Jenny Esh.
Jenny Esh, 31
Client executive in real estate banking at JP Morgan Chase & Co.
Jenny Esh made the leap from finance to real estate halfway into her career.
The daughter of two doctors from Princeton, N.J., she worked her way through an undergraduate business program at the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, studying applied economics and management with a specialization in finance.
After graduating, Esh worked for three years on equity derivatives trading at the JPMorgan Private Bank. She then spent another three years working as the right hand to the chief executive officer of the U.S. Private Bank.
“It was like an on-the-job MBA,” she said. “I learned all aspects of what goes into running a multibillion-dollar business and how essential client relationships are. And, through that role, I realized I was really interested in real estate.”
She began networking within the different teams at JPMorgan Chase (JPM) that handle real estate and found a new position as a client manager within its real estate banking division.
“I was able to take advantage of internal mobility and find a job that married my past work experience with my newfound passion for real estate,” she said.
Now, with a decade at JPMorgan Chase under her belt, Esh is a main point of contact for the largest commercial real estate developers, families, private equity firms and property management firms in New York City.
“I’m kind of like the quarterback of the relationships,” said Esh, who recently bought her first investment property with her husband and golden doodle, Dory. “Basically, I cover our clients and bring them all the capabilities of JPMorgan on both the lending and treasury side of the balance sheet. I’ve loved developing these relationships.”
Esh has been involved in more than $2 billion worth of deals, including a $175 million, 10-year term loan to refinance a construction loan on a new Class A multifamily tower near Hudson Yards. Her largest deal was a $900 million, five-year term loan for a premier office building in Times Square.
“I love that I get to see all different types of deals in all different markets,” she said. “It’s not just the same thing every day. I never know what call I’m going to get or what path that call will take me down for the day.”
