Sanjay R. Patel is a Managing Director and Senior Resident Director of Merrill’s New York International Office. He holds the dual role of International Wealth Advisor and Senior Resident Director to 35 Financial Advisors primarily focused on International regions.

Prior to joining Merrill, Mr. Patel worked with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in its regional financial management office in Nairobi, Kenya. He managed development projects in both the private and public sector in Sub-Saharan Africa.

He later joined Merrill as a Financial Advisor. Over the next 20 years, Mr. Patel built and led a global practice serving high-net-worth families and institutions internationally. His commitment and contribution to the growth of the firm are evident in the progression of his career. He has served as PMD Coach and has advanced into the positions of Producing Sales Manager, Producing Resident Director, and Market Executive of the New York International complex.

Umesh Trikha is a Managing Director and an International Wealth Advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, joining the firm in 2003.

In 2019, Umesh was named to On Wall Street’s "Top 40 Under 40 Advisors"(Published on February 1, 2019. Rankings based on data as of Dec 31, 2018). He was also named to The Financial Times "Top 400 Advisors" in 2018(Published on March 22, 2018. Rankings based on data as of June 30, 2017). In 2019, Umesh was named to the Forbes "Best In-State Wealth Advisors List"(Published on February 20, 2020. Rankings based on data as of June 30, 2018) and was ranked as Forbes "Top 250 Next Generation Wealth Advisors in America"(Published on July 24, 2019. Rankings based on data as of March 31, 2019). Umesh also holds the Certified Investment Management Analyst®, (CIMA®) certification, administered by the Investments & Wealth Institute™ (The Institute).

Before joining Merrill in 2003 as an International Financial Advisor, Umesh worked in the financial industry with American Express and The Economist, Intelligence Unit.  Umesh was born and raised in England, and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics with concentrations in Finance and Marketing from The College of William and Mary in Virginia. Umesh resides in New York City where his passions range from good food, film, music, and theater to soccer, cricket and performing Magic shows. He also helps raise funds for the United Way Campaign & Doing Art Together.



*Source: On Wall Street “Top 40 Advisors Under 40” list, published on February 1, 2019. Rankings based on data as of Dec 31, 2018.

The ranking for the “Top 40 Advisors Under 40” list is compiled using data solicited from the advisors’ employers. Advisors considered must be under 40 years old and work at an employee brokerage firm. Individual trailing 12-month production for each advisor was the primary ranking criteria. On Wall Street is a national publication serving the wealth management industry and retail brokers working in the employee channel for wirehouses and regional broker-dealers. Rankings and recognition from On Wall Street are no guarantee of future investment success and do not ensure that a current or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance results, and such rankings should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor.

*Source: Financial Times “400 Top Financial Advisers” list, published on March 22, 2018. Rankings based on data as of June 30, 2017.

The Financial Times “400 Top Financial Advisers” (FT 400) is an independent listing produced by the Financial Times. The FT 400 is based on data gathered from firms and verified by broker-dealer home offices, regulatory disclosures, and the FT’s research. The listing reflects each adviser’s performance in six primary areas, including assets under management, asset growth, compliance record, experience, credentials and accessibility as identified by the FT. Neither the brokerages nor the advisers pay a fee to the Financial Times in exchange for inclusion in the FT 400. The ranking or ratings shown here may not be representative of all client experiences because they reflect an average or sampling of the client experiences. These rankings or ratings are not indicative of any future performance or investment outcome.

*Source: The Forbes “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” list, published on February 20, 2019. Rankings based on data as of June 30, 2018.

The ranking for this list by SHOOK Research is based on due diligence meetings to evaluate each advisor qualitatively, a major component of a ranking algorithm that includes: client retention, industry experience, review of compliance records, firm nominations and quantitative criteria, including: assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Forbes is a trademark of Forbes Media LLC. All rights reserved. Rankings and recognition from Forbes/SHOOK Research are no guarantee of future investment success and do not ensure that a current or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance results, and such rankings should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor.

*Source: The Forbes “Top Next-Generation Wealth Advisors” list, published on July 24, 2019. Rankings based on data as of March 31, 2019.

Forbes’ “Top Next-Generation Wealth Advisors” list was developed by SHOOK Research. Advisors considered for this ranking were born in 1980 or later with a minimum of four years of relevant experience; advisors have: built their own practices and lead their teams; joined teams and are viewed as future leadership; or a combination of both. Ranking algorithm is based on qualitative measures: telephone and in-person interviews, client retention, industry experience, credentials, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, such as: assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criteria because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. Rankings are based on the opinions of SHOOK Research, LLC and not representative nor indicative of any one client’s experience, future performance, or investment outcome. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK Research receives compensation in exchange for placement on the ranking. Forbes is a trademark of Forbes Media LLC. All rights reserved. Rankings and recognition from Forbes are no guarantee of future investment success and do not ensure that a current or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance results, and such rankings should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor.

John is a Senior Vice President, International Wealth Advisor in Merrill’s International Office and has been engaged in financial services
since 1983 primarily with Merrill’s international wealth management division. Originally based in New York, John
started as a Financial Advisor in the international office eventually leading to both sales and office manager roles.

John moved to Germany as Executive Director in Merrill’s International Private Banking Group serving in the dual
role as Frankfurt Office Manager and German Country Head. Beyond his day-to-day office management role,
John’s responsibilities included repositioning the firm’s image in the community and developing relationships with
other Merrill business lines and non-ML partners.

John is back in NY and the international office as an International Wealth Advisor serving both domestic and
offshore clients. John works closely with the cross-border interests of multi-generational families and business
owners focusing on implementing family governance plans, generation wealth transition and portfolio management
– specifically alternative investments.

John earned a Masters of Science in Management from Boston University and a BA Economics from the University of Maryland.


*Some or all alternative investments may not be in the best interests for certain investors. Certain alternative investments carry significant risk and are not subject to the same regulatory oversight as mutual funds and other traditional investments. For these reasons, access to alternative investments may be limited to investors who are designated as sophisticated, high-net-worth investors.