Merrill Lynch Wealth Management has appointed Bill O’Neill as chief investment officer, Europe, the Middle East and Africa wealth management.

Mr O’Neill has been a senior member of the chief investment office team at MLWM since 2007. The team provides intelligence to financial advisors and portfolio managers. In his new London-based role he is responsible for enhancing the team’s offering to a growing client base across the region. He reports to David Jervis, head of EMEA Merrill Lynch wealth management, and Michael O'Keeffe, chief investment officer, Merrill Lynch global wealth management.

Prior to joining Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Mr O’Neill was a leading member of the asset allocation team at Barclays Wealth. He has also previously worked at JP Morgan Asset Management and HSBC Investment Bank.

Earlier this month Merrill Lynch Wealth Management also recruited Ritesh Rihani from Barclays Wealth to take up the newly-created role of head of alternative investments for wealth management across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.