BNY Mellon Wealth Management has appointed Timothy Barker as a family wealth advisor based in New York.

Barker is part of a specialist team servicing ultra high net worth families and family offices. He reports to Ridgeway Powell, who was recently promoted to lead the UHNW group.

Barker joins from First Republic Wealth Advisors where he was a senior managing director and advised portfolios in the region of $500 million.

On its investor day presentation on 14 November last year, BNY Mellon announced that it is looking to grow wealth management in the US and overseas.

In December, the New York-headquartered firm boosted its UHNW capabilities with the hire of Ron Bruder from Goldman Sachs. Ruder is based in California but will also look after clients in Texas, Nevada, Colorado and Washington.

BNY Mellon has also beefed up other aspects of its wealth management business. The appointment of Barker comes hot on the heels of yesterday’s announcement that former Illinois state treasurer Alexi Giannoulias has become senior advisor for strategic relationships in the firm’s Chicago wealth office. BNY Mellon also said that it has reshuffled its wealth management structure in eastern US. Managing director Andy Paterson was promoted to the position of president of the central region which includes Western Pennsylvania and Ohio. He replaced Joseph Banko, who has become executive director of market strategy for eastern US.

In recent months, the firm has also taken on Susan Traver as the first president of its newly-opened Washington DC office and Penny Weeks as a regional director for private banking in New England.

BNY Mellon Wealth Management manages roughly $170 billion in private client assets in the US.