CME Group Fred Arditti Innovation Award

CME Group Fred Arditti Innovation Award

The CME Group Fred Arditti Innovation Award, CFI's signature program, annually honors an individual or group of individuals whose innovative ideas, products or services have created significant change to markets, commerce or trade. The award strives to celebrate innovation in action – not only the creative idea, but also the impact that practical application of the idea has made on improving the economic well being of individuals, an industry or a nation.

The award is named after Fred Arditti, CME's chief economist from 1980 to 1982. Dr. Arditti pioneered futures contracts that transformed how businesses and individuals manage risk – most notable, the CME's Eurodollar futures contract, the world's most actively traded futures contract. Later, as Senior Executive Vice President of Planning and Development, he was instrumental in organizing CME's business development structure in order to strengthen its focus on innovation as it faced intensive competition in the new century from domestic and international markets. It was during this time that he originated weather futures.

Fred Arditti's commitment to creative thinking and innovative ideas was reflected in his many activities outside of CME. He taught courses in futures and options while serving as a professor of finance at DePaul University in Chicago, beginning in 1990. He also authored Derivatives, which has become one of the most assigned books on the subject in many universities. During various intervals, Dr. Arditti served as chairman of the University of Florida's Economics Department and as a visiting professor at several institutions. He also published in various academic journals and received a number of research grants.

Dr. Arditti's lifetime achievements embody the kind of innovative thinking and practical benefit to commerce and markets that this award strives to honor.  

 

Past Award Recipients
2010 David A. Ferrucci Advertorial
2009 Harry Markowitz Advertorial
2008 Michael R. Bloomberg Advertorial
2007 Eugene Fama Advertorial
2006 Leo Melamed Advertorial
2005 William F. Sharpe Advertorial

 

For further information about the CME Group Fred Arditti Innovation Award, please contact:
Colleen Lazar
Executive Director, CME Group Center for Innovation
CME Group
20 S. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
colleen.lazar@cmegroup.com

or alternatively
cfi@cme.com
312-454-5300