David Citrullo, Head of Real Estate & Banking Operations

I joined the Bank in 2018 to head up the Real Estate Administration Team. Today, I serve as Head of Real Estate & Banking Operations, where I’m responsible for ensuring the overall delivery and performance of several key teams. This evolution has kept the role dynamic and engaging, constantly offering new challenges and opportunities to learn.

This dynamism is one of the things I enjoy most about Bank. I genuinely like my work, and there continues to be opportunities to apply my existing skills while developing new ones. And I’ve been fortunate to work alongside some great people. 

Before joining AlRayan Bank, I spent four years as Head of Primary Servicing at Kensington Mortgage Company in Maidenhead. This role gave me valuable insight into how a company operates and offered first-hand experience of working closely with senior management, shareholders and driving change activity. Prior to that, I spent more than 20 years with NatWest/RBS, which provided an invaluable foundation in operational and people management; experience that has stayed with me throughout my career. 

In my view, one of the main reasons behind the Bank’s success is that it doesn’t stand still. Every day involves a blend of looking back to learn, delivering in the moment, and looking forward to ensure future success. This mindset is evident at senior level, but also within teams across the organisation. It’s that shared commitment to reflection, performance, and progress that keeps us moving forward.

I’m proud to have delivered consistently strong results and performance across a number of areas. That success is never down to one person. I credit the leadership support I’ve had and, above all, the dedication of my team, who commit themselves every day to our customers, to each other, and to the Bank.

Since I first joined, the Bank has seen a great deal of change; I think we’ve become more resilient, focused, and organised. From an operations perspective, the strategic product focus has brought significant transformation, driving technology enhancements and creating the need to guide customers through new processes and systems.

At the same time, some things have reassuringly remained the same. I’ve been fortunate to build a team that consistently delivers, and as a Bank, we’ve stayed steadfast in our focus on being the most successful in our market.

Looking ahead, I see the Bank continuing to do what it does best, while also exploring new and exciting opportunities for growth. With solid foundations already in place, the future is about building on our strengths, combining stability with ambition to deliver continued success.