Citigroup hires top exec for banking/trading group

NEW YORK, April 7 (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc (C.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), the largest U.S. bank, said on Monday it hired Mark Rufeh from Credit Suisse Group (CSGN.VX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) as chief administrative officer and head of productivity for its institutional clients group.

Rufeh, 49, will oversee operations, technology, real estate, procurement and corporate services, and also be responsible for bolstering efficiency and keeping costs down.

The institutional clients group includes investment banking and trading, as well as alternative investments, which offers hedge fund and private equity services.

Rufeh will report to John Havens, the group's new chief executive, and work with Carl Levinson, head of productivity improvement & re-engineering.

At Credit Suisse, Rufeh was chief administrative officer for the investment banking unit. He was previously chief executive of the private equity firm Westchester Capital Group, and spent 15 years with Lehman Brothers LEH.N>. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel; Editing by Derek Caney)