CITIGROUP

Global reach with a small-company feel

By Paula Fagerberg

Citigroup (NYSE: C), the leading global financial services company, has some 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 100 countries, providing consumers, corporations, governments, and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, and wealth management. Major brand names under Citigroup's trademark red umbrella include Citibank, CitiFinancial, Primerica, Smith Barney, and Banamex. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com.

EMPLOYEES: Citigroup has 300,000 employees worldwide.

DIVERSITY: At Citigroup, we are committed to the diversity of our workforce. And with
a presence in more than 100 countries, where more than 98 percent of our employees
are hired locally, we are perhaps the most diverse company in the world. The diversity
is a source of strength for our employees, clients, and the communities where we live
and work.

WEBSITE: For opportunities, please apply online to www.oncampus.citigroup.com.

How did you come to choose Citigroup as an employer?
I had been living and going to school in Nigeria, and I wanted a platform that would give me international exposure and allow me to enjoy a multicultural latitude. Citigroup offers that in Nigeria and all over the world—we're in 100 countries. I came to New York because I was recruited internally from Lagos. I am now doing Financial Management Associate (FMA) program rotations in Citigroup businesses.

What are the benefits of doing these rotations?
The FMA program pulls young professionals from business schools and internally in order to build a pipeline of future finance leaders for the whole company. There are three rotations in all, each one lasting six months. The FMA stays in the region of hire (there are five regions: the U.S., Asia, Europe, Japan, and Latin America) for two rotations, and has the opportunity to go out internationally for one. The rotations give participants exposure across Citigroup's businesses, including an excellent cross-functional experience that gives the associates the opportunity to learn a variety of finance roles and how they function across these businesses as well as geographically. For me, the rotations are very valuable, as they provide me with a great opportunity to network, especially with the seniors, and learn Citigroup's businesses from the senior managers first hand.

What would you want someone new to Citigroup to know about the company and its policies?
Because we are so widespread geographically and have about 98% of our staff hired locally, Citigroup employees have an opportunity to relate directly to people everywhere in the world, to understand their cultures and the way they do things. And here in the New York office, we have people of all nationalities; in my office there are Russians, Brazilians, Chinese, and people from all parts of the globe. That shows how diverse we are.

I believe that Citigroup will continue to support diversity. The goal of the company is to be the most respected financial services company in the world. To achieve that, we must do things that are exceptional, things that no one else does. Citigroup has always been a leader in innovations in the financial services industry.

What are you proudest of about being part of Citigroup?
The company's reputation for excellence. The second thing is our geographical reach, how our employees have the opportunity to build a career—to pursue challenges anywhere in the world.

Why did you choose to join Citigroup?
I've actually joined Citigroup twice! The first time was after completing my undergraduate degree, but I've also recently come back to the company after leaving to attend business school. The first time I chose Citigroup, I had certain criteria in mind—the three E's: Exposure (access to senior people and working on senior projects), Education (extending my learning beyond the theoretical and academic), and Experience (significant early responsibility). Citigroup absolutely delivered all of those things. I was on a general management track prior to attending business school, and I wanted to get all that I could out of that experience, so I spent several years as a manager of a 30-person unit; but eventually I felt like the time was right for me to go to business school. Citigroup put me on an educational leave of absence, so the door was open for me to return.

While at business school, I kept an open mind—I wasn't sure if I necessarily wanted to return to New York, or even to Citigroup or financial services. I looked at other industries and firms, and as I narrowed down what it is that I really wanted to do, it became clear that Citigroup is the best place for me. I would go to all the info sessions for various competitors, and they would all mention Citigroup. While at school I realized that I had learned more from the leadership training while at Citigroup than I had recognized—I was a little bit ahead of the
game from a management and leadership perspective, and was also highly qualified in many skill sets, and I would attribute a lot of that to my experience at Citigroup.

Another thing I love is the globality of Citigroup. It's not an event to talk to someone in Singapore or Dublin—it's just part of the day-to-day business here. Actually, as I explored other companies, I realized that "global" meant very different things to them. Citigroup operates and has a presence in 100 different countries, while other companies say they're global because they have one office in Europe and another in Asia—but there's a very big difference.

What would students find most surprising about working there?
For as big a company as it is, Citigroup has a small-company feel. You get to know the people in your group extremely well. You also have a chance to form relationships with the people around the world with whom you're working. You may never meet them face to face, but you may be dealing with someone in a very different part of the world via e-mail and phone every day.

What does it take to succeed at Citigroup?
You definitely have to come in, work hard and be focused, and you have to realize too that you don't work hard for a few years, then reach a certain level and relax; it doesn't work that way, and I can definitely speak to that since I'm switching careers at this stage. You consistently need to have that drive and ambition. What makes Citigroup the perfect place is that you can have many different jobs without ever leaving the company. That was my experience beforehand, and still holds true now that I'm coming back in a completely different capacity—during the years I've worked here I've probably had seven or eight different jobs.

There is a lot of support for you at Citigroup with many programs to help guarantee your success. One great way that Citigroup supports diversity is through the African Heritage Network, which is highly supported by senior management—it's a huge part of the diversity network here. Obviously diversity is more than African Americans, but for African Americans specifically, this is a great resource. We do social service throughout the community, there's internal mentoring where people are matched up at the junior and senior levels, and many more beneficial programs.

The environment here is inclusive, respectful, and a meritocracy. Ultimately, Citigroup is a great launching pad to do many, many things. You can go a lot of places from here: go on to run companies, work in other lucrative businesses and industries, or you can build a fantastic long-term career right here.