Peng Zhao

Early Life

Peng Zhao was born in Beijing, China, in 1983. He showed exceptional intelligence from a young age, entering the "Children's Class" of Beijing No. 8 Middle School at age 10, completing his high school studies in four years. He then studied at Peking University, and went on to earn a Ph.D. in statistics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Rise to Success

Zhao joined Citadel Securities in 2006 as a senior quantitative researcher after graduating from UC Berkeley. Over the next decade, he advanced through the company, taking on roles of increasing responsibility and leadership. In 2017, at the age of 34, he was promoted to CEO of Citadel Securities. Under his leadership, the company has experienced significant growth and global expansion.

Key Business Strategies

Zhao's leadership has focused on several key strategies, including:

• **Talent Acquisition:** Recruiting and retaining top talent is a priority.
• **Technological Innovation:** He focuses on building tools, technology, and processes that creates leverage.
• **Global Expansion:** Under his leadership, Citadel Securities has expanded its global footprint, delivering a broad range of equity and fixed income products to 1,600 clients in 50 countries.

Philanthropy

Peng Zhao is a founding board member of The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) and serves on the board of directors of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.