Global Association of Risk Professionals Presents 2012 Risk Manager of the Year Award to Citi's Brian Leach at 14th Annual Risk Management Convention in New York City

NEW YORK and LONDON, March 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Association of Risk Professionals, (GARP, www.garp.org) presented its 2012 Risk Manager of the Year Award today to Brian Leach, Head of Franchise Risk and Strategy at Citi, at the Association's 14th Annual Risk Management Convention & Exhibition at the New York Marriott Marquis in New York City.

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"It is an honor to accept this award on behalf of the entire team at Citi," said Brian Leach, Head of Franchise Risk and Strategy, Citi.  "Today, Risk Management is at the core of the industry's and each financial institution's strategy and decision making.  To be effective, it must be.  The safety of the banking system has been extensively improved since the financial crisis, yet there is more work to do, particularly with the transparency of disclosures.  GARP is doing groundbreaking work in this area and we at Citi look forward to working together to ensure a safe banking system that can support and facilitate growth in the fundamental economy, while lowering systemic risk."

Richard Apostolik, President and CEO of the Global Association of Risk Professionals, said, "For the past 13 years, award recipients have been nominated and recognized by their peers for their expertise and contributions in risk management.  Award recipients are preeminent risk management professionals or organizations who have achieved recognition for their work experience in the field, either as a practitioner, academic or regulator, and we are very pleased to add Brian Leach to this esteemed group." 

The Risk Manager of the Year Award was established in 1997 by the Association to recognize the outstanding contributions and positive impact made by individuals or organizations to the financial risk management profession. The award recognizes the outstanding contributions of an individual or group who have materially advanced and influenced the financial risk profession.

The Association is pleased to present the 2012 Risk Manager of the Year Award to Brian Leach.  Over the course of a career spanning three decades, Mr. Leach has distinguished himself as a business and industry leader with market expertise, strategic insight, and global perspective.  Recently appointed Head of Franchise Risk and Strategy at Citi, Brian oversees, in addition to Risk Management, the Audit, Compliance and Strategy functions.  Prior to these responsibilities, he served as Citi's Chief Risk Officer for nearly five years, leading a comprehensive transformation of Risk Management that has helped to make Citi a stronger, safer organization and one of the best capitalized banks in the world. . 

Before joining Citi as Chief Risk Officer, in March 2008, he was a founder and co-Chief Operating Officer of Old Lane Partners, a hedge fund.  

Brian began his career at Morgan Stanley, where he spent nearly twenty-five years, including experiences as both an investment banker and a trader.  He ultimately rose to Risk Manager of the Institutional Securities Business, overseeing capital allocation, strategic revenue-enhancement opportunities, and all aspects of credit, market, and operational risk management.  In 1998, Brian was one of six managers selected from a consortium of 14 global financial institutions to manage the liquidation of hedge fund Long-Term Capital Management.  Upon returning to Morgan Stanley, he was named Chief Operating Officer for the Fixed Income Division.  Brian has a B.A. in economics from Brown University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Each year, award nominations are solicited from GARP's membership and reviewed by the Nomination Committee of the GARP Board of Trustees. The award criteria are updated by the Committee and the Board on a regular basis.  A list of Previous Risk Managers of the Year can be found here.

About The Global Association of Risk Professionals

The Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP) is a not-for-profit global membership organization dedicated to preparing professionals and organizations to make better informed risk decisions. Membership represents nearly 150,000 risk management practitioners and researchers from banks, investment management firms, government agencies, academic institutions, and corporations from more than 195 countries. GARP administers the Financial Risk Manager (FRM®) and the Energy Risk Professional (ERP®) exams; certifications recognized by risk professionals worldwide. GARP also helps advance the role of risk management via comprehensive professional education and training for professionals of all levels. www.garp.org.

Contact:
Kathleen Alcorn
+1-201-719-7240
Global Association of Risk Professionals
kathleen.alcorn@garp.com