Citigroup has started an early intake program in Asia to boost the hiring of women in its investment banking and markets businesses.
The U.S. bank said the move is a rollout of a program that provided early training for 50 female students for its summer analyst hiring program.
First piloted in North America in 2017, the virtual five-week program was introduced in Asia in mid-April. It was open to students before their penultimate year in college or university. The bank is targeting at least 50% female representation in its annual summer analyst intake for its investment banking and markets and securities services businesses.
The program seeks to identify and mentor talent early by providing candidates with training to help them prepare for the interview process and improve their chance of securing spots in the 10-week summer internship.
“These are areas where female representation has typically been more challenging than in other areas of banking and financial services,” Citi said in a press release. “Citi aims to invest and develop a pipeline of potential female bankers for these businesses.”
The 50 candidates were selected from a pool of more than 1,200 applicants from over 590 institutions worldwide. Those who move on will be selected for the 2022 summer analyst program in Singapore, Hong Kong, India, China or Korea.
