The Banking Executive Magazine - April 2023 Issue

Citibank announced the appoint- ment of Shamsa Al Falasi as CEO of its UAE Onshore Branch. Shamsa will also assume the role of the chief administrative officer (CAO) across all Citi entities operating on- shore & offshore in the country. Al Falasi is a seasoned banker with almost two decades of experience at Citi. She joined the bank as a gradu- ate in 2004 and has since worked across many geographies including Dublin, London, and Sao Paulo, be- fore being appointed as senior busi- ness and relationship manager for the Mena and Turkey region based in the UAE. In 2015, Al Falasi was appointed as Head of the Global Subsidiaries Group (GSG) for the UAE and Iraq, a role that was expanded in 2018 to include regional responsibilities as Head of GSG in GCC and Iraq based in the UAE. Since the beginning of 2023, Shamsa has served as interim Citi Country Officer (CCO) and in- terim CEO of Citibank, N.A. UAE Onshore Branch. She will continue to serve as Interim CCO until a per- manent appointment is made. Shamsa said: "I am delighted to have the opportunity to be the first Emirati woman to lead Citi’s UAE onshore businesses and operations and con- tribute to the overall franchise per- formance. We have a seasoned team in the country, and together we will continue to provide the highest stan- dards of products and services to our clients." Ebru Pakcan, CEO of Citi’s Middle East and Africa Cluster, said: "This is a landmark appointment which tes- tifies to Shamsa’s talent and leader- ship skills. Citi UAE is the bank flagship franchise in the Middle East and Africa region offering a full spec- trum of institutional banking and wealth management services, and with Shamsa’s elevation, I am sure the franchise will continue on a tra- jectory of growth and success.” the BANKING EXECUTIVE 46 ISSUE 172 APRIL 2023 Career Chronicle INTERNATIONAL BANK APPOINTS FIRST EMIRATI WOMAN CEO