Citibank Taiwan Ltd’s (台灣花旗) board of directors yesterday elected Aftab Ahmed, a former Citi country officer (CCO) for the Philippines, as the bank’s new chairman, pending regulatory approval.
Aftab is to take over the position from Paulus Mok (莫兆鴻), who last month announced that he would on Friday next week retire as chairman and CEO.
Aftab, a Citi veteran of more than 40 years, has previously worked as Citi Taiwan’s global consumer banking operations and technology head, and thus has a good understanding and knowledge of the local market.
“Taiwan is one of Citi’s most important markets in the region where we have a market leading institutional franchise and a strong commitment to responsible and sustainable growth. I look forward to Aftab building on this strong franchise and supporting our clients further,” Citibank North and East Asia head Tim Monger said.
Aftab said: “We are grateful for Paulus’ 28-year contribution to Citi. Under his leadership, Citi Taiwan has consistently delivered strong results and has been smoothly moving forward with the GCB Divestiture. I look forward to building on this legacy and supporting our clients as we are committed to further growth in Taiwan.”
Paulus said: “Citi Taiwan has the best talent in the market. With this top-notch team, and Aftab’s more than 40 years of extensive experience gained from regional management, technology and business, Citi Taiwan will continue to shine.”
Under Paulus’ leadership, Citi Taiwan successfully helped clients achieve sustainable growth and laid a solid foundation with an environmental, social and corporate governance strategy as a core competitive advantage.
Citi was named the Best International Bank in Taiwan by FinanceAsia for 26 consecutive years and the Best International Bank by The Asset magazine for 19 consecutive years.
Citi was also consistently named Best Bank by Euromoney and Best International Bank by Asiamoney.
Aftab has held a number of senior roles at Citi including country officer and CEO for Egypt, country officer and CEO for Hungary, consumer country business manager for Pakistan, corporate bank head for New Zealand, branch expansion director in New York, consumer finance head and regional sales development director in Singapore, and consumer banking operations and technology head for Germany.
In his business and leadership roles in multiple locations, Aftab has been extensively involved in and has successfully contributed to country and regional initiatives to grow franchises, expand the branch footprint, increase the customer base and deepen relationships, and protect and grow portfolios.
Aftab believes that leadership is not just about leading people to achieve goals and deliver results, it is also about mentoring, and contributing to the growth and development of his team.
Since the opening of the first representative office in 1964, Citi has been present in Taiwan for close to 60 years. Citi is the largest foreign bank in Taiwan, and counts more than 700 multinational corporations, more than 1,500 small and medium-sized enterprises and more than 100 top local companies among its clients.
Citi is to continue to focus on clients’ needs, support local market development and foster sustainable growth in the corporate sector.
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