Abisola Barber | Director, Citi
Abisola Barber, CCMI CMgr, is a Director at Citi based in London. Leveraging her background as a former Business Manager/Chief Operating Officer within Global Markets, Abisola is a strategic troubleshooter: leading on program governance & oversight, driving transformational change programs, and enhancing cross-departmental collaboration & operational effectiveness – all whilst championing strong conduct, culture, and colleague development.
Abisola Barber, CCMI CMgr, is a Director at Citi based in London. Leveraging her background as a former Business Manager/Chief Operating Officer within Global Markets, Abisola is a strategic troubleshooter: leading on program governance & oversight, driving transformational change programs, and enhancing cross-departmental collaboration & operational effectiveness – all whilst championing strong conduct, culture, and colleague development.Prior to joining Citi, Abisola spent close to 10 years at Barclays in various roles across the Corporate and Investment Bank. During her tenure in Barclays’ Non -Core unit, Abisola led high-profile divestment projects across Rates, Commodities, Consumer Cards and Corporate Loans, contributing to the successful c.£95bn RWA reduction.
Abisola additionally holds experience in and exposure to an array of industries and professions including Entertainment, Public/Third Sector, and Commercial Services. Her formative years were spent in Government and Politics, as a Strategic Advisor and Board Member for several Local Government Groups and UK National Agencies – providing direction and leadership for content, execution and delivery of key Children & Young People’s Services. Abisola’s professional work has seen her present on and write for national outlets, including BBC (Television and Radio), London Live and The Guardian; and partner with brands including Adidas, Nike, Puma in shifting the industry’s response to supporting the modern woman.
A multi-award winning Professional recognised by the likes of the Financial Times (2017), Women in Banking & Finance (2018), The Black British Business Awards (2019), Yahoo Finance (2019, 2020) and The Baton Awards (2021) for her trailblazing career and pioneering work in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion both inside the workplace and in society, Abisola is also a Non-Executive Director in Higher Education – serving as an Independent Board Member for the University of York’s governing council, and Advisory Board Member for the School for Business and Society at the University of York. Her passion to make a positive contribution to society has led to her global recognition. Abisola is also a WeAreTheCity Rising Star Award Alum, having won in the Banking & Capital Markets category in 2018.
Abisola holds a BA (Hons) Philosophy, Politics & Economics from University of York (2013); and MSc International Public Policy from University College London (2014).