During the 2008 financial crisis, confidence in Wall Street was at an all time low. While Citibank’s holdings were strong, customers lumped them in with Fannie, Freddie & Bear Sterns. So we created Citi Pond, a winter wonderland in the heart of Manhattan, that provided ice skating, hot chocolate and holiday cheer for over three million Manhattan residents and tourists alike, free of charge. All the while warming attitudes towards a major bank at the height of the economic crisis.

It was so successful we did it again the next year. And the next. And the next. Then Mayor Michael Bloomberg celebrated our work as mainstay of the New York holiday season with a prestigious award from the Mayor’s office. A very happy holiday for both NYC and Citi.