Human Resources and Chief Employment Counsel for the Americas for Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P., overseeing all Human Resources functions globally, and employment law in the Americas, for the firm.
Previously, Ms. Pennay served as a Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, providing legal advice and representation to Cantor and BGC Group with respect to employment and partnership matters. Before this, Ms. Pennay worked as Employment Counsel for Credit Suisse Securities (USA), LLC, where she was primarily responsible for providing legal advice and representation for the private banking and certain back-office divisions. She began her career as an employment lawyer with the law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP.
Ms. Pennay holds a B.A. from Pennsylvania State University with high distinction honors and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Danny Salinas

Danny Salinas
Chief Financial Officer
Danny Salinas is a Senior Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of Cantor Fitzgerald L.P. As CFO, Mr. Salinas is responsible for financial operations, including accounting, finance, regulatory reporting, treasury, financial planning and analysis, as well as taxation, risk management, investor relations and corporate services.
Prior to joining Cantor, Mr. Salinas held various executive positions at TD Bank Group, most recently as Chief Financial Officer for TD Securities. He also practiced as a tax attorney at Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett, where he advised on strategic corporate transactions. Mr. Salinas began his career at Deloitte & Touche, where he received his CPA.
He earned a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Rutgers University.