A vice president from Citi’s London repo trading desk has recently left the bank and is currently taking time off ahead of a new role expected to begin in the new year. After several years at Citi and earlier experience at another major bank, the move appears to be a planned pause rather than a permanent exit from finance.
Beyond trading performance, the individual stood out for strong advocacy around social mobility and widening access to financial services. Coming from a working-class background and a nontraditional academic path, she has spoken openly about how early setbacks did not prevent long-term career success. Her message has consistently been that careers in finance do not need to follow a perfect or predictable route.
She has also been vocal about gender assumptions within banking. Despite working in trading, she has frequently had to correct assumptions that she worked in sales, highlighting how women can be stereotyped into certain roles based on personality rather than skill set. Her experience reflects broader challenges faced by women in front-office trading roles, where teams are often male-dominated.
In addition, she challenged traditional norms around appearance on trading floors, arguing that professionalism and personal style are not mutually exclusive. By openly embracing a more expressive approach to dress, she questioned long-standing cultural expectations within banks.
Overall, her departure underscore themes of career flexibility, diversity, and changing cultural norms in finance, showing how personal identity and professional success can increasingly coexist.