Essa Athar is a driven professional interested in private equity, venture capital, entrepreneurship, and technology. Currently serving as a Private Wealth Team Manager at Merrill Lynch Bank of America, he is also an incoming Analyst at Citi's Investment Banking Division Class of 2024, focusing on Global Capital Markets.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Essa firmly believes in effective altruism and has a long-term goal of leveraging the private markets to facilitate further investment into Sustainability, Social Entrepreneurship, and DEI while using technology/internet to accomplish these goals globally. He is pursuing a major in Economics - Political Science at Columbia University.

In addition to his academic and professional pursuits, Essa is actively involved in various extracurricular activities. He has served as a Mentor at the Afghan Student Alliance (ASA), a Multifaith Fellow at Columbia Religious Life, and Director of Finance at the Student of Color Alliance (SOCA) at Columbia University. 

Essa enjoys reading, cooking, fishing, and traveling outside of work and school. He is committed to using his knowledge and experience to positively impact society and contribute to the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goals.