Poornima’s route into wealth management began with an unexpected opportunity. With a background in finance, she moved to Bengaluru in 2001 just as the technology downturn made finding work difficult. A role in wealth management brought together her affinity for numbers with something she also enjoyed: building relationships. “I took to it like a fish to water,” she recalls.

Kevin’s path began with different interests. A mathematics degree informed his analytical approach to problem-solving, while an MBA deepened his interest in finance. Starting out as an equity specialist, he wanted to look beyond individual asset classes and understand clients’ portfolios as a whole. That curiosity led him into multi-asset investing and, in 2019, to Julius Baer.

The opportunity to make an impact

Each has had the opportunity to take ownership and help build Julius Baer’s capabilities in India. When Poornima joined the organisation in 2021, its Bengaluru presence was much smaller than it is today. Today, alongside managing client relationships, she has broader leadership responsibilities in a business she has helped develop over almost six years. “I’ve learned a great deal from colleagues and business heads at Julius Baer who were generous in sharing their experience.”

Kevin was the first member of Julius Baer’s investment specialist team in India, acting as a conduit between relationship managers and product teams. Julius Baer gave him the scope to establish a team around clients’ changing needs, bringing in colleagues with complementary expertise as the business developed. Today, the rapidly expanding function comprises 11 multi-asset specialists supporting clients in building portfolios across equities, fixed income, and alternatives.

That evolution is itself a source of pride for Kevin. “I started at Julius Baer in India as the only person doing investment advisory,” he explains. “When I look back on my career here, there isn’t just one single moment I’m most proud of – it’s the entire journey.”

India’s market moving at speed

That journey has unfolded against a transformation in Indian wealth management. The number of family offices in India rose from around 45 in 2018 to nearly 300 by 2025, and India now has more than 19 000 ultra-high-net-worth individuals with assets above USD 30 million, a figure projected to exceed 25 000 by 2031.  

Poornima remembers an industry still relatively young when she started out. Working for a US financial company between 2006 and 2009 gave her a glimpse of a larger, more mature market. Returning home, she watched India begin to close that gap.

Today, her clients range from younger technology entrepreneurs to established business families she has advised for many years. In some cases, children she first knew when they were young are now joining family businesses or building careers. “I’ve seen them as kids and now they’re actively involved in the family business or are professionals themselves,” she says.

For Kevin, working in such a fast-changing market is part of what makes his role at Julius Baer interesting. Indian clients are quick to embrace new technology and closely scrutinise the value they receive. Some already use AI tools to analyse investment performance. “It puts us in a position where we have to keep thinking: what can we do next, and how quickly can we adopt the next big thing into client portfolios?” 

Curiosity, value, and the human element

For all the technology and investment expertise involved, both believe successful wealth management begins with people and an enduring client focus. Poornima describes herself as naturally extroverted and interested in people. Combined with her affinity for finance and numbers, those qualities have made relationship management feel natural.

For Kevin, client focus also means earning the next conversation. “Every client conversation needs to add value to their lives. People often underestimate the amount of work behind the scenes to make that happen.”

Combining local insight with global expertise

Poornima appreciates how approachable people are at Julius Baer. When dealing with complex client requirements, she can turn to experienced colleagues across the organisation for advice and fresh perspectives. “It’s an extremely collaborative place to work,” she says.

Kevin sees Julius Baer’s combination of its presence in India and international expertise as a key advantage, bringing together local insight with the know-how and experience of a global wealth manager with Swiss roots.

“How easy it is to collaborate makes the culture at Julius Baer unique,” he says. “It’s the accessibility and the ability to reach out to colleagues anywhere across the organisation to solve a problem for a client.”

That collaboration extends across borders through Julius Baer’s Global India franchise, which connects its onshore wealth management business in India with its offshore Global NRI business. Teams work together to help clients in India access investment opportunities internationally, while connecting non-resident Indians with opportunities in India.

Room to grow

Away from work, both find different ways to recharge. Poornima follows cricket – a near religion in India – and tennis and has long loved music, recently taking up Indian classical music and the harmonium. Kevin’s downtime revolves around family, fitness, and sport. He plays tennis and loves following sport of all kinds, especially cricket and Formula 1.

Having grown their own responsibilities at Julius Baer, both have advice for others looking to build a career in wealth management. Kevin stresses lateral thinking and, for aspiring investment advisers, puts the essentials simply: “You’ve got to love financial markets, the process of preserving or growing wealth, and interacting with clients.”

Poornima returns to a lesson learned over more than two decades in the industry. “A career in wealth management isn’t built overnight,” she says. “Trust is built over time. You need to be patient, stay focused, and always do right by the client.” After all, she says, “careers and client relationships are both long-term investments.”