For Harshika Patel, a career in wealth management was never part of the plan. Growing up in an immigrant family, she had little exposure to the world of private banking that she would eventually come to help shape.
Patel trained as a chartered accountant before building a career in treasury and financial markets. She moved into wealth advisory three years ago and today leads one of Asia’s largest wealth management businesses at J.P. Morgan.
“If you’d said to me when I was growing up that one day I would be in wealth management, I would have laughed. I didn’t even know what wealth was,” she says.
Patel’s route into leadership was similarly unconventional. Not always the candidate who fit the traditional mold, she was recognized by senior leaders for her drive, resilience and ability to make an impact through her teams. That experience now informs how she recruits and develops talent.
Qualifications and expertise matter, but Patel also looks for curiosity, character and the will to contribute. She advocates hiring laterally from outside the traditional industry pool, believing that different experiences can lead to better questions and closer relationships with clients. Over time, she has focused on building a deliberately diverse business—across backgrounds, disciplines and ways of thinking—so teams can connect through shared context and lived experience, not only technical knowledge.
That breadth is particularly valuable in the wealth advisory business, where clients come from very different backgrounds and value different perspectives. On the one hand Patel may leverage her experience over three decades to connect with an entrepreneur who has built a company from modest beginnings, while her team can bring expertise across a broad range of other topics, from legacy planning, investing in passion assets to philanthropy.
Building those connections requires colleagues to understand one another as people, too. Within J.P. Morgan’s multicultural Asia business, Patel encourages team members to share the experiences behind their professional titles, from raising families and balancing work to navigating their own leadership journeys. Finding common ground, she believes, builds trust and allows bankers to connect more authentically with the diverse client base.
“When we look past our differences long enough to find common ground, trust grows. And when trust grows, collaboration accelerates,” she explains.
Her leadership at J.P. Morgan was recognized recently when The Asset named her “Private Banker of the Year for Asia” at its 2026 Private Capital Leadership Awards. In honoring Patel, the publication highlighted her steady hand during a period of rapid change in how wealth advisory teams serve ultra-high net worth (UHNW) clients. The publication cited her hands-on approach during volatile markets and her work helping Asia’s wealthiest families preserve and transfer their legacies. In total, J.P. Morgan earned a record 10 accolades at the awards, including “Asia’s Best Private Bank,” and “Best Private Bank for Family Office, UHNWIs – Asia.”*
When Global Reach Matters
Those accolades have come when wealth itself is changing across the region. Technology has created new fortunes, while traditional industries such as manufacturing, real estate and resources continue to generate wealth. At the same time, shifting supply chains are creating new opportunities throughout Southeast Asia and beyond. Capital markets have also expanded rapidly, producing a new generation of investors and financial professionals.
“When you look at the world’s top 10 stock markets today, six are in Asia. And as these companies become more valuable, the families and entrepreneurs behind them become wealthier,” Patel says.
Many of these business owners now operate across several markets globally, while their families and investments are also increasingly spread around the world. As such, managing their companies, portfolios and family interests through volatile and complex environments has become as important as creating wealth. As families globalize, complexity rises: tax, residency, education, governance and decision rights can all span jurisdictions.
Geopolitical shifts add another layer of uncertainty. “Geopolitics and its impact on their core business is probably the thing that keeps them awake at night the most,” Patel says.
Those concerns have prompted many clients to diversify both their businesses and their wealth geographically. Supporting them requires expertise that reaches beyond traditional investment advice.
Rather than treating wealth management as a standalone service, J.P. Morgan draws on expertise across its investment bank, corporate bank and broader global franchise. Says Patel: “J.P. Morgan operates in 100 markets globally across every dimension that families and business owners would need.”
An entrepreneur seeking advice on financing an overseas acquisition may also require support managing personal investments, establishing structures for the next generation or helping children studying abroad. Increasingly, families prefer these conversations to happen within one institution rather than across multiple advisors.
J.P. Morgan also tailors its coverage to clients with distinct needs. Its Financial Leaders Group, for instance, is set up to serve the unique needs of hedge fund managers, private equity investors and other senior financial executives.
As families expand across markets and generations, trust and stability become increasingly important. Patel says clients value not only J.P. Morgan’s global capabilities, but also the confidence that comes from the firm’s fortress balance sheet and long-term approach to supporting families. J.P. Morgan has been operating in the Asia-Pacific region for over 100 years and today is present across 17 markets in the region.
Passing on More Than Wealth
More broadly, wealthy Asian families are adopting longer investment horizons. Increasingly, Patel notes, many are moving away from highly transactional portfolios toward diversified, institutional-style strategies intended to withstand different market conditions and support wealth across generations. That focus on preserving wealth naturally raises the question of who will manage it in the future.
For many families, the answer begins with preparing the next generation. Succession discussions now encompass governance, leadership and the responsibilities that accompany an inheritance.
Future family leaders may have very different ambitions. Some want to run the family business, while others pursue independent careers but remain involved in managing family assets or philanthropy. Many have studied and worked internationally and expect a more collaborative relationship with their advisors.
“No two next-gen leaders are the same. Even within a family, you can have siblings with different priorities and objectives,” says Patel.
J.P. Morgan engages its next-generation clients as a distinct segment, with their own specific set of needs. Its programs combine investment education, leadership development and family governance, with vital networking opportunities for participants to connect with their peers.
One recent program brought together teenagers from client families for sessions on investing and executive presence, as well as visits to technology companies. The bank also brings together families facing similar issues and draws on specialists in family governance who have spent decades helping families navigate succession.
As a new generation prepares to take the reins of Asia’s wealthiest families, Patel believes the opportunity lies in helping them navigate the increasingly complex responsibilities that accompany lasting wealth.
Patel says: “Whether it’s their company, their personal wealth or the next generation, families want a consistent relationship wherever they are in the world. That’s what J.P. Morgan with its global reach and capabilities is able to provide.”
For more information
*Awards or rankings are not indicative of future success or results. Further information is available on J.P. Morgan’s awards page at privatebank.jpmorgan.com/apac/en/about-us/awards.