BNY Mellon’s wealth management business has boosted its ultra high net worth family team with a new promotion, the latest in a string of appointments as its seeks aggressive expansion in 2012.

Gregory Simpson starts as family wealth advisor, part of a team who work with UHNW families and family offices.  Effective 1 March 2012, Simpson will report to 25-year veteran Ridgway Powell, who was promoted to lead this group late last year.

Simpson is based in Pittsburgh and has 20 years of experience in financial services. He has been with BNY Mellon since 1999, most recently as a portfolio management team leader. Prior to joining BNY Mellon, Simpson was a vice president and regional manager for Western Pennsylvania at Sterling, a unit of National City Corp.

It is the latest appointment for the US wealth manager, which this month announced the hire of Leo Mutchler as escrow sales specialist for the tri-state region, based in New York.

Earlier this month it emerged that former Illinois state treasurer Alexi Giannoulias had been hired as a senior advisor for strategic relationships and that five more hires would be made in Chicago. Previously, Cynthia Steer joined as head of manager research and investment solutions. The wealth manager also recently launched a mobile application that supports risk analysis and performance for clients.

BNY Mellon Wealth Management has around $168 billion in private client assets. Its parent financial services firm BNY Mellon has $25.8 trillion in assets under custody and administration and $1.26 trillion in assets under management.