Thread by @smashranjan

Citi Never Sleeps

This famous photo is doing rounds of the social media - and along with some healthy emotional outpour. To everyone wondering why there’s so much affinity for this organisation, the answer lies in what it meant to the people it attracted & what it stood for.

To understand who it attracted, I tried imagining the India of 1900s – Citi set shop in India in 1902. To the westerners, we were still a land unfamiliar & I wondered what kind of folks would come to India to do business those days taking a voyage to a land unknown?

I came out thinking of them as a bunch of adventurers, seekers & risk takers. Folks taking a punt on something much before everyone else did. And on this foundation that Citibank took roots in India.

It sustained that DNA, in my assessment, throughout these 120 years. It attracted humans of all shades with a common denominator of passion and conviction. It stood for early bets & for courage of conviction.

After 120 yrs, Citi India is an institution & while the institution calls it quits on the retail banking franchise, it still has a thriving wholesale franchise in India.

So over to you Axis, and let’s cherish the Citi for the guys who came in 1902, for all the leaders who shaped careers, yours and mine, and for every Citi banker, you worked & laughed with.

#citibank #legacy #notesfromciti