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Girton Alumna to become the first woman to lead a major global bank

Jane Fraser (Economics, 1985)

Jane Fraser (Economics, 1985) will become the first woman to lead a major global bank when she takes over as Citi’s Chief Executive Officer. Jane has been at the firm for 16 years, and is currently the President of Citi and CEO of Global Consumer Banking. In this role, she oversees a critical growth engine for Citi, which serves more than 110 million clients in 19 markets. She will take over the reins of North America’s third-largest bank from Michael Corbat in February 2021.

In a report on the state of gender parity in finance in 2020, consulting firm Oliver Wyman found that women held just 6 percent of CEO positions at major financial firms globally in 2019, a two-percentage point drop since 2016.  Women also comprise only about one in four corporate board seats in finance.

Jane read Economics at Girton College, Cambridge, 1985 -88 and has had a stellar career in banking since. She was the subject of an alumnae profile in the 2017 Development Newsletter. Please follow this link to read it: https://issuu.com/girtoncollege/docs/girton_college_newsletter_2017/18

Professor Susan J. Smith, Mistress of Girton College says:

“Jane Fraser’s appointment is at the crest of a long-awaited sea-change in leadership for the financial sector. She joins a long list of Girton alumnae who, by showing that women can be both first and best, press home the message that only institutions that are fully inclusive can claim to be truly excellent. Jane Fraser shows outstanding leadership and is an inspiring role model. Girton College, at the University of Cambridge, is beyond proud of her achievements; we extend our warmest congratulations to her and to Citi where we are sure she will make an outstanding CEO.”