Remembering the impact and legacy of Sir Win Bischoff

The Citi family mourns the loss of Sir Winfried “Win” Bischoff, who passed away this week at age 81 after a brief illness.

Sir Win joined Citi in 2000 as Chairman of Citigroup Europe through the acquisition of Schroders’ investment banking business. He held a number of roles during his tenure, including Chair of the Board of Directors and interim CEO. He stepped down from Citi in 2009 and soon after took on the role of chairman of Lloyds.

Born in Germany and raised in South Africa, he held leadership roles in London, New York City, Hong Kong and beyond. According to the Financial Times (FT), “[d]uring a career lasting more than half a century, Bischoff led some of the City of London and Wall Street’s most prestigious financial institutions, helping guide them through the financial crisis.”

Sir Win exemplified the global perspective and thoughtful world view that has served our company and clients so well. Sir Win was a steady hand during a volatile time for our business. As the FT reported, he was “summoned to New York to take over as interim chief executive. … When Vikram Pandit was installed, Bischoff was named group chair and helped stabilize the lender after a partial state bailout.”

Citi UK CCO James Bardrick noted that Sir Win “must be particularly remembered for his ethical integrity and his relentless focus on giving clients the best advice through deep and trusting relationships.”

It was perhaps his commitment to supporting the advancement of others that will be his most enduring legacy. Bardrick recalls that Sir Win was “focused on attracting and developing new talent to banking. He championed the careers of women and strove to provide young people from disadvantaged backgrounds with opportunities, having founded Career Ready in 2002.”

Sir Win served on several boards and fought for gender equity as a member of the 30% Club to increase gender diversity at the board level.

As we celebrate Sir Win’s life, our thoughts are with his family.