Subah Afrin
Vice President & Head of Trade Product
Citibank N.A.
Ms. Subah Afrin is a distinguished Vice President & Head of Trade Product at Citibank N.A., with over 13 years of leadership experience in the financial sector. A summa cum laude graduate in Finance and Economics from North South University, she also holds an Executive MBA from IBA, Dhaka University. Ms. Afrin has successfully led innovative trade finance solutions, driving digitalization and operational efficiency across global markets. Recognized globally as a “One Young World” Ambassador and one of Asia Square’s “50 Leading Lights 2022,” she is also a dedicated advocate for women’s empowerment and professional mentorship, making significant contributions both in and beyond her role at Citibank.
Let’s learn about her journey.
The InCAP: Ms. Subah Afrin, please share your professional and academic peregrination for our readers!
Ms. Subah Afrin: From my very childhood, I have been inclined towards reading books from different genres which not only made me keen towards exploring life outside text books but also helped me to flourish in my academic journey. After completing my Ordinary Levels ( O-levels) and Advanced Levels( A-levels) from Mastermind School, I graduated from North South University with Summa cum laude ( with highest honor) and a full scholarship with Majors in Finance & Economics. This has further enunciated my professional career where I started off my internship with HSBC Bangladesh and subsequently started my journey as finance analyst with Novartis Bangladesh and then eventually moved to Standard Chartered Bangladesh.
Post that, I began my journey under the prestigious Management Associate program 13.5 years back at Citi Bangladesh and have developed myself over the years to become the Head of Trade Product and have reached a leadership role as Vice President. I also got selected for a 6 months stint in Citi Dubai and had the opportunity to attend various workshops in Citi India and Citi Malaysia notably “ Citi Management Associate program” in Malaysia for a month. In the meantime, I also applied for my EMBA program at prestigious institution, IBA, Dhaka University where I was the only woman contender of EMBA 17th Batch, IBA, Dhaka University.
One of the most significant accomplishments in my career had been the opportunity to represent Citi globally as “One Young World” Ambassador where I was the only one from South Asia Cluster of Citi and also one of the delegates chosen from 200 applicants worldwide from Citi. The summit took place in Germany. I also got awarded as “50 Leading Lights 2022” by Asia Square, University of Oxford and The Financial Times for my contribution towards women empowerment. I was also selected as one of the 54 mentors of the “Social Impact Leadership Program” published in Citigroup Annual Report (2020, Class 4) jointly with Yunus & Youth. I have also been an active member of Junior Chamber International (JCI) Bangladesh, which is a global non-profit, non-governmental organization headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, USA with presence in 124 countries.
I have been an active role taker through out my professional journey and have never confined myself to any prescribed job description. I have stepped up and took ownership on any new challenges or tasks let it be emceeing a town hall, Citi Events, organizing Citi Women’s network events, being part of different Scrum teams and also put in equal effort on my core Trade related activities. One of the recent trade product initiatives which was a great learning opportunity for me was the product launch of “Citi Supplier Finance” which would enable Bangladeshi clients to improve their working capital efficiency and is a STP( Straight through processing ) product proposition.
To conclude, I am fortunate to serve as the Communications lead of Citi Women’s Network in Bangladesh for over 4 years which allowed me to get involved and lead multiple projects that work with Women equality rights, mental health, career developments, Soft skill trainings, events on community outreach.
As Vice President & Head of Trade Product at Citibank N.A, what strategies do you prioritize to drive innovation in trade finance?
I believe, the term “innovation” is a wide-ranging terminology and it can come in any form. To me, innovation starts from point when we identify a problem and begin to address it in a sustainable way. Most of my strategies hover around bringing synergy in the most cost effective manner benefitting all stakeholders associated to it.
One of the key ways to stay innovative for trade is to embrace technology where Trade has been a paper based industry for centuries. Blockchain, AI, Electronic Signature, Electronic presentation are some of the crucial areas than can ease trade flows and take our international trade business to greater heights.
The future of trade lies in connectivity, convergence, interoperability across ecosystems and offering trade finance to those with no previous access to finance. Also supplier chain financing, ESG financing to reduce carbon emission, green financing are key towards building a sustainable ecosystem for the trade partners.
How do you ensure Citibank’s trade products remain competitive in the evolving global trade landscape?
Citi with its global footprints and state-of -the-art digital platform has always been in the forefront of innovation and we believe client excellence is the core to our business. By ensuring client excellence and being ahead in terms of innovation amalgamated with our global expertise gives us competitive edge.
What role do digitalization and technology play in transforming the trade finance sector, in your opinion?
As I mentioned in one of the earlier questions, digitization in trade ecosystem has become more important than ever. We are living in a fast-paced world where ensuring we are aligned with the key emerging technologies is mandatory to make us competitive in the market. Bringing all relevant stakeholders like importers, exporters, banks, customs, logistics within an unified system/technology would result into better audit trail, lower documentation travel time and also bring in synergy and collaboration.
E-commerce platforms, data analytics, market insights have transformed the entire supply chain system into a leaner version, automating various tasks, reducing human errors and speeding up processes. Single-window systems, simplifying customs procedures , electronic presentation of trade documents can further improve efficiency and transparency.
How do you foster a culture of collaboration and innovation within your team at Citibank?
Being the Communications lead of Citi Women’s Network Bangladesh and the lead for multiple Employee Engagement programme at Citi Bangladesh, I reckon that Empowerment, Mutual Respect and Connectivity can bring positive collective change not only in the workplace but also to the ecosystem around us. I have always stepped in and took ownership of any tasks that required my support even if it was beyond my job role and this has built a sense of connectivity with my fellow colleagues who became like a second home and we made work look like a form of passion and collective accomplishment which made us dream big as a team. Also to my view, empathy plays a big role and it is equally important to listen and understand other person’s point of view, be curious and walk in their shoes. Afterall, businesses are made up of relationship and trust and collaborative mindset, promoting innovation are definitely key in creating a great workplace.
Outside of work, how do you like to spend your free time?
I have a 7 years old son named Umayr and I love spending time with my son. He is a big football fan and a rock music fan as well and his fun opinions about music and football gives me a respite after my work hours. I believe in giving quality time to my family members and love spending time with my mom, dad, husband and my only sister, Sarah.
I love reading books too and spend a considerable time going through books from different authors.
Ms. Subah Afrin, please say something to the readers!
Being brought up in a developing country like Bangladesh , I have always felt women empowerment is yet to reach its required potential. This has always inspired me to work towards women empowerment and I have tried to coach/mentor women throughout my career. To the readers of The InCAP, I would urge you to not only build up a diverse, equitable workforce for our future geneation but also put focus on the mental health, fitness, equality rights and above all to work towards creating an empathetic generation of leaders.
“The World is your Oyster”
Quick Chat With Subah Afrin
The most outstanding achievement of your life as of now:
Being mother of my passionate and brave son, Umayr Ibn Azad.
The greatest philosopher in your view:
Friedrich Nietzsche
Your Icon:
My Father, whose philosophy of life has been based on “Do Good and good will come to you.”
Name the most influential books you have read:
The Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini.
Your greatest fear:
Loneliness.
Best piece of advice you’ve received:
Life is a journey not a destination.. embrace every day with equal warmth. Appreciate the good things and learn from the bad things.. it is a balance of both and live like it’s the last day on earth.
You in only three words:
Passionate, Hard-working, Empathetic.
Skill Set
- Hard Skills: Different Professional Certifications, Attending international standard trainings, courses.
- Soft Skills: Communication skills, Empathy, empowering the team.
The InCAP: Thank you, Ms. Subah Afrin! It’s a glittering conversation with you!
Ms. Subah Afrin: My pleasure! Wish you all the best! Thank you.
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