We heard from some of Citi’s employees about its global opportunities and the type of culture that graduates and new joiners can expect.
Back in 1965, Citi was one of the first international banks to set up in Ireland. Now it has more than 2,000 employees in Dublin, who are typically based at its offices on North Wall Quay.
A key part of the company’s operation in Ireland is its Innovation Lab, which was set up a decade ago to focus on research and development. Before Covid-19 restrictions were introduced, we visited the Citi Innovation Lab in Dublin to find out more.
Prag Sharma, emerging technology development lead at the Innovation Lab, told us that people who join Citi have “lots of opportunities to work in different teams, both here and across the world”. As well as the “mobility opportunities” available, Sharma mentioned the company’s graduate programme, where participants take part in different rotations.
“We have two graduates sitting here in the lab that have come through that rotation programme,” Sharma said. “It gives them the opportunity not just to experience the first group that they join but actually to rotate among the various groups that are based here and get that wide experience that a large bank like Citi can offer.”
We also spoke to blockchain engineer Amber Higgins about her role in the Innovation Lab. “It’s hard to say what is my one single favourite thing about working in Citi because there’s so many things that I really enjoy about it,” she said.
However, she highlighted getting to work with “incredibly talented, ambitious and motivated people”, and looking at problems “that have never been worked on before” and finding innovative solutions that may have global impact and reach.
Finally, Citi Europe’s chief information officer, Claire Chung, told us about her experience with the company to date. “I’ve been here for 17 years but I’ve done many, many different roles in that period,” she said.
Those opportunities also extended to fitting work around her personal life, Chung said. “I have three young children so it’s obviously quite busy and Citi has been very enabling in allowing me to work from home or work different types of hours that suit my family life.”
