Citi Appoints Gaurang Hattangdi as Head of Citi Commercial Bank LATAM and José Alberto Benamor as Head of Citi Commercial Bank Brazil

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New York - Citi today announced two leadership appointments that further strengthen Citi Commercial Bank (CCB) across Latin America and Brazil. Gaurang Hattangdi will assume responsibility for the LATAM cluster as Head of CCB Latin America, alongside his current global role as Head of Coverage and Loans. Additionally, José Alberto Benamor will expand his responsibilities and be appointed as Head of CCB Brazil. These appointments are effective immediately.

Gaurang, a 37-year Citi veteran who has held a broad range of senior leadership roles across Corporate and Commercial Banking, will report to Tasnim Ghiawadwala, Head of CCB and matrix report into Julio Figueroa, Head of LATAM for Citi. The Heads of CCB for Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico will report directly to Gaurang and have a matrix reporting line to the respective Citi Country Officers and Banking Heads in those markets. Gaurang previously served as Head of CCB LATAM from 2015 to 2023.

Over the course of his tenure at Citi, Gaurang has developed deep institutional knowledge, global experience, and strong client-solutioning capabilities. In this expanded role, he will continue advancing CCB's global strategy at the cluster level, with a focus on accelerating growth in the mid-market segment across key LATAM markets.

José Alberto brings more than 35 years of banking experience to the role and joined Citi Commercial Bank in 2011 as Head of Small and Medium Enterprises coverage for Brazil, based in São Paulo. In 2016, he was appointed Head of Mid-Corporates for Brazil and promoted to Director, following a strong track record of growth across multiple geographies. He has played a critical role in the transformation of CCB Brazil, helping to define and execute the business strategy. Since 2021, he has been instrumental in advancing CCB Brazil's growth strategy, leading multiple industry coverage areas and key initiatives; as a result, he was promoted to Managing Director in 2022. He also serves as a Business Senior Credit Officer.

Tasnim Ghiawadwala, Head of CCB, said: "I am delighted to congratulate both Gaurang and José Alberto on their new roles in CCB. Given Gaurang's track record and experience across Citi's Banking franchise, as well as his deep understanding of the needs of our client segment, I am confident he will be well positioned to continue the strong growth we have experienced in CCB LATAM under the leadership of André Cury. I am also very pleased that José will be spearheading our efforts in Brazil, a critically important market for our commercial banking business. José's deep understanding of the Brazilian market, strong client relationships, and product expertise position him well to execute our strategy and further strengthen our mid-market franchise."

Julio Figueroa, Head of LATAM for Citi, said: "Citi's commercial banking business in LATAM is a critical part of our overall offering in the region. Its growing mid-market through corporate innovation and entrepreneurship makes it a segment that holds immense potential for Citi's growth as we seek to help these clients navigate the region as well as international expansion through our client-centric products and solutions. I am looking forward to working closely with Gaurang on the execution of the commercial banking strategy across our LATAM markets and driving deeper collaboration across our businesses. I am also delighted that José Alberto will be assuming responsibility for Brazil, our biggest market."

Citi's Commercial Banking unit, part of the Banking business, provides global solutions to mid-sized companies, supporting their cross-border and international growth through Citi's global network and leading product capabilities.