Citadel Securities has tapped Microsoft for COO Kevin Turner to fill its vacant CEO position.
Turner, who spent 11 years at Microsoft, will join Citadel Securities after a short transition period from Microsoft.
According to Citadel Securities, Turner was the driving force behind the sales and marketing efforts of Office 365 and the widespread customer adoption of Azure cloud.
Prior to Microsoft, Turner spent nearly 20 years at Walmart where he was named the youngest corporate officer in its history after originally joining as a cashier.
Turner was eventually named Walmart’s chief information officer and later president and CEO of Sam’s Club, a $37 billion division of Walmart.
“It is an incredible honour for me to serve in this important role, and I am grateful to Ken Griffin and the entire Citadel Securities team for the trust they are placing in me,” said Turner.
“Citadel is a global technology leader, recognised for its work to level the playing field for investors and make markets more fair, transparent and efficient. I look forward to leading this exemplary team as we grow this global business.”
Turner added: “I also want to express my sincere personal thanks to Satya Nadella for his leadership and mentorship, and to colleagues at Microsoft for their friendship, hard work and dedication.”
Kenneth Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel Securities, added: “Kevin Turner is a world-class business builder with experience managing large and complex organisations. He will be an outstanding leader for Citadel Securities.”
“Kevin is a proven innovator who brings expertise in technology and operations with a client-first focus. I’m confident that under Kevin’s leadership we will further distinguish ourselves as the partner of choice for our clients.”
