Citi brings a European to run Romanian subsidiary

US Citi has appointed Tibor Pandi, 41, at the helm of Romanian operations, after Shahmir Khaliq was promoted as head of the group’s unit made up of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia. “Our strategy in Romania entails continued development of the main business segments,” Pandi says. Before arriving in Romania, he coordinated Citi’s operations on 12 Central European markets where the group has no local presence, having a 15-year experience in the banking field. A Hungarian-born, Pandi is awaiting NBR’s approval. In late 2008, Citi gave up the banking licence granted by the NBR, turning the domestic subsidiary into a branch of Citibank Europe plc., headquartered in Dublin. Shahmir Khaliq, 40, ran Citi’s Bucharest operations for four years, arriving after a period marked by frequent management changes. He managed to persuade the US giant to also develop complete retail operations in Romania, after the group had stayed focused on the corporate area for ten years, selling only consumer loans to individual clients via the Citi Financial brand.