Morgan Stanley Smith Barney has bulked up its advisory team with six new hires and appointed former US congressman Harold Ford Jr as managing director and senior client relationship manager.

Ford, a five-term congressman from Tennessee who joins from Bank of America, will work with
corporate directors, institutional investors, as well as private
clients. He will report jointly
to Gregory Fleming, president of MSSB and president of Morgan Stanley Investment Management, and to Paul J Taubman, co-president of Institutional Securities. His appointment takes effect on March 7. 

Stepping into the Melville, New York office are Joseph Viviani and Robert Digregorio, who previously oversaw $398 million of client assets. Viviani is a 30-year veteran of Merrill Lynch, while Digregorio worked for the company for 16 years. They will report to complex manager Dino Carfora.

Also joining MSSB from Merrill are Rosalie Schlaen and Izhar Shefer, who will be part of the Aventura, Florida office. The pair previously managed $177 million of client assets and generated about $1.3 million in annual fees and commissions. In their new roles, they will report to complex manager Bill Van Scoyoc.  

Rounding up the six hires are David Cohen, who joins in Melbourne, Florida and Keith Cline, who joins the Fort Myers, Florida branch. Cohen used to work for Merrill Lynch, where he oversaw $150 million of clients assets, while Cline comes on board from Raymond James & Associates, overseeing $73 million of client assets. Cohen will report to branch manager Sue Khan, while Cline will report to branch manager Thomas Wielgos.