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Nicola White was recognized for Excellence in Rates Trading at the 2016 Women in Finance Markets Choice Awards.

Describe the highlights of your career to date and your current role/responsibilities at Citadel Securities?

I am the Global COO of the fixed income market-making business at Citadel Securities, which provides liquidity to clients across interest rate and credit asset classes, including derivative and cash products. I focus on leading the team’s efforts to enter new product and geographic markets, as well as business innovation and regulatory affairs. Prior to joining Citadel Securities, I headed the Fixed Income eMarkets division at Morgan Stanley, helping that firm build out its electronic fixed income sales and trading businesses. I began my career as an intern at Morgan Stanley and joined the firm full-time after graduating from the University of Waterloo in 2003.

What do you — any by extension, your team and organization — do to achieve excellence in rates trading?

Citadel Securities is a leading provider of liquidity in interest rate swaps, U.S. treasuries, credit default swap indices, equities, options and FX. Much of our success comes from listening to our clients in order to address their liquidity needs and challenges. I have always been passionate about supporting initiatives that advance market structure and I am proud to be part of a team so focused on making markets more fair, open and transparent for all participants – better markets make for a better world.

What is your perspective on being a successful woman working in financial markets, and what is your advice to those who may strive for this?

I learned several key lessons early in my career that have helped me achieve success and continue to shape my career decisions today. These include embracing challenges as learning opportunities, always asking questions, and proactively seeking feedback whenever possible. These lessons have helped me grow as a practitioner, leader, colleague and partner to clients, and I would recommend them to anyone interested in building a successful financial services career.