Straight out of university, John Hastings gave it a go as an entrepreneur. But after a year and half, the lure of one of the world’s premier financial institutions was too much to resist. More than 30 years later, Hastings is now the country officer, chairman, and CEO of Citi Canada, the company that drew him away from self-employment so many years ago. He is a trusted resource for the global banking organization’s Canadian arm, overseeing more than 3,000 employees in seven business lines. Here, he offers some numbers on his own career growth and on Citi’s contributions to the progress of its clients.

33 years of experience

Hastings has been with the bank since 1982. He began as an associate in the firm’s banking program before moving to junior banker and several other positions. One was on the trading floor, and another was at a desk responsible for all distribution activities, including loan syndications, private placements, public securities, leveraged finance, and leasing.

“I became the resident market expert,” Hastings says. “That evolved into running the group, which, after seven years, became solely focused on loan syndications and private placements.” Hastings continued with that group until Citi merged with Solomon Smith Barney in 1998, when he returned to banking, progressing through the ranks until eventually becoming head of Citi’s Institutional Clients Group business in Canada. He was promoted to his current position in 2010.
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