Early Life and Education
Peng Zhao was born in Beijing, China. His academic journey began at Peking University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in applied mathematics. He then moved to the United States to pursue a PhD in statistics at the University of California, Berkeley, where he was a Berkeley Fellow. He graduated in 2006.
Rise to Success
Zhao joined Citadel Securities as a quantitative researcher in 2006. He rose quickly within the company, holding roles such as global head of market making. In January 2017, at the age of 34, he was promoted to CEO. Under his leadership, Citadel Securities has experienced remarkable growth and become a major player in the financial markets.
Key Business Strategies
As CEO of Citadel Securities, Peng Zhao has focused on driving global growth across products, markets, and regions. The company delivers a broad range of equity and fixed income products to 1,600 clients in 50 countries and jurisdictions.
Philanthropy
Peng Zhao is known for his dedication to philanthropy and community service. He and his wife organized a one million surgical mask donation to Chicago's first responders during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. They also support Kartemquin Films, a non-profit documentary filmmaking organization. The couple funds the Victor Wong Fellowship to train and mentor aspiring comedians from the AAPI community. He is a founding board member of The Asian American Foundation (TAAF). Zhao's philanthropic efforts include committing $125 million to support AAPI organizations and causes through TAAF.
