Citibank Singapore CEO Han Kwee Juan resigns

CITIBANK Singapore CEO Han Kwee Juan has resigned after nearly three decades with the bank, The Business Times has learnt. A Citi spokesman confirmed the resignation by phone on Friday.

The bank has appointed Vikas Kumar, Citi's head of cards and personal loans at Citibank Singapore, as the interim country business manager, while it seeks out a replacement.

Mr Han assumed the role of Citibank Singapore CEO in February 2012 and had oversight of Citi's entire consumer banking business in Singapore. Prior to this role, he was head of retail banking, where he led the overall strategy for the business including wealth management, as well as the branch and ATM distribution network.

Mr Han spent 27 years at the American bank, having started his career with Citi as a summer intem in 1990 and later joined as a management associate in 1991, a staff memo seen by BT showed.

Over the years, he held various senior roles across the Citi businesses. During his time with the institutional banking team, Mr Han held leadership roles in the global cash and trade team, as well as the global relationship banking team in Singapore.

In 2010, Mr Han switched to consumer banking when he was appointed head of credit payment products. He was later appointed head of the retail bank.

"Throughout his career with Citi, Kwee Juan has championed innovation targeted at addressing market gaps as well as driven the digital transformation of the business," said the staff memo. 

Citi said Mr Han was also an active member in various banking committees, and represented Citi in the tripartite movement with Singapore's Ministry of Manpower and NTUC. "(He) contributed greatly to the development of a skills future framework within consumer banking," Citi said in the staff memo.

Mr Han was recognised as a Distinguished Fellow by the Institute of Banking and Finance in 2013.