This file contains a description of a current Citi employee and description of the employee experience through a set of questions and answers. Be flexible. Whether it is getting the job done, juggling between your personal and professional life, or managing your career within a complex, multi-geographical organization, a flexible and open-minded approach goes a long way.

]]> My career started off in IT consulting before moving into the financial sector after a break to complete my MBA. I now work in the team that provides corporate clients with solutions to their Import / Export Trading needs from confirming plain vanilla Letters of Credit to structuring more complex Supply Chain management solutions. I focus on the African market where a relatively important portion of our Trade business is with local Financial Institutions.

]]> Global reach. I can’t think of any other financial institution that comes even close to the number of locations, markets, corners of the world that Citi covers. With its ability to innovate locally and disseminate, replicate and rollout innovations across geographies, Citi is better placed than any of its competitors to take advantage of the increasingly global world.

]]> In my current role in Trade Product Management, I interact regularly with Sales, Legal, Compliance, Risk, Processing, Operations and Customer Service, across several geographies such as London, New York, Tampa, Penang, Mumbai, Dublin, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Dubai and many other locations.

]]> Citi is a powerful organization with all sorts of resources invested in people; technology and processes, which if harnessed properly give you powerful tools to succeed. As such, I find that communication and personal skills to influence others are not only useful but also critical to succeed.

]]> I am part of the GTS Associate class of 2006, and as such I am given the opportunity to do medium-term rotations within different business groups to give me a good overview of the products, geographies and functions that make up the GTS world. Having started my program last year, I have spent 6 months in Trade Services in London and another 6 months in Johannesburg working with the Sub-Saharan Trade team.

]]> An Ethiopian, with a high school degree from the South of France, a Bachelors degree from Ohio, a Masters degree from Barcelona Spain, with work experience in the US, Africa and Europe in IT consulting for the public sector, and the financial sector, and now employed by one of the most global and dynamic financial institutions.

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Name: Ermias Mengistu

Title: Associate

Education: MBA, IESE Business School, Barcelona

Program: Global Transaction Services

Level: associate

Region: Western Europe

What advice would you offer prospective candidates on transitioning from school to the workplace?: Be flexible. Whether it is getting the job done, juggling between your personal and professional life, or managing your career within a complex, multi-geographical organization, a flexible and open-minded approach goes a long way.
If asked about your career at a dinner party, how would you describe it?: My career started off in IT consulting before moving into the financial sector after a break to complete my MBA. I now work in the team that provides corporate clients with solutions to their Import / Export Trading needs from confirming plain vanilla Letters of Credit to structuring more complex Supply Chain management solutions. I focus on the African market where a relatively important portion of our Trade business is with local Financial Institutions.
What do you consider Citi's competitive edge?: Global reach. I can’t think of any other financial institution that comes even close to the number of locations, markets, corners of the world that Citi covers. With its ability to innovate locally and disseminate, replicate and rollout innovations across geographies, Citi is better placed than any of its competitors to take advantage of the increasingly global world.
What other groups do you liaise with regularly within the Firm?: In my current role in Trade Product Management, I interact regularly with Sales, Legal, Compliance, Risk, Processing, Operations and Customer Service, across several geographies such as London, New York, Tampa, Penang, Mumbai, Dublin, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Dubai and many other locations.
What skills have you found to be the most useful in your position?: Citi is a powerful organization with all sorts of resources invested in people; technology and processes, which if harnessed properly give you powerful tools to succeed. As such, I find that communication and personal skills to influence others are not only useful but also critical to succeed.
Describe your experience in your specific training program.: I am part of the GTS Associate class of 2006, and as such I am given the opportunity to do medium-term rotations within different business groups to give me a good overview of the products, geographies and functions that make up the GTS world. Having started my program last year, I have spent 6 months in Trade Services in London and another 6 months in Johannesburg working with the Sub-Saharan Trade team.
What is the most interesting fact about yourself?: An Ethiopian, with a high school degree from the South of France, a Bachelors degree from Ohio, a Masters degree from Barcelona Spain, with work experience in the US, Africa and Europe in IT consulting for the public sector, and the financial sector, and now employed by one of the most global and dynamic financial institutions.

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