Citigroup's head in Switzerland is headed back to the U.S. after almost 21 years abroad, finews.com has learned. The American banker will work alongside Citi CEO Mike Corbat.
Kristine Braden is heading for New York to become the chief of staff for Citi CEO Mike Corbat, according to a memorandum seen by finews.com.
The American banker has worked in various roles in South America, Asia, London, and most recently Switzerland, where she has been country head since 2015. Braden is one of the rare women running a Swiss bank, and has been a passionate advocate both for workplace diversity as well as for Switzerland's financial center.
«I also would like to announce that as of October 1, Kristine Braden will succeed Sara Wechter as my Chief of Staff. As a 20-year veteran, Kristine knows our firm well,» Corbat wrote in a memo to staff. The contents were confirmed by a Citi spokeswoman.
Influential Gatekeeper
Braden's promotion brings her to the highest echelons of Citi's management around Corbat, who has been CEO of the third-largest American bank since 2012. Wechter, Braden's predecessor in the chief of staff job, was recently promoted to top management.
The chief of staff role is a hugely influential gatekeeper to the CEO, regulating the flow of information and visitors. Wechter was in the job for more than five years.
Swiss Side Jobs
For her part, Braden leaves behind not just the Citi country head job for Switzerland, Monaco, and Liechtenstein, but also a host of side jobs.
She is head of Advance, a Swiss network devoted to women's empowerment in business, and recently took the helm of the Association of Foreign Banks in Switzerland. She also sits on the board of the Swiss Bankers Association – the first woman as well as the first American to do so.
