Wrapping Up 2024 with Cboe's Associate Resource Groups

At Cboe, Associate Resource Groups (ARGs) are central to fostering a culture of inclusiveness and belonging. In 2024, our ARGs grew, celebrated holidays and hosted educational events to spread awareness and foster a dynamic workplace. Our ARGs: Cboe Women’s Initiative, Male Allyship, Women in Tech, Cboe V.E.T.S., PRISM+, APIN, Cboe Unidos, BEAM, Cboe Earth and newly added SAGE continue to evolve as we head into 2025.

Cboe Women’s Initiative  

The Cboe Women’s Initiative kicked off 2024 by celebrating women at Cboe during Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day with a variety of events and initiatives. Jill Griebenow, Cathy Clay and Stephanie Foley shared stories about their career journeys and highlighted the importance of investing in women. There were many global initiatives like bell-ringings with Women in ETFs, charitable giving donations, fireside chats, lunch and learns and even some yoga!

Male Allyship  

The Male Allyship group, a subgroup of the Women’s Initiative, continued to support and uplift their fellow associates at Cboe. In 2024, they sponsored the menopause awareness project, which consisted of a video project and fireside chat.  

Looking ahead to 2025, the Male Allyship group is excited to partner with HR to host Cboe’s first ever internal virtual career fair which will open doors to new opportunities to all associates.

Women in Tech  

Women in Tech, a subgroup of the Cboe Women’s Initiative, continued to grow and support women in the technology field throughout 2024. Women in Tech aims to help narrow the industry gender gap through networking, educational programing and professional development. In September 2024, they hosted a successful panel discussion at our internal Tech Summit.

In the coming months, Women in Tech is excited to host coffee chats for new joiners at Cboe, create a peer-to-peer buddy system, join local recruiting events and provide new learning opportunities for associates about technical topics and emerging trends. 

Cboe V.E.T.S.  

Cboe V.E.T.S. (Veterans Empowerment, Transition and Support) helps military veterans at Cboe connect with one another and welcomes those who are eager to support veteran-related causes. In 2024, Cboe was included in the VETS Indexes Recognized Employer awards which recognizes organizations that do the most to hire, retain, promote and support veterans. Cboe V.E.T.S. also commemorated Veterans Day with a bell-ringing on the Cboe trading floor, participated in the Recruit Military job fair in Chicago, commemorated D-Day in Chicago and London, joined a Veterans in Financial Markets panel twice and added questions to our candidate application process to better identify veterans.  

In 2025, Cboe V.E.T.S. aims to hold elections for committees and enhance recruiting efforts with more events and resources.

People Respecting Individuality (and) Sexuality in Markets (PRISM+)  

PRISM+ had a busy and exciting 2024. ARG members supported the Ali Forney Center in New York, donated 200 holiday gifts to Save INC in Kansas City, sponsored the Chicago Pride Parade, hosted educational programming about the history of the LGBTQIA+ community, sponsored the Kansas City AIDS Walk and more.

In 2025, PRISM+ will continue to support local organizations through volunteering and donations and work to improve the corporate equality index score.

Asian and Pacific Islanders Network (APIN)  

APIN launched in November of 2023 and has grown to nearly 200 members across most Cboe offices. This year, the group held celebrations in May for Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, as well as a panel discussion with associates about how to break the bamboo ceiling. In August, APIN hosted Rakhi Day celebrations across Cboe offices to commemorate the traditional South Asian festival, highlighting the bonds of love and protection traditionally between siblings. In October and November, APIN invited associates across the globe to celebrate Diwali, or Deepavali, also known as the Festival of Lights and the most significant Hindu festival of the year.  

In 2025, APIN wants to continue embracing cultural diversity by celebrating more festivals and providing their members with additional resources like public speaking classes and industry crash courses.

Cboe Unidos  

In 2024, Cboe Unidos elevated voices and increased the visibility of Hispanic and Latinx associates at Cboe. Launching in 2023, Cboe Unidos significantly grew this year and hosted numerous in-person and virtual events, especially during Hispanic Heritage Month. Some exciting events that took place this year were bell-ringings in Chicago, Kansas City and New York to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, a panel discussion on personal stories relating to professional development and career progression, a virtual workshop led by a distinguished Latina career coach and community service to support local communities near Cboe offices.    

Cboe Unidos will continue to further its mission in 2025 by improving opportunities through education, mentorship and networking.

Black Equity and Allyship in Markets (BEAM)  

BEAM launched in January 2024 with a well-attended volunteer opportunity that involved packing STEM kits to support SparkShop, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Throughout the year, BEAM hosted many events, including a volunteer event with Night Ministry, workshops with Natasha Bowman, offsite happy hours to foster connections, a vibrant Juneteenth celebration and an offsite movie screening, along with participation in the Urban League Gala.  

In 2025, BEAM aims to enhance member engagement through more interactive events and initiatives, strengthen collaboration with other ARGs, focus on career development opportunities for members and support recruitment efforts through different partnerships.

Cboe Earth  

This year also saw the debut of Cboe’s first affinity group, Cboe Earth. Cboe Earth strives to identify and promote opportunities for environmental initiatives at Cboe and in our communities. Throughout the year, Cboe Earth held trash pick-up and beach cleaning events in the U.S. and Europe. Associates in Amsterdam helped to clean the North Sea Canal, covering 1.2 kilometers and collecting nearly 50 kg of trash.   

In 2025, Cboe Earth wants to lead further cleanups around the globe and continue the work they have done in Chicago and Amsterdam. Plus, Cboe Earth wants to research environmental conservation and sustainability and support further initiatives.

Seasoned and Generational Employees (SAGE)  

The newest addition to our ARGs looks to support associates in the mid-point of their careers by advocating for their unique needs, skills and experiences. SAGE kicked off its launch with a guest speaker presentation from author and speaker, Chip Conley. Chip highlighted his idea of a “mentern” program, combining the words mentor and intern, to create an environment where everyone can learn from each other no matter their position, age or experience.  

In 2025, SAGE looks to expand their efforts, increase membership and encourage associates to share their knowledge and experiences that everyone uniquely brings to Cboe.