CME Group | NI Responsible Business Awards | Business in the Community

CME Group

The CME Group provides a marketplace for buyers and sellers, bringing together individuals, companies and institutions that need to manage risk or that want to profit by accepting risk.

Background

The Belfast office was established in 2012.  While originally serving as an off-shore technology centre, the office has grown to more than 250 employees working in Technology, Marketing, Accounting and Finance, HR, Clearing, Global Operations and Legal.

What CME Group did

The local Belfast CSR approach of CME has been one of inclusion and with a high level of communication with stakeholders at every level. Activities have been wide ranging and include:

  • Forming charitable partnerships Marie Curie, the Simon Community and Habitat for Humanity with whom they have organised numerous events that have seen donations both financial and volunteer hours
  • Working with local schools and colleges including providing training to GCSE subject teachers and careers teachers, the funding of PhD research fellows in local universities, arranging and hosting Stock Market Challenges in schools, as well as employees volunteering to speak around STEM subjects at careers days and fairs
  • Funding a financial innovation laboratory through CME Group Foundation in Ulster University that provides students with a hands-on experience of a trading environment through the use of 16 Bloomberg terminals.
  • Providing, for internal stakeholders, a newsletter, ‘Belfast Bytes’, that informs the office of all CSR activities. It also includes CSR information in weekly summary emails, noticeboards and the various CSR presentations to not only keep CSR efforts at the forefront of the minds of employees, but underlines its importance to the business.

Impacts and Outcomes

  • Raised more than £20k and provided technology support to the Simon Community, as well as rebuilding the charity’s website and providing training for staff
  • Developed a Healthy eating programme, including a weekly supply of fruit, on-site yoga and sport activities
  • Raised substantial funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care
  • Contributed to the learning and development of many students in local schools, actively raising awareness of the benefits of STEM subjects
  • Provided training for GCSE STEM subject teachers
  • Sponsored PhDs supporting ongoing learning and development
  • Financial Innovation Laboratory in Ulster University – one of the few business schools in the UK and Ireland able to offer the direct use of data, analytics and information through the Bloomberg Professional service
  • Ran workshops for careers teachers on opportunities for careers in the FinTech industry

For more information, please email joanne.ferguson@cmegroup.com