JPMorgan’s $1.1B William Blair Hire Shows Where Advisor Recruiting Is Moving
JPMorgan Wealth Management has landed a $1.1 billion advisor team from William Blair, giving the firm another high-end recruiting win in Los Angeles.
David Amar and his team will be based in Century City, where they serve high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients across Los Angeles and the broader United States. Amar joins JPMorgan as a wealth partner, bringing more than three decades of industry experience and a prior 10-year stretch at the firm earlier in his career.
The move is the headline of a broader advisor-move roundup that also includes UBS adding a Deutsche Bank veteran in Manhattan and Cetera recruiting a Long Island team from the Osaic orbit. Together, the moves show how recruiting is splitting by client segment: billion-dollar private wealth teams, ultra-high-net-worth specialists and family-focused advisors all want platforms that can support more complex client work.
TL;DR
JPMorgan added a $1.1B team: David Amar and his team moved from William Blair to JPMorgan Wealth Management in Century City.
The hire strengthens Los Angeles: Amar’s team serves high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients across Los Angeles and the broader U.S.
The move is a leadership marker: It is JPMorgan’s first 2026 advisor hire under Mollie Colavita, who succeeded Phil Sieg as head of JPMorgan Advisors.
UBS added Manhattan talent: Brad Gillin is joining UBS from Deutsche Bank Wealth Management after his notice period.
Cetera added Long Island scale: Bob Bolebruch and Steve Sherman joined Cetera through North Ridge Wealth Planning with about $380 million in assets under advisement.
The deeper story is client complexity: Firms are recruiting advisors who serve wealthy families, private equity professionals, multigenerational clients and business-owner households.
Platform fit remains central: Advisors are moving toward firms that can support planning, lending, wealth transfer, client service and practice continuity.
JPMorgan’s Los Angeles Win Is Not Just About The Asset Number
JPMorgan landed David Amar’s $1.1 billion team from William Blair, and the number alone makes the move stand out.
A billion-dollar-plus team can change the competitive map in a local wealth market. It gives JPMorgan more visibility in Century City, a Los Angeles market tied to entrepreneurs, entertainment wealth, private equity, business owners, real estate capital and multigenerational family money.
But the move matters for more than scale. Amar is not entering JPMorgan as a new face with no firm history. He spent 10 years at JPMorgan earlier in his career before later working at Merrill Lynch and William Blair. That makes this a return as much as a recruitment.
That distinction can help JPMorgan tell a stronger recruiting story. When a senior advisor returns to a platform after years elsewhere, the firm can frame the move as a renewed vote of confidence rather than a cold recruit. For prospective advisors, that can be a useful signal. It suggests the advisor has enough experience with the firm to know what he is returning to.
The move also gives JPMorgan a team with multiple support roles, not only a lead advisor. Amar is joined by Liza Belokonnyi as business specialist, Rene Galvan as investment associate and Charles Brooks as senior client associate. That structure matters because complex wealth clients often need a team model, not a single-advisor relationship.
Century City Gives The Move A Sharper Meaning
The location matters.
Century City is not just another office placement. It is one of Los Angeles’ major professional and wealth corridors, close to entertainment, law, private equity, real estate, business management and family-office-style client needs.
For JPMorgan, placing Amar’s team there strengthens a market where ultra-high-net-worth clients may need more than investment portfolios. They may need borrowing, liquidity, estate coordination, concentrated-stock advice, philanthropic planning, business-transition guidance and access to broader banking resources.
That is where JPMorgan’s larger platform becomes part of the pitch. The firm is not only trying to win advisors with a brokerage platform. It is trying to position wealth partners inside a wider banking, lending and institutional network.
The question is whether that larger platform helps the advisor serve clients without making the relationship feel too corporate. Wealthy families often want institutional capability, but they still expect personal attention. That balance is the heart of the JPMorgan recruiting message.
The Amar Team Gives JPMorgan A Boutique Door Into A Mega-Bank
JPMorgan’s “wealth partner” language is important because it tries to create a bridge between boutique service and big-bank scale.
A high-end advisor team does not want to feel buried inside a giant institution. Clients do not want to feel like they are being passed through departments. The platform has to feel personal at the relationship level, even if the balance sheet behind it is massive.
David Amar’s JPMorgan profile describes him as a wealth partner and managing director who works with a limited number of successful individuals and families. That kind of positioning is deliberate. It tells clients that the relationship is selective and personal, not mass-market.
At the same time, JPMorgan can offer broader resources than many standalone or boutique firms. That includes investment access, credit solutions, banking relationships, trust and estate planning support, business-owner resources and institutional-grade research.
What JPMorgan Gains From This Hire
A larger Los Angeles footprint: The team strengthens JPMorgan’s presence in a major private wealth market.
A returning senior advisor: Amar’s earlier JPMorgan tenure gives the move a return-story angle.
A high-end client base: The team serves high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients.
A complete service team: The move includes business, investment and senior client-service support.
A stronger Colavita-era marker: The hire is the first 2026 advisor addition under Mollie Colavita’s JPMorgan Advisors leadership.
Why The Boutique Message Matters
Clients want personal access: Ultra-high-net-worth families may expect direct senior-advisor involvement.
Complexity requires coordination: Lending, estate planning, investment management and liquidity needs often overlap.
Advisors need platform leverage: Senior teams may want big-bank capabilities without losing their own client-service rhythm.
Recruiting depends on identity: Advisors do not want to move to a platform that weakens the practice brand they built.
JPMorgan must prove fit: A large firm has to show that scale supports the client relationship instead of diluting it.
William Blair’s Loss Shows Mobility Even Among Strong Private Wealth Firms
The move is also notable because Amar is leaving William Blair, not a weak or unstable wealth platform.
William Blair has long positioned itself around private wealth management, investment management and advisory services for high-net-worth individuals, families, foundations, endowments and business owners. Losing a $1.1 billion team from that kind of platform shows that advisor mobility is not limited to firms under pressure.
That matters because many advisor-move stories are easy to explain when the source firm is going through a merger, brand change or operational disruption. This one is more subtle. It shows that even advisors at respected private wealth firms may leave if they see a better platform match for the next phase of their business.
For JPMorgan, that is the competitive opening. The firm can argue that its combination of private bank-style resources, balance-sheet depth and advisor support gives high-end teams more tools for complex clients.
For William Blair, the loss is still meaningful. A billion-dollar team departure can affect local market perception, even when the broader firm remains strong.
Mollie Colavita Gets An Early Recruiting Proof Point
The timing gives the move another layer.
InvestmentNews reported that Amar’s hire is the first of 2026 under Mollie Colavita, who succeeded Phil Sieg as head of JPMorgan Advisors last fall. That makes the move a visible early marker for her leadership.
Advisor recruiting is one of the clearest ways a new leader can show momentum. A billion-dollar-plus hire gives JPMorgan a stronger story than a routine personnel update. It shows the firm can still attract major teams after leadership transition.
The move also follows JPMorgan’s 2025 additions in Austin, where the firm added the Neff Group and the Buchanan Group. That pattern suggests JPMorgan is not only adding advisors randomly. It is building in attractive wealth markets where high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth client opportunities are concentrated.
This does not mean JPMorgan will suddenly dominate advisor recruiting. The market is too competitive for that. But it does show that the firm remains a serious contender for high-end teams that want a large platform with a private wealth feel.
The Team Structure Signals The Kind Of Clients JPMorgan Wants
The Amar move is not only about one advisor. It is about a team designed for complex client needs.
A business specialist, investment associate and senior client associate all point to a service model where planning, portfolio work and client administration need coordinated support. That matters because high-end clients often have more moving parts than a simple managed portfolio.
They may own private businesses, concentrated public stock, real estate, trusts, entities, charitable structures and family assets that require multiple professionals to coordinate. The advisor’s platform has to help organize that complexity.
A lead advisor can open the relationship, but a team often keeps the relationship working.
UBS Adds Manhattan Talent For A Different Ultra-Wealth Lane
JPMorgan was not the only firm using the week to strengthen its high-end wealth presence.
UBS announced that Brad Gillin will join the firm after his notice period from Deutsche Bank Wealth Management. Gillin will be based at UBS’ 1285 Avenue of the Americas private wealth management office in Manhattan and will report to senior market director Tom Conigatti.
This move is different from JPMorgan’s. It is not presented as a billion-dollar team move. Instead, it is a specialist hire into an established UBS private wealth environment.
Gillin will join the Baum Investment Group, which is led by Jamie Baum, a managing director and private wealth advisor with more than three decades of experience at UBS. That gives Gillin a landing place inside a team already focused on complex wealth clients.
The UBS Angle
UBS is emphasizing client complexity. InvestmentNews reported that Gillin will advise ultra-high-net-worth families and financial professionals, including private equity partners, on areas such as asset allocation, portfolio construction, customized lending, liquidity strategies and wealth transfer planning.
That client profile is important. Private equity professionals, business owners and ultra-high-net-worth families often need integrated advice. A recruiting pitch for that group is not only about investment management. It is about handling concentrated risk, borrowing needs, liquidity events and multigenerational wealth transfer.
How UBS Differs From JPMorgan Here
JPMorgan’s move is a large Los Angeles team addition with a returning advisor and $1.1 billion in client assets. UBS’ move is a Manhattan specialist addition into a private wealth team.
Both moves point toward the same market: complex wealth. But the shape is different. JPMorgan is adding a major team to deepen a regional footprint. UBS is adding talent to an existing private wealth office and team structure.
That difference is useful because it shows how recruiting wins can vary. Not every strategic hire has to be a billion-dollar book. Some hires matter because they strengthen a specific client segment or team capability.
Cetera’s Long Island Move Brings The Story Back To Family Advice
The third move in the roundup shifts away from mega-team private wealth and toward family-centered advisory relationships.
Cetera welcomed Bob Bolebruch and Steve Sherman, two Long Island-based advisors overseeing about $380 million in assets under advisement. They joined through North Ridge Wealth Planning after spending nearly two decades with American Portfolios, which Osaic acquired in 2022.
Bolebruch has more than 40 years of industry experience, and his daughter, Jordan Bolebruch, is joining the practice as his partner. That gives the move a succession angle that is very different from JPMorgan’s Los Angeles private wealth win or UBS’ Manhattan ultra-high-net-worth specialist hire.
Cetera’s pitch centers on service, technology, continuity and family relationships. Bolebruch’s public comments focused on what the platform could do for clients, not just what it could do for the advisor.
That message matters because succession is becoming a central advisor-recruiting issue. Older advisors need a platform that can help them transition client relationships without weakening trust. Families need confidence that the practice will remain stable. Next-generation advisors need tools and support to grow into leadership.
Three Moves, Three Client Segments
The most useful way to read this advisor-move roundup is by client segment, not by firm name.
JPMorgan’s Amar hire targets high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth families in Los Angeles and beyond. UBS’ Gillin move targets sophisticated Manhattan clients, including private equity professionals and other ultra-high-net-worth relationships. Cetera’s Long Island addition targets long-term family relationships, multigenerational planning and succession continuity.
Those are three different lanes in the same recruiting market.
Segment One: Billion-Dollar Private Wealth
JPMorgan’s hire is the clearest scale move. A $1.1 billion team gives the firm immediate weight in a major private wealth market.
This kind of recruiting win is about more than book size. It can help a firm signal that elite advisors are willing to trust the platform with their most complex client relationships.
Segment Two: Specialist Ultra-High-Net-Worth Advice
UBS’ Gillin hire is more about specialized client capability. Private equity professionals, ultra-high-net-worth families and wealth-transfer clients often require highly technical advice.
For UBS, adding a Deutsche Bank veteran into a strong Manhattan private wealth team can deepen expertise in a competitive market.
Segment Three: Family-Centered Continuity
Cetera’s Bolebruch-Sherman move is about long-term relationships and practice continuity.
The father-daughter element gives the move a clear succession story. It also shows how platform recruiting can focus on the future of client relationships, not only current assets.
Advisor Recruiting Is Becoming More Segmented
A broad phrase like “advisor recruiting” can hide how different these moves really are.
A billion-dollar team does not evaluate a platform the same way a solo advisor does. A private equity-focused advisor does not have the same service needs as a retirement-focused practice. A 40-year veteran building a next-generation succession plan may care about different resources than a fast-growth team trying to scale.
This is why firms are sharpening their recruiting messages. They are not only offering technology, payouts or transition help. They are trying to prove they understand the advisor’s client base.
NJ Financial News has coveredrecent multi-firm advisor moves where firms won teams for different reasons. The JPMorgan, UBS and Cetera moves continue that pattern. Each firm is recruiting into a specific client and practice need.
The firms that win will be the ones that can match platform support to the advisor’s real business, not just the advisor’s asset total.
Why Client Complexity Is Now The Recruiting Battleground
Client complexity is becoming one of the most important recruiting battlegrounds.
High-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients often need more than asset allocation. They may need help with borrowing, liquidity, tax strategy, estate planning, concentrated wealth, private markets, business exits, philanthropy and family governance.
That puts pressure on the advisor’s platform. A strong personal relationship is still essential, but the advisor also needs infrastructure. The more complex the client, the more the advisor needs specialists, tools and coordinated support.
This is where large firms such as JPMorgan and UBS can make a strong case. They can offer broad capabilities behind the advisor. But boutique and independent platforms can also compete if they deliver high-touch service and enough flexibility.
Cetera’s Long Island move shows that the same logic applies outside the ultra-wealth space. Families with multigenerational planning needs also want continuity, technology and service support.
The Platform Question Is Becoming More Personal
The most important question in many advisor moves is no longer “Which firm is biggest?”
It is “Which firm lets me serve my clients the way I want?”
For Amar, the answer appears to be JPMorgan’s boutique high-net-worth offering backed by a large institution. For Gillin, UBS’ Manhattan private wealth team provides a platform for ultra-high-net-worth and private equity-related clients. For Bolebruch and Sherman, Cetera and North Ridge offer a service model tied to client care, technology and succession.
Those choices are personal to the practice. They depend on the advisor’s clients, career stage, service style and growth plans.
That is why advisor moves continue even when firms are stable. Advisors can outgrow a platform, rethink their client-service model or decide that another firm better supports the next stage of the business.
What The Moves Say About JPMorgan’s Advisor Ambition
JPMorgan’s advisor strategy has been evolving for years.
The firm has its private bank, its branch-based wealth business and JPMorgan Advisors, the traditional brokerage/advisory channel. The Amar hire fits the part of the business focused on high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients who want a more personalized advisor relationship.
Adding a billion-dollar team from William Blair helps JPMorgan show that its advisor platform can compete for teams that might otherwise choose boutique firms, private banks, wirehouses or RIAs.
The timing under Colavita also matters. A major hire early in her leadership period gives the firm a proof point that the recruiting engine is active.
But the next test is not the announcement. It is whether the team’s clients transition successfully and whether JPMorgan gives the practice enough room to keep its relationship style while using the firm’s wider resources.
What The Moves Say About UBS And Cetera
UBS and Cetera are telling different stories in the same roundup.
UBS is reinforcing its high-end Manhattan private wealth capabilities. The Gillin hire fits a team-based model serving sophisticated clients who may need lending, liquidity and wealth-transfer advice.
Cetera is reinforcing its ability to recruit from the Osaic/American Portfolios ecosystem and support advisors focused on long-term family relationships. The Bolebruch-Sherman move is especially interesting because it includes a succession element through Jordan Bolebruch.
Those stories are not smaller just because JPMorgan has the headline asset number. They show how firms can win in narrower lanes.
A billion-dollar JPMorgan move gets the most attention, but UBS and Cetera are also building platform stories around the advisors they want most.
Succession Is Becoming A Recruiting Issue, Not Just A Planning Issue
Cetera’s Long Island move deserves extra attention because of the father-daughter element.
Advisor succession is often discussed as something advisors should handle for themselves. But it is increasingly becoming part of platform recruiting. A firm that can support succession may become more attractive to veteran advisors who want continuity for clients, staff and family members entering the business.
Bolebruch’s daughter, Jordan, joining as his partner gives Cetera a story about the future of the practice, not just its current assets. That can matter to clients who have worked with an advisor for decades. They want to know who will be there later.
It can also matter to a platform. If a firm supports succession well, it can keep client assets longer, retain the practice relationship and create a smoother transition across generations.
The Market Is Still Rewarding Relationship-Based Advisors
Even with all the talk about technology and platform resources, the common thread in these moves is relationship depth.
Amar works with successful individuals and families. Gillin is moving into a private wealth setting for sophisticated clients. Bolebruch’s practice is described around decades of personal relationships and family planning.
That matters because the wealth management business is still built on trust. Technology can improve service. A large platform can offer broader capabilities. But clients with significant assets often stay because they trust the advisor team.
This creates an interesting tension for recruiting firms. They must prove they have the scale and tools to help advisors grow, while also convincing those advisors that the platform will not weaken the personal relationships that made the practice valuable in the first place.
What To Watch After The Announcements
The advisor-move headlines are only the first stage.
The real test will come after client conversations, account transitions and new platform workflows begin. Large teams can make headlines, but the quality of the move depends on what happens next.
Client Transition
The biggest question for any major move is client retention. A $1.1 billion asset figure shows the size of the book at the prior firm, but clients still have to follow the advisor to the new platform.
JPMorgan will need Amar’s clients to see the move as an upgrade in capability and continuity. UBS will need Gillin’s clients to understand the value of the new private wealth team environment. Cetera will need Bolebruch and Sherman’s clients to feel that the move strengthens service rather than disrupting it.
Advisor Productivity
The next question is whether the advisors become more productive after the move.
That may show up in new client growth, deeper wallet share, more efficient operations, better use of planning tools or stronger referral activity. A platform move should not only preserve the existing business. It should help the practice move forward.
Competitive Response
Source firms and rivals may respond quietly.
William Blair may want to reinforce its private wealth platform after losing a major team. Deutsche Bank may want to protect other private wealth advisors in New York. Osaic may watch Cetera’s recruiting from legacy American Portfolios relationships closely.
Recruiting wins can create follow-on competition, especially when firms see a rival gaining momentum in a specific market or advisor segment.
The Bigger Message Is Platform Fit By Client Type
The JPMorgan, UBS and Cetera moves show that advisor recruiting is not moving in one direction.
Some advisors want big-bank resources. Some want global private wealth capabilities. Some want community-based support and succession planning. Some want technology. Some want lending. Some want a platform that gives family relationships more continuity.
That is why the best recruiting stories are not only about assets. Assets show size. Client type shows strategy.
JPMorgan’s $1.1 billion William Blair hire is the headline because of the number and the Los Angeles market. But the broader roundup tells a more detailed story. Firms are competing by proving they understand the exact kind of client relationship an advisor has built.
Frequently Asked Questions About JPMorgan’s William Blair Advisor Hire
Who Did JPMorgan Recruit From William Blair?
JPMorgan recruited David Amar and his team from William Blair. Amar joins JPMorgan Wealth Management as a wealth partner in Century City, serving high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients.
How Much In Client Assets Did The Team Manage?
The team managed $1.1 billion in client assets, according to InvestmentNews. The move strengthens JPMorgan’s Los Angeles wealth management presence.
Who Joined David Amar At JPMorgan?
Amar’s team includes Liza Belokonnyi as business specialist, Rene Galvan as investment associate and Charles Brooks as senior client associate.
Why Does The Move Matter For JPMorgan?
The move matters because it is JPMorgan’s first 2026 advisor hire under Mollie Colavita, who succeeded Phil Sieg as head of JPMorgan Advisors. It also strengthens the firm’s position in Los Angeles’ high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth market.
What Other Advisor Moves Were In The Same Report?
The same InvestmentNews report said UBS is adding Brad Gillin from Deutsche Bank Wealth Management in Manhattan, while Cetera added Long Island advisors Bob Bolebruch and Steve Sherman through North Ridge Wealth Planning with about $380 million in assets under advisement.
JPMorgan Gets The Headline, But The Recruiting Lesson Is Broader
JPMorgan’s $1.1 billion Amar team hire is the biggest move in the roundup, but it is not the only signal.
UBS is adding a Deutsche Bank veteran for a sophisticated Manhattan private wealth audience. Cetera is adding a Long Island team with a multigenerational and succession-oriented story. Each move points to a different part of the advisor market.
That is why advisor recruiting is becoming harder to summarize. It is not only about which firm added the largest book. It is about which firm can support the client relationships behind the book.
For JPMorgan, the test is whether its scale can strengthen Amar’s boutique-style client service. For UBS, the test is whether Gillin’s experience fits neatly into an established private wealth team. For Cetera, the test is whether its platform can support a family-centered practice through its next generation.
The firms are not just recruiting assets. They are recruiting client models.
Further Reading
Advisor Moves: JPMorgan Lands $1.1B Team From William Blair: InvestmentNews’ report on JPMorgan, UBS and Cetera’s latest advisor recruiting moves.
David Amar - J.P. Morgan Wealth Management: JPMorgan’s profile for David Amar and The Amar Group in Century City.
Cetera Welcomes 40-Year Industry Veteran Bob Bolebruch And Team: Cetera’s announcement on Bob Bolebruch, Steve Sherman and North Ridge Wealth Planning.
Wells Fargo, LPL And Cetera Add Advisor Teams In New Recruiting Moves: Related NJ Financial News coverage on recent multi-firm advisor moves and recruiting competition
