Aftab Ahmed has been named country officer for Citi in the Philippines, effective from July 15.

Ahmed replaces Batara Sianturi, who will assume the role of head of the bank’s Indonesian operations. He will report to Michel Zink, head of Asean, and will be responsible for managing Citi’s entire service portfolio – including trade finance – in the Philippines.

He leaves his role as country officer for Citi Hungary, where he simultaneously manages the bank’s Balkan and Baltic Regions in Central and Eastern Europe, having previously headed up the bank’s Egyptian operations.

In a 39-year career with Citi, he has worked across 10 countries, holding senior roles in Pakistan, New Zealand, Taiwan and Germany. He began his career as a trainee in New Orleans.

He has also had a number of regional remits, including director of retail branch expansion and operations for Citi North America, consumer finance head for Asia Pacific, and consumer cluster head for Pakistan, Middle East and Egypt.

Commenting on the appointment, Zink says: “The Philippines is an important market for Citi and we are pleased to welcome Aftab as the new country head. As a 39-year veteran Citi-banker, he has vast experience in banking around the world and will play a critical role in protecting and leading the Citi franchise in the Philippines. Aftab will also be a great addition to the Asean leadership team.”