CEO Peng Zhao on Building a Successful Career

Interns wrapped up their summer at the firm last week with a fireside chat in Palm Beach with Peng Zhao, CEO of Citadel Securities. Moderated by Alex DiLeonardo, Chief People Officer of Citadel Securities, the wide-ranging discussion covered the firm’s history, culture and future—with a clear emphasis on how talent drives our success.  Watch highlights from the talk here:

In his opening remarks, Peng recalled that the firm converted the hotel ballroom where the session was held into a temporary trading floor during the pandemic. He described the extraordinary effort required to keep markets running during a crisis, a reminder of the firm’s adaptability and commitment to delivering for clients when they need it the most.

From there, Peng turned to what he called the firm’s most valuable resource: people. “The most valuable resource today isn’t GPUs—it’s talent,” he said. Investing in talent, he explained, is essential to growth.

He described Citadel Securities’ approach as offering more than jobs: “We give people the foundation to create and grow the businesses of tomorrow.”

Regarding career growth, Peng shared this practical guidance:

1. Strive to come to work a better person every day.
2. Create leverage for yourself—e.g., scale impact by building tools, acquiring unique expertise or leading teams. 

Peng encouraged everyone to take full advantage of the experts and mentors around them.

As the conversation then turned to technology, Peng emphasized the importance of staying positioned to benefit from rapid advancements in AI: “If I wake up tomorrow and there’s a new breakthrough, I want to know we’re going to be better off for it.”

Looking ahead, Peng stressed empowerment and entrepreneurship, reminding the group that tomorrow’s leaders won’t just inherit existing businesses—they’ll build new ones.