'Nightmare to work with Indians': Citi in London fires woman for racial comment, she now sues bank

Ann Watson, a former Citigroup employee, who was fired in 2023 for her comment that it was a nightmare to work with Indians , has now sued the bank alleging that she was unfairly discriminated. Watson was giving an internal job interview in which she told an Indian-origin interviewer that her project failed because she was working with a team of Indians. "No offense to you," she said noting that the interviewer was also of Indian-origin.

“The project failed because I was working with a team of Indians. No offense to you, Kapil, but you know what Indians are like to work with it’s a nightmare,” she allegedly said.

When she made the comment, the interview was stopped and Watson was asked to wait in the online waiting room. When the interview resumed, she said, "Now it's your chance, Kapil, to get me back."

The HR team later contacted her after a month of the interview and said she was fired for her racial comment.

“I was horrified to hear these as I would not blame a culture or country for any kind of failure or direct any such comments toward an interview panel that I was applying for a role with,” she said in her witness statement prepared for the London hearing.

'Can't remember because of menopause'

Watson said she did not deny making the comment but she could not recall it because of the symptoms of long Covid-19 and menopause. She said she was remorseful though she has no recollection of what she said.

Citi said its investigation into Watson was fair and impartial, and stood by the decision to fire her. Watson said the firing was too harsh and it did not take into account her 12 years of service at the bank and came at a time when she was going through a tough menopause. The bank said her menopause condition could not have made or contributed to the racist comments that she made.