NEW YORK, March 3 (Reuters) - David Finkelstein, a

veteran investment banker who currently heads Citigroup's ( C/PN )

global consumer and retail banking franchise, is leaving the

bank, people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday.

Finkelstein, who is based in New York, joined Citi from Bank

of America ( BAC ) in 2018. During his stint at Citi, he worked

on several large deals and high-profile situations including

grocery chain Kroger's unsuccessful $25 billion takeover attempt

of smaller rival Albertsons. Last year, Citi also advised

family-owned candy giant Mars on its $36 billion acquisition of

Pringles maker Kellanova.

Citi declined to comment. Finkelstein did not immediately

respond to requests for comment.

In recent years, Citi has boosted its consumer and retail

dealmaking unit with top-level hires from rival banks, as part

of a broader effort to win a larger share of advisory roles on

the biggest transactions.

In 2023, Citi hired Stacia Schlosser Ryan as global co-head

of consumer and retail banking, capital markets and advisory.

Later that year, Citi tapped Barrett Frankel from Barclays to

co-head consumer investment banking in North America.

Citi was ranked fourth on the list of advisers by value of

deals worked on in 2024, according to data from Dealogic.