A former senior executive at Citigroup has initiated litigation against the bank, alleging she was driven from her role after enduring sexual harassment by Andy Sieg, the executive in charge of the bank's wealth management division and one of its most senior leaders.
In a complaint lodged in federal court in Manhattan, Julia Carreon - who served as global head of platform and experiences - says Sieg initially backed her and aided her promotion shortly after he took his position in October 2023. According to the filing, that support quickly shifted to what Carreon describes as a "campaign of unrelenting and egregious sexual harassment, manipulation, and grooming."
The complaint further alleges that Citigroup's human resources unit then pursued what Carreon calls its own campaign to force her departure, describing HR as "weaponized" and alleging the department acted "consistent with HR’s perpetuating Citi’s decades-long history of bias and harassment against women." Carreon says that sequence of events culminated in her leaving the bank in June 2024.
Citigroup responded in a written statement: "This lawsuit has absolutely no merit and we will demonstrate that through the legal process." The complaint does not name Sieg as a defendant. Lawyers for Carreon did not immediately respond to requests for additional comment.
Carreon's court filing seeks unspecified damages. It alleges racial discrimination under federal law, and racial and sexual discrimination under New York state and city statutes.
The complaint arrives amid earlier reporting about concerns related to Sieg's conduct. The complaint cites media accounts from the prior year that reported allegations Sieg intimidated and sidelined employees, with at least one outlet noting that both men and women had raised concerns about his behavior. Those reports said Sieg did not respond to requests for comment for one article and declined to comment for another.
Citigroup is the third-largest bank in the United States by assets and is notable as the largest major U.S. bank led by a woman. Sieg is described in the complaint as one of Chief Executive Jane Fraser's highest-profile hires. The bank is also defending a separate lawsuit brought by another managing director, Ardith Lindsey, who has sued over alleged violent threats from a different supervisor and has accused Citigroup of a "pervasive" culture of sexual harassment and gender discrimination.
Carreon's filing offers specific accounts of the conduct she says she experienced. She alleges Sieg "treated her much differently" than male colleagues - calling and texting her multiple times weekly and sharing confidential information. The complaint says Sieg insisted she sit close to him at meetings and insinuated to others that they had an intimate relationship.
In one instance recounted in the complaint, Sieg allegedly told two male colleagues in Carreon's presence that he and she shared a "secret song," by the rock band Kings of Leon, an exchange the filing says caused the room to fall silent.
Carreon says the interactions stopped in May 2024 after she learned that human resources had launched an investigation into what she describes as false allegations that she had been a bully and that her career advancement resulted from having "special access" to Sieg. The complaint states: "Carreon understood from experience that HR would circle the wagons to protect the men of Citi." It adds, "Citi’s takedown was successful."
The complaint does not specify the remedies sought beyond unspecified damages, and it does not identify additional factual details beyond the allegations described. The bank has indicated it will contest the lawsuit in court.