Citi’s global transaction services (GTS) group has appointed Carlos Perez as global head of correspondent banking. Perez is an acknowledged leader in correspondent banking, with more than 28 years of experience in international banking, with a specialisation in servicing financial institutions.

Before joining Citi, Perez was the head of financial institutions group, Americas at Wachovia, where he was responsible for leading a team in building Wachovia’s significant position in Latin and North America.

“Perez’s broad industry expertise across product, credit and risk management, his breadth of relationships, and unquestioned track record in building a world-class franchise, makes him an ideal person to drive our correspondent banking business into the future,” comments Bharat Sarpeshkar, who heads bank services at Citi. Sarpeshkar’s organisation is comprised of experienced bankers who are focused on servicing the unique needs of Citi’s financial institution clients.

As head of correspondent banking, Perez has end-to-end responsibility for the development and strategic growth of the business in terms of market share, customer satisfaction and product quality. His focus, and that of his team, is to bring innovative solutions to market and to drive initiatives that deepen Citi’s strategy to be the ‘trusted partner’ with its bank clients and correspondent network that reaches 3,500 financial institutions around the world.

An original member of the CoreStates Bank management team, Perez built a solid record of achievement and advancement beyond the First Union Bank and Wachovia Bank mergers. He held various senior positions with the Wachovia/Wells Fargo franchise since joining in 1990, including business development and financial institutions head. Before joining CoreStates, Perez was with First Interstate Bank of California for nine years where he held roles as assistant representative for FICAL in Mexico and representative in Brazil.