Wealth Beyond Numbers: Kunal Kapoor & Apurb Chhibber on Trust, Legacy, and Leadership
In Dubai, the global financial hub, two pioneers have united to redefine how wealth is owned, protected, and transmitted. Kunal Kapoor and Apurb Chhibber, pillars of private banking and investment stewardship, are making it clear that authentic wealth management is not a matter of transactions, but trust, vision, and legacy.
For Apurb Chhibber, wealth management is all about relationships. With close to three decades of experience in global and regional banks, he has established his career on three pillars: Client trust, leadership, and quantifiable outcomes. “Integrity, service excellence, and discretion are not mantras for me, they are values that have informed every decision of my career,” he states. He currently oversees a practice of more than USD 450 million in client assets, with client bases increasing 45% in three years. His style is based on long-term perspectives: navigating families through turbulent markets, complicated legacies, and succession planning.
Kunal Kapoor, however, comes with entrepreneurial audacity and ingenuity. With over 20 years of experience, a CFA charterholder, he started his career in Kotak Mahindra and Emirates NBD and co-founded Bluegold Capital Asset Management Limited in 2021. “When we established Bluegold, we had one goal in mind, to provide clients with unbiased, multi-jurisdictional access to the best global solutions through an open-architecture platform,” says Kunal. With a presence in DIFC, Switzerland, Singapore, and Mauritius, Bluegold is now established as a trusted boutique for HNW and UHNW families looking for tailored, discretionary solutions.
Collectively, the pair has developed a practice that marries boutique flexibility with institutional firepower. Their respective books cover global equities, fixed income, alternatives, and structured products and wealth preservation and legacy planning with significant emphasis. They attribute their success to innovation, trust, and collaboration. “Wealth management is not transactional, it is transformational. The greatest reward is when clients trust us with their family legacies over generations,” says Apurb.
Kunal reiterates this creed, saying, “Our job is not only to produce returns, but to future-proof clients’ wealth through digital innovation, sustainable investing, and a genuinely global view.”
Both leaders are venerated for their people-centric and collaborative approach. Apurb abides by mentorship and leading by example. “I empower my team with freedom, but always with empathy and integrity,” he says. Kunal, on the other hand, is the champion of disciplined processes and transparent communication, and makes his team future-fit. Together, they’ve developed a culture where innovation takes place, yet trust and accountability are at the very center.
Even their weaknesses have become leadership lessons. Apurb admits to being detail-oriented, “I sometimes dive too deeply into details, but I’ve learned to balance this by trusting my team and adopting a strategic view.” Kunal, meanwhile, emphasizes the importance of time management in a fast-changing fintech world. Both frame these as growth opportunities that inspire their teams.
Though they have challenging professional lives, both of them deliberately keep their personal lives safe. Having spent more than 30 years in Dubai, Apurb values Delhi origins and family. “My wife and daughters, who are 18 and 15 years old, remind me every day that the legacies we create at home are as precious as those we create in the office,” he says.
For Kunal, family and fitness are non-negotiables. He enjoys padel, travel, and family movie nights, which keep him grounded. “Balance isn’t about dividing time equally, but about being fully present, whether in the boardroom or at the dinner table,” he shares.
Both founders are inspired by the very people they work for. Apurb’s philosophy was informed by early mentors, but now he states, “My biggest inspiration is my clients themselves, who entrust me with their dreams and wealth over generations.” For Kunal, it is disruption of traditional models with innovation while having client trust as the priority.
Their letter to readers transcends time: think long-term. “Patience, foresight, and consistency are essential, whether in life or in riches. Deliberate planning doesn’t just guarantee your future; it enriches the journey in the process,” says Apurb. Adds Kunal, “Real wealth is not quantifiable in figures, but in the difference it makes to families and communities.” A Legacy of Excellence
Awards and recognition, from “Top Relationship Manager of the Year” to international acclaim of Bluegold’s fintech innovation, have been the natural consequence. But both men insist that their biggest achievement is the trust they have established. “The real trophy is when clients and colleagues think of us not merely as bankers but as partners in their journey,” says Kunal.
At a time when money tends to get simplified to graph charts, Kunal Kapoor and Apurb Chhibber are different. They are custodians of legacy, showing that money, if looked after with faith and imagination, turns into something much bigger than figures: It turns into a purposeful legacy for generations ahead.
