BofA Merrill Hires Director to Expand Consultant Services

Hank Zoller has been appointed director of the Office of Consultant Relations. In addition to his existing senior client relationship management responsibilities, Zoller will now lead a team responsible for the growth and expansion of services delivered to consultants, according to BofA Merrill Lynch.     

Joining the newly formed Office of Consultant Relations team under Zoller is senior consultant relations manager, Chris Somers, who is now responsible for managing consultant relationships and new business in the Western U.S. Somers most recently served as a senior business development executive for the Bank of America retirement business in the Pacific Northwest, prior to the company’s acquisition of Merrill Lynch in January 2009.      

The company said it will soon appoint a consultant relations manager responsible for the Eastern U.S. In the meantime, additional sales, service, marketing and other support roles have recently been aligned to this strategic growth area.      

In the coming months, the Office of Consultant Relations will introduce a monthly e-newsletter, designed specifically for the consultant community, which will offer business insights, product and service enhancement news, client case studies, and technology and innovation updates. In addition, BofA Merrill said the company will soon launch an enhanced Retirement & Benefit Plan Services Web site, with plans to add a specialized portal and online tools for the consultant community later this year.