Her Story: Jill Griebenow

Jill’s global career has helped her through difficult decisions and formed her into the leader she is today.

Born and raised in Iowa, after graduating undergrad, Jill moved to Kansas City to begin her career working for an accounting firm. Ten years later, in search of a change-of-pace, she found herself at Bats, prior to Cboe’s acquisition.

“I initially joined the firm to lead the financial reporting effort, as the company was preparing for its initial public offering,” Jill says. “But ended up moving from financial reporting to accounting as the Assistant Controller.”

In early 2014, Jill departed the Midwest to embark on a new journey as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Cboe Europe. “At the time, my husband and I had two children, who were three and six years old,” she says. “I thought it would be a huge adjustment and initially contemplated being there for only a couple years, but we absolutely loved it and stayed for nearly five!”

As CFO of Cboe Europe, Jill’s primary responsibility was to manage the finances of the company’s overseas arm, as well as overseeing the human resources and administrative functions. Today, Jill is stateside, overseeing the Core Accounting, Financial Reporting and Administrative functions as Cboe’s Chief Accounting Officer (CAO). She is excited to call Chicago home and incorporate all that she has learned while working within three different offices over the past eight years.

“I’m really looking forward to continuing to enhance collaboration between our departments and throughout the company as a whole,” she says -- citing her international experience as a catalyst for her team-building skills. “I almost said no to moving to the UK, as the task seemed too challenging at the time from both a personal and professional standpoint,” she says. “But I know I made the right decision.”

Her parting advice: “Don’t be afraid to take an opportunity that is outside your comfort zone.”

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