Eva Lewis to succeed Peter Moses at Citi Jamaica

Peter Moses is retiring as the head of Citibank NA's operations in Jamaica, and a banking veteran inside the company has been named as his successor.

Eva Lewis will take over when Moses demits office at the end of March, according to a release from Citigroup Inc.

Lewis's ascension to the top spot in the Jamaican operation as Citi country officer is subject to regulatory approval.

She has worked in banking for 29 years, and her expertise has been in the sphere of corporate and investment banking. Inside Citi, she has served in different positions, including country treasurer and managing director of Citimerchant Bank, and more recently as head of Citi Corporate Bank.

"Throughout her time as the Corporate Bank head, Mrs Lewis played a key role in a number of significant transactions that include the two debt exchanges for the Government of Jamaica and international bond transactions for both corporate clients and the Government," said Citigroup.

Regarding Moses, the American corporation said he "played an important role in the advancement of a number of young bankers who now hold senior positions across the banking industry and in corporate Jamaica" and that he, too, was at the "forefront of a number of significant transactions both in the local and international markets".

SMALLEST COMMERCIAL BANK

Citibank Jamaica has operated in Jamaica since 1960 and is the smallest of seven commercial banks that make up the local market.

Based on the last industry report compiled by the Bank of Jamaica, for the September 2016 quarter, the American-owned bank held assets of $19 billion in a sector valued at $1.2 trillion.

Lewis was educated at Temple University in the United States and at University of Western Ontario in Canada.

Her appointment now tilts the ratio of bank managers towards females. She will become the fourth woman to head a Jamaica-based bank, the others being Jacqueline Sharp, Maureen Hayden-Cater and Mariame Robinson.

business@gleanerjm.com