Former data executive alleges unfair dismissal by Citi

Kathleen Martin, a former interim data transformation chief, has filed a lawsuit against Citi, claiming she was poached under false pretenses and subsequently unfairly dismissed. Martin, who served as JPMorgan’s global technology chief of staff, said she was enticed to join Citi in late 2021 with promises of a “long-term leadership position.” She alleged the reality fell short of these promises, leading to her termination in September 2023.

Martin’s complaint, initially filed in May 2024 and updated yesterday, accuses Citi’s chief operating officer Anand “Selva” Selvakesari of pressuring her to misrepresent the bank’s data transformation progress. This transformation effort was part of Citi’s response to a $400 million fine for data management failures in 2020.

According to Martin, Selvakesari urged her to present Citi’s advancements in a more favorable light than was warranted. Specifically, she claims he directed her to report the bank’s “data governance health score” as green, despite its true status being red. Martin said she refused and reported the accurate red status to the board and regulators, leading to her dismissal two weeks later.

Citi has firmly denied Martin’s allegations. In a statement, the bank asserted, “Ms. Martin’s employment was lawfully and legitimately terminated. Her claims to the contrary have no merit and we intend to defend against them in court.”

Martin’s role as interim data transformation chief was, according to her, supposed to transition into a permanent position. She cited her former boss Karen Peetz to have assured her the interim status was a formality.

Selvakesari was promoted to COO in March 2023. In May 2023, during a meeting with Selvakesari, Martin said she raised concerns about the bank’s lack of substantial progress in designating “Authoritative Data Sources” (ADS) required by a consent order. Selvakesari allegedly responded that highlighting such gaps would be detrimental, supposedly saying, “We don’t want the regulators to know that we have, say, 90% gaps.”

The legal battle comes at a critical time for Citi, which acknowledged this month the substantial work remaining in its data transformation effort. The bank recently faced a $135 million fine for failing to resolve data governance issues. CFO Mark Mason admitted the task’s enormity, highlighting that Citi’s regulatory reports, such as the 2052a liquidity report, involve extensive data management.

In the wake of Martin’s dismissal, Citi has appointed Japan Mehta as the new chief data officer. Martin has also contested Mehta’s qualifications for the role, comparing them unfavorably to her own.