CHX Women’s Forum Spotlight: Denise Jones
In our first Women’s Forum Spotlight last month, we featured Head of Equity Trading Christine Martuscello. The response to that post has been fantastic, and we’re excited to continue highlighting the stories of our colleagues who make our meetings so interesting each month.
For our second piece, we spoke with Denise Jones, Senior Compliance Examiner at the exchange. Denise has been at CHX since April 2008, when she started working part-time as an accountant. At the end of 2014, she moved into her current role, where she is a senior staff member of FinOps and ensures that broker dealers remain in compliance.
Read on to learn how Denise got into financial services, how she gives back to the community and more.
How did the financial services industry become an interest for you? What did you do before joining CHX?
I’ve always been good with numbers, estimating the cost of things. I took an accounting course in high school and liked that, and that led me to study accounting and finance in college. I also took an econ course in college and liked that. So I knew that finance could be a good profession for me.
In terms of industry, though, I have actually worked in defense for most of my career — I previously worked for a company that made radar-jamming devices on planes. I was responsible for the financial statements for those programs.
I quit that job in 2006 to write a book, which is currently in editing. [The book, titled Let Me Tell You a Story, is an inspirational book of life lessons.] I started doing some part-time accounting for CHX in 2008, and I’ve been here ever since.
What has your experience been like as a woman in finance? How have things changed over the course of your career?
There has certainly been a change. When I first started in defense, there were no women in management — particularly minority women. Now, two of my good friends are in management at my former company.
Finance in general is still a male-dominated field, but you do see more women involved nowadays. If you looked at company org charts in the 80s, everyone at the top was male. In the past decade, I’ve noticed more female-led trading firms. And it’s important for women to see other women in leadership positions in financial services.
I am also noticing more women on boards of directors, and that these boards are starting to actively recruit women for those seats. That speaks to the fact that there is more acknowledgement from the industry today — more male executives recognize that women have something to offer and can make a valuable impact in finance.
What advice do you have for young women looking to enter into the industry?
There’s something empowering about seeing a woman who knows finance. I would encourage them to pursue it if they’re interested. Network and learn as much as you can about the industry. And find role models who can help you.
Even if you’re not working in finance, it’s important to understand your finances. Years ago, all you needed to have was a savings account. Now you need to have your money working for you while you sleep. It’s totally different from when I was growing up.
Personally, I’ve tried to teach my nephews by giving them stock for Christmas gifts or graduation gifts — once they see how the stock performs, they ask, “what else can I buy?” I didn’t have anyone to tell me about that — no one in my family had a financial background. I want them to understand the importance of finance much earlier.
What do you enjoy most about working at a stock exchange?
Having a finger on the pulse on markets around the world — it forces you to be aware of what’s going on.
In ’87, when the market crashed, I lost some money, but I didn’t understand it. I started at CHX in April of 2008, right before the crash later that year. That time, I was able to see the whole impact, both in the United States and across the world.
When I was in defense, I didn’t pay much attention to the markets. Now I’m watching CNBC all day, seeing the effects not only on my 401k but on the global economy. Working here has made me aware of the impact of world events on the markets.
What types of things do you like to do outside of your job at CHX?
I have a heart for the youth. I currently serve as the treasurer of the I Am Abel Foundation — the foundation was founded by a friend of mine, Dr. Lamenta (“Sweetie”) Conway, and its mission is to mentor minority students aspiring to become doctors. Recently, there was a young woman in the program who was studying to be a doctor, but she had also studied economics, so she was really excited when she saw that I worked at Chicago Stock Exchange. She ran up to me and started asking all these questions — it was fun to see.
On the other end of the spectrum, through my church, I also mentor at a juvenile temporary detention center. You don’t want to give up on these kids — some of them were just in bad situations and made mistakes. I encourage them and let them know they are loved, with God there is hope, and they can turn things around and make a difference.
Outside of working with kids, I also like going to the theater. I am writing a couple of books, but I’d like to write a play one day. I used to write poetry in college as well, so writing has always been a passion of mine.
Travelling is also something I enjoy, when I have the time. I’d like to do more of it.
What are your thoughts on the CHX Women’s Forum so far, and where do you see it going? How has it changed (or how do you think it will change) relationships amongst women in the office?
What’s really nice about it is just meeting the other women and talking to them. I’ve been here nine years, and while I knew some names, I didn’t know everyone’s backgrounds. This is a small firm, but if you’re not working directly with people, you might not talk to them that much.
So it’s really nice that we have this awareness now. You start to get to know another colleague, and then when you see her again in the hallway, it’s not just “hi.” You realize you have a lot in common when you share experiences.
