Citizens Financial Group has announced a leadership change with the promotion of Brendan Coughlin to the position of president. Previously serving as vice chair and head of Consumer, Private Banking, and Wealth, Coughlin will now report directly to Bruce Van Saun, chairman and CEO.
In his new role, Coughlin will continue overseeing Consumer Banking, Citizens Private Bank, and Wealth. His responsibilities have expanded to include Enterprise Data & Analytics and Marketing. Van Saun praised Coughlin's leadership skills: “Brendan has a long track record of strong leadership and execution against some of our most important initiatives, and he has earned the trust and respect of our stakeholders, including the board and our colleagues.”
Coughlin's 20-year tenure at Citizens includes launching innovative offerings such as merchant point-of-sale financing partnerships with Apple and Microsoft. He played a key role in the national launch of Citizens Private Bank in 2023. The bank has achieved $8.7 billion in deposits and $5.2 billion in assets under management under his guidance.
Citizens also announced that John Woods, current Vice Chair and Chief Financial Officer, will leave in August 2025 for another opportunity. Van Saun expressed gratitude for Woods' contributions: “John has been important to our success at Citizens over the last eight years... I’ve enjoyed working with him.”
Citizens Financial Group is one of the oldest financial institutions in the U.S., with $220.1 billion in assets as of March 31, 2025. It provides various banking products through its extensive network across multiple states.
