Jen Zhao

Jen Zhao is Chief Strategy Officer at Marathon Capital. In this role, she is dedicated to furthering Marathon’s vision by advancing, communicating, and executing Marathon’s strategic plans.

Ms. Zhao joined Marathon in 2017 as an Investment Banking Associate and was later promoted to Vice President and Chief of Staff. During her time at Marathon, Ms. Zhao has worked closely with bankers at all levels and across all departments. As Chief of Staff, she was instrumental in institutionalizing the junior banker program, working closely with the staffers, training leads, and the HR team. In transactional capacity, she played key roles in solar, wind, and competitive retail mandates serving LS Power, Goldwind, Hanwha, Heelstone, and Asian and European energy strategics.

Prior to joining Marathon, Ms. Zhao was an investment banking associate with Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Power and Utilities practice in New York, where she was a Top Performer in the 2016 Global Banking & Markets Entry Training Program. Before business school, Ms. Zhao conducted research at the World Resources Institute, a leading environmental and energy think tank in Washington, D.C.

Ms. Zhao received a BA in History and International Studies from Peking University, China, an MA in International Affairs from George Washington University, and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Ms. Zhao holds her Series 24, 63, and 79 licenses.