CME Group takes a hands-on approach to talent development

As a leading destination for managing investment risk, CME Group’s derivatives marketplace is a testament to precision software engineering. The company manages 24 billion events every day, each processed in around 100 microseconds. To support that level of activity, CME Group depends on a technology organization that is nimble, possesses a robust skill set, and is open-minded in its approach to solving tough business problems.

Flexibility is crucial because the 180-year-old firm has seen its share of game-changing technology and business trends come and go. That perspective has shaped an IT hiring strategy focused on recruiting and developing people who are able to adapt to whatever tool works best for the job.

“CME Group is a place where clients come to manage risk in every investable asset class, and we look for engineers capable of solving problems with that mission,” says Sunil Cutinho, CIO at CME Group, which ranked No. 6 among midsize companies on Computerworld’s 2026 Best Places to Work in IT survey and No. 1 in the Benefits & Compensation category. “CME Group has outlasted many technologies and will outlast many more to come. What’s important is solving business problems and using the best available tools to do so.”

CME Group strives to create a home for technology professionals who can collaborate on solving extremely complex technical problems without being overly fixated on any one particular tool or approach.

“We want people who can learn the business and new technology quickly but who don’t get too comfortable with what they know,” Cutinho says. “They are comfortable with the idea that the things they know today might not be things they’re able to use tomorrow.”

Cutinho is a big believer in hands-on learning. His team ensures that the organization has access to new technologies such as genAI, not just for experimentation but also to solve real business problems. For example, the entire company now has access to Gemini Workspace and a secure place where they can build and share agents for specific tasks, such as prioritizing and summarizing emails or converting data into slides for client presentations.

The hands-on approach has been particularly impactful for improving the skills of the IT organization. In one instance, about 500 of the company’s 1,750 IT employees participated in a pilot in which they were granted access to Google Gemini and Gemini Code Assist to readily apply the technologies to their day-to-day work. Participants used the tools to draft designs and documentation and to accelerate coding and testing. The pilot group reported an average time savings of around 10.5 hours a month, and based on those productivity gains, all IT employees now have access to the tools.

“When they can use the tools to solve real problems, they learn better than by just taking periodic courses,” Cutinho says. “Engineers are sharing ideas with each other and learning from their cohort. It’s a more effective approach than a lecture, because if you don’t use it, you lose it.”

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