Citibank Singapore CEO Han Kwee Juan resigns

Singapore

CITIBANK Singapore CEO Han Kwee Juan has resigned after nearly three decades with the bank. A Citi spokesman confirmed the resignation in response to queries from The Business Times on Friday.

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

It is unclear where Mr Han, who is 51, is headed next. He became Citibank Singapore CEO in 2012, and took charge of Citi's consumer banking business in Singapore. Before this, he headed retail banking, where he oversaw the strategy for the business, including wealth management and the branch and ATM distribution network.

Mr Han spent 27 years at the US bank, which he joined in 1991 as a management associate after an internship the year before, said a staff memo on Friday, a copy of which was seen by The Business Times.

Over the years, he held various senior roles across the Citi businesses. During his time with the institutional banking team, he 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, with his appointment as head of credit payment products. He was later appointed head of the retail bank.

The staff memo read: "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."

The bank noted that he was 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 SkillsFuture framework within consumer banking," Citi said in the memo.

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

In a press statement, Amol Gupte, head of Asean and Citi country officer, Singapore, said: "We wish to thank Kwee Juan for his significant contributions to Citi in Singapore over the past 27 years.

"During his long career, he held many leadership roles within Citi's institutional and consumer banking businesses. He played a key role in building the Citi franchise in Singapore. We wish him well in his future endeavours."