Co-founder of NEO, now Cboe Canada, announced that it was time to step back
Jos Schmitt, President & CEO of Cboe Canada — formerly NEO — has announced he is retiring. In a LinkedIn post on Tuesday, Schmitt shared that after a 35-year career in Capital Markets, with 20 years in Canada, he has decided to take a step back.
Schmitt co-founded NEO in 2015 as a fintech including the NEO exchange and NEO Connect — a multi-asset distribution platform supporting mutual funds and private offerings. NEO was acquired by Cboe Global Markets last year.
Since its launch in 2015, Cboe Canada has grown to represent close to 15% of all trading volume in Canadian-listed securities. The market hosts over 260 unique public listing s including companies, ETFs, Canadian depositary receipts (CDRs), special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) and closed-end funds.
“To the Cboe Canada and Cboe Global Markets team, I can only but say, keep it going and "make it so"! You are not only designing the future of global #markets, you have the people and the assets to turn all your ambitions into reality,” Schmitt wrote in the post announcing his retirement. “#investors, #issuers and all the other stakeholders that enable global capital markets need you. I am proud to have been part of the team and will continue to cheer on from the sidelines.”
In addition to his work in capital markets, Schmitt is a noted philanthropist having dedicated considerable time and effort to support worthy causes. Last year he launched the inaugural Bay Street Rides FAR (For Autism Research), a branch of the New York-based Ride FAR. His work for this cause was featured by Wealth Professional in 2022.
In the post announcing his retirement, Schmitt sought to raise awareness about another philanthropic cause he’s involved in: The Prosperity Project. That organization is a registered charity whose mission is to “identify and remove the systemic barriers and biases that impede the advancement of all women in the economy.”
“Looking back at all those years, I feel very blessed,” Schmitt wrote. “Blessed to have always been at the forefront of #newideas and #innovation, blessed to having been able to work on initiatives that had a #realimpact and, above all, blessed to have met so many great people whom I had the honour to work with, partner with or service. Thank you to all of you for your support and confidence!”
