Finding purpose at work is something that most people want, but few get to experience.
A study from Gallup found that only 30 percent of employees feel connected to their company’s mission, which is a missed opportunity for many employers, since employees who are bought in are more engaged, more productive, and less likely to go searching for greener pastures.
Luckily, that’s not the case at NinjaTrader Group. When CEO Marty Franchi looks around at the fintech company, he says “NinjaTrader employees rally to the mission and live by our values. It’s not just lip-service.”
Likewise at ABN AMRO Clearing, Yulia O’Neill, vice president of client credit, regularly sees teammates rally around shared ideals.
“We believe in the power of open dialogue and collaboration,” O’Neill said. “Thanks to our flat organizational mindset, no opinions or questions are off limits!”
Built In spoke with Franchi and O’Neill in detail about what makes both company missions click for employees.
ABN AMRO Clearing USA LLC is a global clearing firm that provides an integrated suite of financial services to professional trading participants in the global financial market.
In one sentence, why does the mission matter to your team — and what decision did it guide recently?
AAC-USA’ mission of “leading the way to safe and transparent markets” serves as a compass to the Client Credit team daily. The Client Credit team plays a crucial part in risk ownership within the AAC-USA business teams. We are often put at test (2025 was no exception!) as the U.S. markets experience reoccurring volatility and mounting trading volumes, which are fueled by ongoing policy uncertainty and evolving product offering.
Which community or customer initiative best demonstrates your mission — and how is it measured?
Our business is built in close collaboration with not just the Chicago trading community but with diverse groups across the globe. We continue to live up to our mission, which is measured by the trust and support of our clients, partners and internal family. AAC-USA participates in many industry initiatives to create a reliable marketplace. Thanks to our robust risk framework, AAC-USA supports the trading community in new products and new markets.
Do employees believe the mission is real? Share a moment or ritual that proves it.
AAC-USA follows three lines of defense model when it comes to risk decisions. As a first line of defense, my team promotes sound risk taking and ownership. We believe in the power of open dialogue and collaboration. Thanks to our flat organizational mindset, no opinions or questions are off limits! Regardless of individual tenure, all are encouraged to learn more from a personal and professional perspective. Such beliefs help to shape the overall AAC-USA culture which aims to accelerate the transition towards safe and transparent markets.
NinjaTrader Group is a fintech company that provides software and brokerage services to help traders work smarter.
In one sentence, why does the mission matter to your team — and what decision did it guide recently?
“Building better futures for all traders” is a rallying cry to ensure the NinjaTrader Team knows we are building trading innovation and infrastructure that does not exist today. We are focused on the betterment of the financial futures of NinjaTrader users as well as the improvement of the asset class and it is a guiding light to inform our product roadmap.
Which community or customer initiative best demonstrates your mission — and how is it measured?
NinjaTrader is building a first-of-its-kind trader engagement platform for retail futures traders, with the goal of giving traders an education, content and trading-tool rich environment to engage with futures markets in risk-free ways while they are on their quest to master futures trading. This platform — including NinjaTrader Prop for prop trading access, NinjaTrader Live for real-time expert learning and the NinjaTrader Arena competition platform — are recent examples that demonstrate our commitment to our mission, because it gives retail futures traders a risk-free, rich and educational environment to accelerate mastery. We measure its impact through active participation, skill-building outcomes and recently awarded over $400,000 in our Arena Cup series to those dedicated to mastering their craft.
Do employees believe the mission is real? Share a moment or ritual that proves it.
NinjaTrader employees rally to the mission and live by our values. It’s not just lip-service. Anyone who has been on the front lines working with traders as they navigate these rewarding but complex markets knows most new-to-futures traders need an ally. Everyone at NinjaTrader knows we have an opportunity to help ensure the best possible outcomes and we rally around that mission every day.
