Citi MD who spent five years planning his exit is living his best life
As Citigroup prepares to make another round of job cuts, focused on staff in managerial roles, one former managing director there is having a fine timing living in Cornwall.
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Alex Hayes-Griffin spent nearly 13 years at Citi in London after joining from HSBC in Hong Kong in 2015. He spent the last eight years as head of UK and Ireland FIG debt capital markets before leaving last summer. He did so of his own accord and has been very, very busy ever since.
Writing on hisown blog, Hayes-Griffin details his many endeavours since he was last seen at Canary Wharf. They include completing an AI program at Oxford, completing a digital writing course, completing a blockchain program, starting a coaching certificate, co-launching a family business (dog coats for Dachshunds), investing in a portfolio careers platform, redecorating his Cornish house, and becoming an advisor to four CEOs.
It all sounds very busy, but Hayes-Griffin doesn't aspire to sit back and stare at the sea. «There's a part of me that would like to sit down, read a book and walk the dog, but I'm also too young to be doing that,» he says. He's 45.
Unfortunately for people who may be about to lose their Citi jobs without much time to prepare, Hayes-Griffin spent five years laying the foundations for his exit. «You need the patience to do it on a risk-managed basis,» he says. «You need to be ready from a family and marital point of view, and you need to make sure that you have the financial security to bridge into your new path.»
Even after saving for five years, selling his London home and paying down his mortgages, Hayes-Griffin says leaving finance can be daunting: «It's said that the most addictive thing in the
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