Kavi Harilela, a member of the third generation of the Harilela family based in Hong Kong, has never been content to simply inherit a legacy.
Shaped by multiple cultures, sharpened by decades in global finance, and guided by family values that run bone-deep, he’s redefining what it means to carry a great name forward.
Raised between the fast lanes of Hong Kong and the easy rhythms of Bangkok, this is a man who has spent a lifetime learning how to move between worlds. Now, he’s a steward of one of Asia’s most celebrated family legacies.
Masala has the pleasure of sharing a story built on integrity, adaptability, and a quiet conviction that the best way to honour the past is to build something meaningful for the future.
It’s been quite a journey for you. What brought you to where you are now?
I relocated to Thailand in 1990 when the family expanded their business here, and my father was to oversee the operations. Most people are familiar with our family through our hospitality business, including hotels and real estate ventures.
I finished my schooling in Thailand and then went to do my Bachelor’s in London, England, and my Master’s in Melbourne. My career began in auditing at one of the major international accounting firms.
This experience was incredibly valuable as it provided me with an in-depth understanding of how businesses function from the ground up. Following my auditing stint, I transitioned into investment banking, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions (M&A).
Subsequently, I moved into venture investing, which I still pursue to this day. Currently, I serve as the director of FGA Trust—a Hong Kong-based trust company.
Our company offers services to high-net-worth families and also institutions, helping them formulate multi-generational plans, safeguard their assets, and address potential family-related issues. I believe my diverse career experiences have been beneficial in my current role.
It has been a highly diverse journey for me. I’m committed to upholding my family’s legacy while also looking forward to exploring new industries, particularly fintech and trust management.
Having grown up between Hong Kong and Thailand, I’ve been constantly exposed to different cultures and business landscapes, which have undoubtedly shaped my perspective and approach to business.
Growing up as part of one of Hong Kong’s most celebrated Indian families, how did the Harilela name shape your sense of purpose and ambition from an early age?
The Harilela family’s history is one that is defined by hard work and perseverance. Starting from a small shop in Guangzhou in 1922, my grandfather and his brothers exported Chinese antiques and later moved to Hong Kong to run a small store selling daily necessities to the British military.
The family’s honesty and integrity impressed the British military, leading to the opportunity to make uniforms for them and gradually becoming the largest British textile importer in Hong Kong. They then expanded the family business by venturing into the hotel industry.
The brothers founded the Harilela Group in 1959 and built the well-known Kimberley Hotel in 1960. Subsequently, the family invested in and operated multiple hotels in various locations around the world.
They are well known for their investment in the Holiday Inn Hotels and have now moved on to create their own brand, the Hari Hotel. Growing up in such an environment, one would be exposed to the family’s business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit from a young age.
This exposure could instil a sense of purpose in continuing to build and expand the family business, as well as an ambition to achieve similar or greater success in the business world.
The whole family still lives together in the big house in Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong. There are four generations consisting of well over one hundred people. However, today, many people have migrated overseas.
But there are still gatherings on a regular basis, especially during the school holidays, such as Christmas. That shaped my purpose in a big way.
Ambition for me was never about personal glory. It was more about responsibility. The name [Harilela] taught me that you don’t take shortcuts.
You think long-term. You treat people well. And you always remember that success is something you hold in trust for the next generation. That mindset has guided everything I’ve done.
You’ve also spent a significant amount of time in Thailand. How was that upbringing and the journey from country to country?
Thailand has been a huge part of my life; my mom still lives there, so I’m still frequently travelling between HK and Thailand. My family has strong roots there, so I spent a lot of time in Bangkok growing up.
Moving between Hong Kong and Thailand taught me how to be adaptable. Hong Kong is fast-paced, direct, and very transaction-oriented, while Thailand is more about relationships, patience, and a relatively chill mindset.
You learn to switch gears, which has been incredibly useful in business, especially when you’re dealing with so many clients from different cultures. It also gave me a sense that home isn’t just one place.
Home is where your family is, where your community is. That ability to feel comfortable in multiple cultures has been a huge asset.
The Harilela Group is synonymous with hospitality and real estate, yet you’ve carved out a path in finance and fintech. Was that a conscious decision to forge your own identity, or did the family encourage diversification? What compelled you to dive into this particular field?
The family has always believed in diversification and being supportive of every family member. So, when I started in auditing, I got to see dozens of industries up close, and I became fascinated by how technology was reshaping commerce.
I realised that the future of almost every industry, including hospitality, would be built on digital and fintech infrastructure. So, moving into venture investing felt natural—I wanted to back the people who were building that infrastructure.
And the family was supportive. They saw it as a way to bring new knowledge and new opportunities into the family ecosystem. I never felt like I was rebelling against the family legacy; I felt like I was adding a new chapter to it.
Having a solid support system is essential for success. How have the family dynamics and each member’s role influenced you in your decisions throughout your journey? What has their impact been like?
I’m really lucky to come from a family that’s tight-knit but also respects individual paths. We have a structure where everyone has their own area of focus, but we all communicate constantly.
My uncles, my cousins—we all bring different things to the table. While I am the director of FGA Trust, I’d often introduce potential connections to the family and the business, because it is important to have more perspectives and more partnerships.
And honestly, knowing you have that support system behind you gives you the confidence, from both the family and the company. You know that even if something doesn’t work out, you’re not alone—that’s a huge comfort.
As a member of a prominent South Asian diaspora family in Hong Kong, how do you balance cultural identity with operating in a predominantly Chinese business environment?
I don’t really think of it as balancing. To me, it’s more like blending.
Hong Kong is such a multicultural city that being South Asian has never felt like a disadvantage. In fact, the South Asian business community and the Chinese business community here share a lot of core values: respect for family, a focus on long-term relationships, and the importance of trust.
I operate with my cultural identity proudly, but I also make an effort to understand the local business etiquette. Growing up in Thailand and Hong Kong, I speak a bit of Thai and Cantonese, and I respect the traditions.
At the end of the day, if you show respect, work hard, and deliver on your word, people don’t care about your background—they care about your character.
What values instilled by your family do you carry most closely into your professional and personal lives today?
First is integrity. In my family, your word is your bond—in wealth management, trust is the most valuable currency.
Second, I think it is unity. We have a saying that the family is the cornerstone, and that’s shaped how I work with partners and how I build teams.
The third is being humble. No matter how successful you become, stay grounded—that’s something I try to live by every day.
You run your own VC firm alongside your role at FGA Trust, and you also have experience in M&A and IBD. What kinds of founders and ideas excite you the most right now?
What excites me right now is the mindset of solving real, tangible problems, and providing actual solutions. This is the mindset I was looking for when I was in the investment business, and this is the mindset we are using at FGA Trust when facing our clients.
Asia is such a fragmented market—you have countries with different currencies, different regulations, and cultures. The mindsets that really get me excited are the ones that understand that technology is just a tool; the real challenge is making it work on the ground.
Regulatory technology (RegTech) is also a sector we are looking at. RegTech tends to help people solving the real problem, making their business run smoothly, and helping to build more sustainable companies.
And of course, we are always looking for ways AI can add real value.
FGA Trust is headquartered in Hong Kong and operates across APAC. Where do you see the company in a few years?
We’re really focused on evolving FGA Trust from a trust service provider into a full-service partner for high-net-worth families. That means taking care of estate planning, inheritance, family education planning, healthcare, longevity plans, and a more customised holistic concierge service.
Trust service will always be the core, but we’re adding more features such as AI-driven tools and digital platforms—in short, all the convenient features that help high-net-worth families.
In FGA Trust, we see ourselves not merely as custodians of assets but as architects of continuity, ensuring that the values of integrity, unity, and long-term stewardship are passed down through generations.
Especially with the recent geopolitical tension around the world, more and more people see Asia as their financial hub. We welcome international families with a patient, disciplined mindset, while we always use avant-garde technology to improve the user experience.
We believe that a family trust should be a platform for empowerment—giving the next generation the resources, guidance, and freedom to pursue their own paths without losing sight of the collective foundation.
This is also the philosophy I learned from my own family; I would like to implement that in the business as well.
In a few years, I want the company to be a more inclusive platform, whether it’s high-net-worth individuals or a large enterprise that wants to build its presence across Asia.
Hong Kong will remain our main hub, but we’re expanding deeper into Southeast Asia and the Middle East. These are markets we know well, and we see huge opportunities there.
The goal is to be more than just a service provider; we want to be a true partner in our clients’ long-term planning.
Wearing multiple hats in a bustling and highly populated city can be overwhelming to some. What does a typical day off look like for you—how do you decompress and recharge?
Honestly, a day off for me is all about spending time with family. But now, I don’t really have a leisure period—I’m always thinking about business or taking client calls from time to time.
But I do spend a lot of time with my family, my mom, and my daughter. That is really the relaxing moment for me.
If you could give one piece of advice to the next generation of South Asian entrepreneurs in Asia, what would it be?
I think it will be: don’t set boundaries for yourself. The world is changing fast, and we need to change together with it.
Also, don’t be afraid to go out and get more experience. For me, working in auditing and then in venture investing before stepping into the trust business gave me credibility and a broader perspective.
So, build your own foundation, earn your stripes, and then use your heritage as a springboard. The best way to honour the past is to build something meaningful for the future.