Citigroup leaps into lead of new Operation Santa Claus donors

With a phenomenal effort at fundraising, Citigroup has become the top new donor to Operation Santa Claus.

Following the brave decision by three senior executives to throw themselves off the 233-metre Macau Tower, the highest sky jump in the world, in mid-December, which brought in more than half a million dollars for our charity campaign, Citigroup went all out to bring in a further $700,000 for the 12 beneficiaries.

Earlier this week, the finance firm handed over a cheque for $1.23 million to Operation Santa Claus at their offices in Central.

Following the sky jump - by Frank Slevin, managing director and head of corporate and investment banking, Hong Kong; Quek Kwan Meng, head of real estate investment for the Asia-Pacific, Citigroup Private Bank; and Kevin Rasmussen, manager and foreign exchange counsellor, investment, Citigroup Private Bank - Citigroup staff were invited to take part in a Santa Claus Day, an opportunity to buy a day off from the firm this year.

Depending on their rank within the firm, staff members paid between $150 and $3,000 to buy a day back from the company.

'As a first time OSC sponsor, we are very excited to be this year's OSC top new donor,' said Robert Morse, chief executive of Citigroup corporate and investment banking, Asia-Pacific. 'We had an enthusiastic response from our staff.

'We are delighted that we could contribute in a meaningful way. It was started by the three brave individuals who sky-jumped off the Macau Tower. Frank has been quite pale ever since.