Shaukat Aziz - Career in Citigroup

Career in Citigroup

Initially, Aziz joined the corporate branch of CitiBank Pakistan as its Credit Officer in 1969. During his career, Aziz subsequently served in various countries including Pakistan, Greece, United States, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Philippines, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Singapore.

After arriving to assume the charge of corporate assignment in the United States, Aziz settled in the New York City of New York State, and took over the office operations of Citibank at the Empire State Building. To this day, Aziz speaks American English with a New York accent, and often dressing in professional business suits in personal and state gatherings and meetings. Aziz required a Permanent residence status, but did not acquired the American citizenship, whilst continued to upgrade his legal status.

In the U.S., Aziz held various and prestigious positions in Citibank including Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB), Corporate Planning Officer (CPO), Chief Financial Officer of Citicorp, and Manager Director of Citibank Singapore. He has been a board member of Citibank subsidiaries, including Saudi American Bank, Citicorp Islamic Bank, and of several non-profit organizations. Aziz played a pivotal role in expanding the CitiBank branches and corporate directive operations throughout the country and had been an instrument bringing the multinational banking industries in Pakistan in 1990s.

At the CitiBank, Aziz served as the corporate director of Asia/Pacific global finance operations, and had been notable for financing and managing funds on behalf of Citibank and other financial corps in global stock markets. Aziz later on directed the Citi Private Bank, a subsidiary of Citigroup. Aziz regarded his career in Citigroup as "extremely helpful" in preparing for the executive public office, in 2006.

Meanwhile, Aziz visits Pakistan time by time working to expand the Citibank's financial services and banking in Pakistan, overseeing the wide expansion of Citigroup's branches and influence in Pakistan. In 1990s, he worked closely with the governments of Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif to help negotiate economical relief packages and aid to Pakistan, while maintained well diversed relations with Pakistan Armed Forces who would also visit to United States as part of Sharif's and Benazir Bhutto's state visit to United States.

By 1990s, Aziz had been under a close contacts with the United States administration, many key members of U.S. administration personally came in contact with Aziz. In a book, Global Financial Warrior, written by John B. Taylor, Aziz had a major internal deep access to US Treasure, World Bank and many other world financial institutions. In finances of war operations, Aziz closely worked with the United States, in order to finance U.S. war games and operations. Aziz knew the volumes of secretive methods of transferring funds in and out of South Asia, particularly clandestine financing of nuclear weapons programmes of India and Pakistan at its most, Taylor maintained.