Sofia S. Rahman

About Sofia S. Rahman

Managing Director and global legal leader at Citi, serving as General Counsel for IP and AI and Emerging Tech. I operate at the intersection of technology, risk, and business strategy, helping teams deploy new capabilities responsibly, particularly where governance expectations are evolving and formal playbooks are incomplete.I am comfortable operating in nascent areas with real ambiguity, from earlier work across social media and mobile apps to most recently enterprise AI. I am known for providing clear, practical guidance when established frameworks are still developing.Focus areas:• AI Legal and Governance: lifecycle controls, guardrails, decisioning, documentation, operating models• Privacy and Data Governance: accountable data use frameworks, scalable standards and guidance• Risk, Controls and Regulatory Readiness: regulator-ready narratives, controls mapping, auditability• Intellectual Property: IP strategy across patents, trademarks, copyright, licensing, enforcement, brand protection, and innovation enablement.My style is pragmatic and execution-oriented. I move quickly to triage issues, deliver clear advice, and build durable governance that enables speed with confidence. I frequently partner with privacy and security stakeholders on technology risk governance, escalation protocols, and incident response decisioning.

Experience

1. Managing Director and General Counsel Intellectual Property and Ai & Emerging Technology

   Citi

   Mar 2023 — Present · NY, US

   Senior legal leader for intellectual property and artificial intelligence at Citi, advising C-suite and enterprise leadership on responsible AI governance and deployment, intellectual property strategy, and technology-enabled transformation in highly regulated global environments.• Provided legal oversight across the AI lifecycle, from design and validation through deployment and ongoing monitoring, for eight major AI tools and use cases, including deployments reaching approximately employees globally.• Partnered with risk, compliance, and control functions to embed legal, regulatory, and ethical requirements into AI use cases and third-party engagements, anticipating regulatory scrutiny and reputational risk.• Led worldwide intellectual property protection and enforcement strategy, including stewardship of Citi’s global patent and trademark portfolios and broader brand and IP assets.• Built and scaled legal teams in New York and Tampa supporting AI, intellectual property, and technology initiatives.• Co-inventor on six issued patents assigned to Citi, with additional applications pending, relating to AI-enabled legal and business process innovation and AI governance.

Education

• Boston University School of Law

  J.D.

• Columbia College, Columbia University

  B.A.