Citadel supercharges talent pipeline with student prize for Computer Science majors.

Financial powerhouses Citadel and Citadel Securities believe a company is only as good as its people. As part of its people-focused culture, they nurture future changemakers by partnering with NUS to engage and reward students. Talent development initiatives include internships and a new NUS student award, the Citadel | Citadel Securities Excellence in Computer Science Prize.

The prize is designed for Computer Science majors with strong academics, excellent communication skills and leadership qualities. While the Prize recognises a recipient's achievements, its bigger purpose is to encourage students to be curious and persevering.

Ms Andrea Loke, APAC Campus Recruiting Lead for Citadel and Citadel Securities.

“The innovation and impact that we have brought to the finance industry over the years is largely attributed to our people, their ambition and skills. We care about people and the development of people. Therefore, one of the key focuses we have when engaging with our local communities around the world is education – improving accessibility and quality of education. As part of that effort, we want to incentivise and help NUS students reach their potential through our gift,” shared Ms Andrea Loke, APAC Campus Recruiting Lead for Citadel and Citadel Securities.

As Citadel and Citadel Securities expand their presence in the Asia Pacific region, NUS is one of the higher education institutions both firms partnered with for talent development.

“NUS, being one of the top universities in Singapore with more than 100 years of history, is a natural partner for us. Many NUS students have joined us for professional, graduate and intern positions, and we have always seen a very strong cultural fit among the NUS students,” said Ms Loke, elaborating on the partnership.

Besides the Prize, Citadel and Citadel Securities are also building their talent pipeline through internships with the same people-focused approach. Interns are fully integrated by working closely with their respective teams. Each intern is assigned with a mentor and everyone is encouraged to explore solutions on their own.

“A unique aspect of Citadel is that it empowers individuals to operate as independently as possible; to facilitate true ‘ownership’ over the products and strategies that are designed to contribute to the business. Even as an intern I experienced this culture firsthand, and it helped me grow both my interpersonal skills as well as my technical ability,” said Mr Ahan Gupta, an NUS Computer Science student, sharing his experience as an intern at Citadel Hong Kong’s Commodities Engineering Team in 2021.

Reiterating Citadel and Citadel Securities’ strategy of growing the business by growing their people, Ms Loke said: “We are passionate about knowledge and new ideas that continuously help us improve and move forward. None of these can be achieved without people who are smart, capable and driven. This Prize and many other talent programs we are part of are focused exactly on people, whether it’s to recognise and celebrate people’s accomplishments or to support and inspire people’s continued development.”