Citi's new MD: a psychologist interested in 'psychological safety'
Citi's culture has been under intense scrutiny in the past year. It was sued by an MD in November over sexual harassment, and another suit was filed against the bank over similar claims last month when an ICAP broker accused a Citi trader of harassing her. Citi has denied these allegations, but it's also hired someone who might help do something about it.
Citi's new recruit is Anna Koczwara, who's joined in London as an MD and 'head of culture and behavioural insights'. Koczwara is a psychologist, whose PhD thesis was focused on differing perceptions of male and female leadership in investment banking.
Koczwara joins from RBS/NatWest, where she's worked since 2012. She's been head of behavioural science at NatWest for the last four and a half years.
At NatWest, Koczwara advocated for psychological safety, noting that a team's performance is significantly impacted by "how they are treated and how they gel together."
She specifies that ensuring this safety is important "both inside the bank and externally."
Hiring Koczwara isn't Citi's first effort to address the culture controversies. It has advised staff to speak up about harassment, and conducted a survey for female employees in February to better understand their experience.
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