CEO of Raymond James Shares ‘The Power of Personal’ with Students

A college lecture series changed the course of Paul Shoukry’s career.

He wanted to be a tax attorney until an internship showed him otherwise. A professor recommended he attend a speaker series to learn from CEOs in different industries — and that’s how he found the job that set him on the path to becoming CEO of Raymond James Financial.

Shoukry shared his career journey and advice with students on Oct. 13 at the Leadership Speaker Series hosted by the TECO Energy Center for Leadership in the Sykes College of Business at the University of Tampa.

The title of Shoukry’s lecture was “The Power of Personal,” which he framed as a complement to the era of artificial intelligence. He said that while AI is the largest part of Raymond James’ technology budget and everyone needs to embrace it to be effective, connections with clients and colleagues are more important than ever.

“You can’t believe anything you see online, right?” he said. “One of the few things in our lives that actually is real is a deeply personal relationship.”

Shoukry also talked about the importance of “your values and your village.”

“The difference between being successful and not successful is in large part the village you are in,” he said, adding that students have an incredible community of UTampa alumni. “Don’t feel like you have to do everything on your own.”

Shoukry also implored students to determine their values and research the values of companies where they are interested in working. “If it’s a public company, listen to a few earnings calls. Listen to how they talk about their success,” Shoukry said.

Victoria Aguilera ’27, who is double majoring in accounting and finance, was among the students who took in Shoukry’s advice. She’s already familiar with Raymond James — she interned there and has a job offer for when she completes her degrees.

“I thought that he made a really good point about how integrity is not necessarily what you do when people aren’t looking, but rather when everyone is looking and everyone’s pressuring you to do something that maybe doesn’t align with your values, but you still stick to your values, anyway,” she said.

Shoukry’s advice also resonated with Lance Landeche ’28, who says he’s on his “third career.” After 25 years in the Marines and more than 15 in corporate roles, he’s a student in the Executive Doctor of Business Administration program. He appreciated Shoukry telling students that careers aren’t always linear. “I never would have thought that I would end up where I am, but my values provided me with a path,” Landeche said.

Emily Fletty, a member of the board of advisers for the TECO Energy Center for Leadership, also attended. “Leadership lessons come in all different forms and flavors, and to get them from somebody who’s as well-known as our speaker tonight is a big deal,” she said. “I hope students get the opportunity to network with people in the business world and get additional ideas about what they might want to do with their careers.”