Each November Citi hosts its annual credit conference in London at the Methodist Central Hall near Westminster Abbey. The event is always of high quality and well attended but Euromoney was rather taken aback on arrival this year to be faced with what appeared to be auditions for a revival of The Village People. Facial hair was in abundance – with bushy moustaches perching proudly on the upper lips of an alarming number of delegates – particularly the men. It became rapidly clear that large numbers of Citi staff had eagerly embraced the concept of Movember during November and the result was disconcerting indeed. Movember is a charity fundraising initiative whose participants are sponsored to grow moustaches during November, with the proceeds going towards prostate cancer research. What was particularly impressive about the Citi effort was the number of people that went the extra mile, growing Zapata-style numbers and even full beards. This 1970s’ vibe was an appropriate backdrop to the austerity being discussed in the panels – a three-day week can be only months away.
