Citi appoints Dr Tooba Modassir as CHRO for India and Subcontinent

Citi has announced the appointment of Dr Tooba Modassir as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) for India and the Indian Subcontinent, including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Dr Modassir will also serve as the Banking HR Advisor (HRA) for this sub-cluster, responsible for overseeing human resources strategy and operations across a workforce exceeding 34,000 employees.

Dr Modassir succeeds Aditya Mittal, who retired after more than 30 years of distinguished service at Citi. She will report to Arun Mirchandani, Asia South Cluster and Banking HR Head at Citi, continuing the leadership tradition in the region.

Commenting on the appointment, K Balasubramanian, CEO of Citi India and Banking Head for the Indian Subcontinent, said, “Tooba has consistently demonstrated the ability to build strong, engaged teams, while aligning HR strategy with business priorities. Her track record of driving transformative initiatives, combined with her passion for people development, will help us effectively leverage our promising and dynamic talent base in the region.”

Arun Mirchandani added, “Tooba’s appointment reflects our commitment to nurturing leaders who bring a blend of strategic vision, execution excellence, and deep understanding of people priorities. We look forward to her leadership in advancing our growth-oriented HR programmes in the Indian Subcontinent.”

Dr Modassir brings over 19 years of extensive expertise in human resources advisory, talent engagement, learning and development, and performance management. Since joining Citi in 2008, she has held numerous pivotal roles. These include serving as HR Business Partner for Retail and Institutional Banking in India, Head of Talent, Performance Management, Learning and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) for the Bank and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and most recently, CHRO and Banking HRA for Citi Malaysia.

Her leadership at Citi Malaysia was instrumental in earning multiple prestigious HR accolades, including awards from Euromoney and Finance Asia. She was also recognised as one of the Most Influential HR Icons in Malaysia at the Economic Times HR World Conference held in Kuala Lumpur, underscoring her influence and commitment to excellence in human resources.

Dr Modassir holds a PhD in Talent Management and Diversity from Goa Business School, alongside an MBA specialising in Human Resources from Goa Institute of Management. She further augmented her qualifications with a Strategic Human Resources Advisory certification from the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University.

This appointment reflects Citi’s continued emphasis on strengthening its human capital strategy to align with evolving business priorities in the Indian subcontinent region, encompassing India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. With a significant employee base exceeding 34,000 individuals, the role is crucial for driving HR transformation, talent development, and fostering an inclusive workplace culture.

As the banking sector navigates an increasingly competitive and dynamic environment, Citi’s focus on leadership appointments such as Dr Modassir’s highlights the importance of strategic HR leadership in nurturing talent, enhancing performance management, and embedding diversity and inclusion as core organisational values.