Citi Named Paul McEwan as New Technology Lead
The bank hired a former UBS and JPMorgan executive to oversee its infrastructure and AI platform.
Updated on Oct. 5, 2026 in People
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Citi has appointed Paul McEwan as chief technology officer and head of infrastructure. He will oversee the bank's Arc platform in partnership with David Griffiths.
Why it matters
This leadership move centralizes technology infrastructure as the bank prioritizes its Arc platform. It reflects a shift in internal strategy regarding how large financial institutions scale their digital systems.
Paul McEwan joins with 12.5 years of experience at UBS and 8 years at JPMorgan. His career spans a six-year initial stint at Citi, compared to a recent seven-month tenure at Wells Fargo.
The players
Paul McEwan
An experienced financial technology executive who has held leadership roles at UBS, JPMorgan, and Wells Fargo.
Citi
A global diversified financial services holding company providing investment banking and consumer financial services.
David Griffiths
The group head of artificial intelligence at Citi responsible for overseeing the bank's AI implementation strategy.
Li Yang
A financial technology professional who recently departed Barclays to lead structured derivatives technology at Wells Fargo.
The details
McEwan succeeds David Griffiths in the role of head of infrastructure, with Griffiths transitioning to focus on the group's artificial intelligence initiatives. McEwan will collaborate directly with Griffiths to advance the development and deployment of the bank's Arc platform. This change follows a broader reshuffle in industry talent, including Li Yang's recent move to Wells Fargo.
Timeline
Paul McEwan served at Citi from 2000 to 2006.
David Griffiths changed his role at Citi in Summer 2026.
Li Yang left Barclays in October 2026.
Market Landscape
The hiring of McEwan highlights the internal resource shift supporting the ongoing development of the Arc platform. This appointment marks a strategic consolidation of leadership tasked with scaling that technology across the bank's global infrastructure.
Operators should monitor the integration of the Arc platform as a signal for broader vendor and internal system standards at large financial institutions. The movement of key technology talent often precedes changes in how firms interface with third-party infrastructure providers.
The takeaway
Large-scale infrastructure shifts at global firms provide a blueprint for how technical debt and AI integration are balanced in the banking sector. Monitor how these leadership changes affect vendor technology requirements and internal platform adoption rates in the coming year.
Further reading
For more on shifts in the financial sector's leadership, see our People section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by EFinancialCareers.
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