Pandit addresses Wharton School graduates.

In a speech at the graduation ceremony of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School on Sunday, Citi CEO Vikram Pandit told students about his decision to leave academia for Wall Street and other key turning points in his career. He also discussed the business environment that new graduates would be inheriting, defined by "massive trade and capital flows within emerging markets," "explosive growth" in the global middle class, "increasing digitization," and quicker support for entrepreneurial ideas.

"It's a more exciting world--but also more complex," he said. "I had to adapt to it over the course of a career. You have grown up with it. That gives you an advantage. Use it wisely."