David Ngata

David Ngata has spent 18 years helping clients navigate the intersection of complex financial lives and clear, actionable advice. As Director of Client Advisory at Sinclair & Voss, he serves as the primary point of contact for many of the firm’s most significant relationships and is responsible for ensuring that the firm’s investment thinking and planning capabilities are delivered with the attentiveness and clarity that clients deserve.

David joined Sinclair & Voss in 2008, bringing with him experience from a large national wealth management firm where he had managed relationships with corporate executives, business owners, and multi-generational families. He was drawn to Sinclair & Voss’s independent structure and its willingness to tell clients what they needed to hear rather than what they wanted to hear—a quality he considers essential to genuine fiduciary service.

He earned his MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, where he focused on finance and management. His undergraduate degree is from Morehouse College, where he studied political science and developed the communication skills that have become a hallmark of his client work. He holds both the Chartered Financial Analyst and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designations, giving him particular depth in evaluating the alternative investment opportunities that are often relevant to Sinclair & Voss’s client base.

David’s approach to client service is grounded in a belief that good advice requires genuine understanding—not just of a client’s balance sheet, but of their business, their family, their concerns, and their aspirations. He is known for thorough preparation, direct communication, and a willingness to engage with difficult questions. He views the client review meeting not as a reporting exercise, but as a strategic conversation.

In addition to his client-facing responsibilities, David leads the firm’s due diligence process for alternative investment managers, evaluating opportunities across private equity, private credit, and real assets. He applies a rigorous, skeptical framework to manager selection, prioritizing alignment of interests, transparency, and demonstrated track records over marketing narratives.

David is active in the Charlotte business community and serves on the advisory board of the Charlotte chapter of the National Association of Securities Professionals. He coaches youth basketball and lives in the South End neighborhood with his wife and three children.