Crittenden to leave AmEx for Citi

Erin McCune

February 26, 2007

Yesterday Citigroup announced that Gary Crittenden, currently CFO of AmEx, will be joining Citi as its CFO effective March 12th.

Crittenden is often lauded as one of the most successful and effective CFOs around. He will be challenged in this new role, as Citi struggles to achieve the earnings of its rivals in a tough interest rate environment. But he brings to the job proven execution skills, strategic management acumen, and shareholder relationship savvy.

There is much talk of Crittenden as a potentail successor to Charles Prince as CEO of Citi. Analysts' reaction to the announcement are for the most part positive, although many caution that he is not yet ready for the CEO position.

We were surprised by Mr. Crittenden's decision to, as we see it, "leave a Cadillac for a Kia,"  –Meredith Whitney, of CIBC World Markets (quoted in the WSJ)

I for one will be closely watching his actions at Citi and will report back here with my observations.

Read more:

Wall Street Journal
New York Times
CFO.com

During her time at Glenbrook, Erin focused on client engagements in business payments, cross-border transactions, bill payment, and the intersection of corporate finance, banking, and ERP/accounting. She has nearly twenty years of experience leading increasingly complex payment initiatives for corporate clients and advising financial institutions and payment technologists on the development of their payment capabilities.

Erin is also the founder of Forte Financial, a consulting firm focused on corporate finance efficiency, technology, and process improvement. She is a past president of the Financial Women’s Association of San Francisco and also a two-term past president of the San Francisco Treasury Management Association. Erin is no longer with Glenbrook, but contributed greatly during her time at the firm.

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