ONLY 0.1% Make It Into Citadel Securities! Their Chief People Officer REVEALS What It REALLY Takes!

Citadel Securities’ Chief People Officer, Alex DiLeonardo, reveals how the firm spots outliers early, evaluates talent with surgical precision, and ties every employee’s work directly to CEO-level goals.

Alex DiLeonardo is the Chief People Officer at Citadel Securities, where he leads global talent strategy across recruiting, development, and performance. He previously served as Chief Talent Officer at Activision Blizzard and was a partner at McKinsey & Company, with earlier experience at JPMorgan Chase and Deloitte. Alex holds degrees from Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business and Heinz College, and lectures at Harvard, Wharton, and other global business schools on aligning people systems with business performance.

In this episode, Alex reveals:
◽️ How Citadel Securities identifies high-potential talent and gives them direct project ownership from day one
◽️ Why every employee’s goals are explicitly tied to CEO-level business outcomes
◽️ How AI and automation are reshaping performance management - without losing the human touch
◽️ What makes HR in hedge funds radically different from Fortune 500 companies
◽️ His “capital I” career model - and why nonlinear growth beats fast promotions

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⏱ Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:42 Becoming Chief People Officer
03:07 People as competitive advantage
03:43 Culture that attracts talent
05:52 Early career growth opportunities
06:45 What talent really wants
10:48 Career as an “I” shape
11:24 Culture from top and bottom
13:43 Values: winning, meritocracy, learning
15:06 Culture vs. performance balance
16:31 Citadel Securities vs Citadel hedge fund
17:14 Graduate recruiting & training programs
18:45 Why Harvey chose Goldman Sachs
21:22 Resume proxies and candidate fit
23:20 Balancing established vs startup culture
24:28 Unique top-down project assignments
25:53 Talent insights from a headhunter’s son
27:31 Strategy amid fast-changing markets
30:20 Living meritocracy: goal ownership
34:19 Avoiding credit-stealing and accountability
35:48 Why share knowledge publicly?
36:58 Leadership beliefs unlearned
38:02 Competitive intensity & mental health
38:32 Values supporting performance
39:18 Assessing potential, long & short term
39:30 AI as an enabler, not threat
40:00 Common HR misconceptions
40:09 Advice for aspiring Chief People Officers
41:36 Question not asked enough
42:31 Favorite restaurant & cycling passion
46:51 Foot off the pedal? Restlessness
48:16 What’s next & desired legacy
49:39 Key takeaway for listeners
51:01 Outro

📌 Resources
Alexander DiLeonardo
◽️ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderdileonardo/

Harvey Bracken-Smith:
◽️ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith
◽️ Instagram: instagram.com/harveybsmith
◽️ X (Twitter): x.com/harveybsmith_

Personable Podcast:
◽️ Instagram: instagram.com/personable.podcast
◽️ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast
◽️ TikTok: tiktok.com/@personableclips
◽️ Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api
◽️ Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111

Additional:
◽️ The Draft (Sign up): thedraft.io
◽️ Fundraising: justgiving.com/crowdfunding/LouLouRacefoiundation?utm_term=PvByaxmdn

Personable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world’s best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023.