Business Leadership Program Immersion at The Juilliard School

How Citadel Securities Builds Leaders Who Perform Under Pressure

At Citadel Securities, leadership is a capability we seek out and develop at every level of the. Our leaders are all tasked with setting direction, inspiring others and strengthening how we work together to deliver results, agnostic of whether they manage people directly, their seniority, or their tenure.

From our newest engineers to our most senior business leads, we expect leaders to operate with precision, speed in an environment that rewards both excellence and adaptability.

So how do we cultivate those skills? How do we help our colleagues become great leaders?

One answer is our Business Leadership Program (BLP), a four-month journey designed to stretch top-performers through immersive experiences that strengthen self-awareness, agility, and influence.

Recently, that journey took participants to an unexpected classroom: The Juilliard School, one of the world’s premier institutions for developing elite performance.

Why Juilliard

Juilliard trains world-class artists to deliver their best work in the most demanding conditions. Every moment on stage requires focus, collaboration, and the ability to adapt instantly when the unexpected happens.

Those same traits define success at Citadel Securities. Both environments reward preparation, composure, and connection under pressure.

As Katherine Goulding, Head of Learning and Development, explained, “Our leaders are exceptional individual contributors who must now create followership, adapt their style, and bring others with them.”

Juilliard was a natural partner in exploring how mastery, teamwork, and self-awareness fuel performance, whether in a concert hall or on a trading desk.

Takeaway 1: Leadership Begins with Presence

In a drama immersion, a Juilliard faculty member used Henry V to help participants explore what it means to lead from the front. Through exercises in grounding and intentional communication, leaders practiced how to project clarity, conviction, and authenticity in high-stakes moments.

“Our leaders engaged with an actor to learn tools and tactics to create a sense of team, from body language to flexing communication style,” said Analisa from Learning and Development.

As Sisi, a Business Operations participant, noted, “It is a reminder that we should connect the day-to-day and the big picture.”

Takeaway 2: Great Leaders Know When to Step Back

In a symphony immersion, conductor Mark Shapiro led a live orchestra to demonstrate leadership from the middle. Participants observed how conductors balance direction with trust and how subtle cues can guide high performers without stifling them.

“In the orchestra setting, we focus on the methods and approaches that allow a leader to get the biggest contribution out of every individual,” Analisa explained. “It is about recognizing that everyone plays a role in organizational success.”

Ben, one of our Markets and Trading participants, reflected, “Being up there next to the maestro, seeing how a leader can have that effect on the ensemble, was absolutely exhilarating.”

The lesson was clear. Effective leadership is not always about being the loudest voice. It is about orchestrating alignment and empowering others to perform at their best.

Takeaway 3: Pressure Reveals Preparation

Juilliard performance psychologist Dr. Noa Kageyama shared how world-class musicians train to perform when the spotlight and the pressure are highest. His method, known as variable practice, mirrors the way Citadel Securities teams prepare to adapt quickly as markets evolve.

Leaders learned how to use moments of tension as opportunities to reset, refocus, and recover faster, applying the mindset of elite performers to every team across the firm.

Bringing It Back to the Desk

The Juilliard immersion was not about theater or music. It was about performance at the highest level.

Each participant returned to the firm with a Leader Development Plan that captured specific, practical actions such as grounding before key meetings, communicating with greater intent, and listening more closely across teams to strengthen collaboration.

By taking people out of their daily environment and into a new context, the program created a heightened learning experience. Through partnerships like Juilliard, Citadel Securities continues to raise the standard for how we lead, combining awareness, adaptability, and precision on every stage that matters.