Her Story: Laura Morrison

As SVP, Global Head of Listings, Laura oversees the global listings business and ETF.com, developing strategy, working with issuers to list their products and overseeing market quality incentive programs. Prior to joining Cboe, Laura spent 20 years in leadership roles at the NYSE.

What was it like to work on the NYSE floor?

Walking onto the floor each morning was a tremendous honor and a defining moment in my career. Surviving on the trading floor was invigorating, challenging and inspiring. It proved to be a steep learning curve as one literally takes in all aspects of proprietary trading, equity market structure and capital formation, all while technology was changing everything. Sure, there weren’t many women there, but it was the beating heart of global capitalism. I took great pride in being part of a trend towards diversity following in the footsteps of other women who, at the time, were running technology and trading operations at the NYSE.

Why did you join Cboe?

I saw at Cboe what we’ve persuaded many other issuers and industry participants to see since – an incredible opportunity to build a listings venue that put the needs of our issuers and market makers first. Cboe presented a route for me and my team to do something entirely fresh and new, supported by an incredible team. That was far too exciting to pass up.

What’s the secret to a great client relationship?

It’s simple: you really have to care about your customers. You can have good client relationships learning about their business and their corporate strategy, but for relationships to be truly great, you need to get to know the people, too. What do they personally want to achieve? How do they think about the world? What do they worry about at night? What is their favorite hobby? What do they drive? And if in doubt, know this: with a good relationship, you call them to celebrate a good trading day. With a great relationship, you call them to cheer them up about a terrible trading day.

And what would you tell young women at the start of their career?

I think this goes for anyone at the start of their career, but first, the only person in charge of your career is you: take responsibility for every high, and importantly, every low. Second, embrace what makes you unique and different. Third, you can learn something from every person you work with – whether they’re male or female, more junior or more senior, or even whether you like them or not – so stay curious.

Cboe is celebrating the women that make us great all month long. Follow along on your favorite social channel with #CboeWomen.