Sunday, December 2, 2007

India vs Pak for top job at Citigroup?

Vikram Pandit in line for top job at Citigroup

While India is slogging out against Pakistan in a cricket Test match in Kolkata, another face-off is tipped to be developing here between two bankers with origins in the two countries -- that for the position of CEO at worlds largest bank Citigroup.

The list of contenders for this job include Vikram S Pandit, currently Citigroup's investment banking head and a former Morgan Stanley investment banker, and Shaukat Aziz, formerly the bank's global private banking business head and most recently the prime minister of Pakistan, according to various media reports.

Meanwhile, reports have been surfacing in the US and international media that Aziz, who resigned as Pakistan's Prime Minister last month, could also be a potential candidate and has already sent his feelers to Citigroup board. Queries sent on the candidature of Pandit and Aziz to Citigroup spokesperson Christina Pretto remained unanswered.

The CEO position fell vacant after Charles Prince resigned as Citigroup's Chairman and CEO at an emergency board meet on November 4 on the back of losses worth billions of dollars suffered by Citigroup in the subprime crisis.

After Prince's departure, Citigroup named its Europe Chairman Win Bischoff as an acting CEO and its Executive Committee Chairman and former US Treasury Secretary Robert E Rubin as Chairman on interim basis. Rubin is also part of a search committee for the new Chairman and CEO and this committee has been reviewing candidates from both inside and outside the bank.

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