Commercial Bank Senior Relationship Manager - Consumer & Retail (Director)
Citi · London United Kingdom, United Kingdom
This exciting senior relationship manager role within the Consumer and Retail industry team is based in London and has arisen from Citi's ongoing commitment to support the global growth ambitions of UK Mid-Market businesses.
Citi Commercial Bank UK (CCB UK) was established in 2016 to support the growth plans of UK-headquartered Mid-Market businesses with annual turnover from £100mm up to £3bn. As part of CCB's continued commitment to serving this segment, a dedicated Consumer and Retail client coverage team was established in 2024 — making this a rare, ground-floor opportunity for a senior banker to help scale a newer, high-priority sector franchise. The UK CCB Consumer and Retail team covers corporate clients who produce or sell consumer goods, food and beverage. Industry sub-segments include Food & Beverage, Agribusiness, Textiles, Footwear & Apparel, Consumer Durables, Household and Personal Care, Retail and Specialty Retail.
This Director-level Senior Relationship Manager role reports to the UK Head of Consumer and Retail and is focused on delivering value to clients and, through that, is accountable for business results which include meeting return hurdles, growing topline revenue and driving new client acquisition — while also supporting and adding value to colleagues across the wider team.
The Mid-Corp Senior Relationship Manager is an expert strategic professional who closely follows the latest sector trends, adapts them into client dialogue and origination strategies, and maintains a deep understanding of the competitive landscape. This individual will represent UK CCB externally as a senior market participant and is expected to operate at the highest level while also elevating the capability and culture of the broader team.
The Senior Relationship Manager is an expert in analysing client financial performance while leading and participating actively in the credit underwriting process. This individual understands how clients capitalise themselves, is highly knowledgeable about capital markets and commercial credit, and knows how to position Citi to compete for lead roles across the full product suite. This individual is also well-versed in building consensus internally, managing risk management and credit committee discussions, and communicating complex credit and commercial situations clearly and concisely to senior internal stakeholders.
Responsibilities:
Business Development & Client Origination
- Self-originate new, multi-product and multi-country clients for CCB UK, and manage those relationships on an ongoing basis with a clear emphasis on new business development and portfolio growth
- Demonstrate strong sales and self-origination disciplines, including direct calling and marketing, professional network referrals, and disciplined pipeline management through CRM (Salesforce)
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with key business introducers — debt advisors, corporate finance advisors, legal, audit, industry associations, and other key market influencers — building advocacy and gaining market insight
- Be a visible and credible representative of the CCB UK franchise in the external market, building a strong personal brand
Client Relationship Management
- Strategically engage and manage relationships with clients' C-suite (CEO, CFO, Treasury teams), maximising the 'One Citi' client experience by proactively leveraging and sharing Citi's market-leading insights, global network, and product solutions
- Consistently deliver value by deeply understanding clients' financial challenges and strategic agenda, and identifying solutions that address their holistic treasury and business needs
- Be responsible for client-level planning, budget, and revenue responsibilities; identify and execute cross-sell opportunities to deepen relationships and increase share of wallet
- Proactively own, respond to, and anticipate future client needs, challenges, and risks, ensuring clients are served with simplicity, security, and seamlessness
Credit & Deal Execution
- Demonstrate expert-level credit skills — capable of leading and structuring complex credit transactions across the full spectrum of CCB UK's product offering and guiding deal team processes from origination through to execution and close
- Lead the credit relationship of clients, coordinating and supervising the entire underwriting process, ensuring proper application of Citi's policies, credit appetite, and institutional processes
- Apply advanced knowledge of Citi's credit processes, credit appetite, and Early Warning Detection skills to proactively identify and manage portfolio risks
- Participate actively in credit committee discussions; communicate credit and commercial recommendations clearly, compellingly, and concisely to senior risk management stakeholders and internal approvers
- Demonstrate substantial execution experience on complex, multi-product and multi-jurisdictional deals with a proven ability to lead a deal team
Internal Collaboration & Senior Stakeholder Engagement
- Collaborate and work closely with product partners (cash management, trade finance, markets, corporate finance, investment banking, private banking), Underwriting and Risk teams, junior bankers, other CCB and non-CCB teams globally to develop and execute client opportunities
- Maintain a consistent and disciplined approach to communicating deal progress, pipeline status, client plans, and risk issues to senior internal stakeholders — providing clear, timely, and well-structured updates that enable sound decision-making
- Work closely with CCB UK leadership in delivering on the strategic plan, increasing the internal and external profile of the team, and contributing to the business's commercial objectives
- Drive innovation in the solutions provided to clients through partnerships with product specialists and subject matter experts, while structuring deals that balance risk and reward
Leadership, Compliance & Team Development
- Mentor and develop Analysts, Associates, and Junior Bankers within the Commercial Banking team; foster a collaborative culture and promote coaching and development
- Demonstrate strong and visible leadership skills as a team player, serving as a role model for the values and standards of CCB UK
- Ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements and Citi's policies and guidelines at all times; verify adherence to global KYC (Know Your Customer) standards during onboarding and on an ongoing basis
- Appropriately assess risk when business decisions are made, demonstrating particular consideration for the firm's reputation and safeguarding Citigroup, its clients, and assets, by driving compliance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations, adhering to Policy, applying sound ethical judgement regarding personal behaviour and business practices, and escalating, managing, and reporting control issues with transparency
- Monitor and support product implementation processes and client onboarding with the ability to coordinate internally and escalate to bring processes back on track
Qualifications & Experience
- Extensive experience in commercial/corporate banking, with significant experience operating at a senior relationship management level
- Extensive experience in commercial banking, credit/risk management, and senior relationship management — with a demonstrable track record of originating new client relationships at a senior level
- In-depth knowledge of all aspects of commercial banking, including strong commercial credit knowledge and the ability to quickly learn and position new products and services
- Expert-level credit skills: proven ability to lead and structure all credit transactions, guide teams through the credit approval process, and manage credit committee discussions at a senior level
- Demonstrates advanced knowledge of Citi's (or comparable institution's) credit processes and credit appetite. While not required, previ