Citi announced the recent appointment of Maria Ivanova as Citi Country Officer (CCO) for the United Arab Emirates. Maria will also assume the role of the Senior Executive Officer for Citibank NA DIFC, Citibank NA ADGM and Citigroup Global Markets Limited, DIFC branch.
As CCO UAE, Maria will oversee all Citi’s businesses and operations across all the legal entities based in the UAE. She will work closely with the UAE management team and with Shamsa Al-Falasi, CEO of Citibank, N.A. UAE Onshore Branch to drive a client-centric growth strategy in the market while maintaining a robust control environment.
Maria joined Citi in 1996 as a Corporate Banking Relationship Manager. Throughout her career, she has held various leadership roles including in Trade Finance and the Global Subsidiaries Group. Prior to assuming this current role, Maria was the Chief Operating Officer in Citi Russia and has served up till recently as Citi Country Officer for Russia.
Commenting on her new role, Maria said: “I am delighted to lead our bank in the UAE and work together with our seasoned team of bankers on the ground to drive growth and success. With a full suite of banking and wealth management services, UAE is one of the flagship franchises for Citi globally, and I am looking forward to furthering our growth strategy and delivering the highest standards of products and services to our clients.”
In this new role, Maria’s remit extends to working closely with the Middle East & Africa (MEA) cluster leadership team to continue to develop and grow the businesses operating in the UAE, serving the rest of the MEA cluster.
Ebru Pakcan, Cluster and Banking Head for the Middle East & Africa said, “We are pleased that Maria has assumed the responsibility of driving our business in the UAE. Maria has a strong track record of developing and implementing business strategy, consistent delivery of financial performance and a client-centric mindset. Her wealth of experience will be fully leveraged to tap growth opportunities in the UAE.”
The UAE serves as the regional hub for Citi’s Middle East & Africa Cluster covering 29 markets. Citi UAE offers a full spectrum of financial services including Corporate & Investment Banking, Capital Markets, Sales & Trading, Transactions Services, Private Banking and Commercial Banking. In addition, it serves as one of Citi’s four global Wealth Management centers and continues to be a major player in local consumer services.
