Bank of America Merrill Lynch has appointed Sam Powers as head of Americas Media & Telecom Investment Banking, according to the contents of an internal memo confirmed by the firm. Powers joins BofA Merrill Lynch from UBS where he was head of the Americas TMT Group.

The company also expanded the Media & Telecom leadership team with the addition of Randy Russell, who comes to his position from Deutsche Bank, where he was head of the Americas Media & Telecom practice.  

Powers will join the firm this fall as managing director and head of Americas Media & Telecom Investment Banking. He has advised on many transformative transactions for important clients, including Advance/Newhouse, CAA, TPG and Viacom. In this role, He will leverage his extensive expertise to lead BofA Merrill Lynch's Americas M&T business and partner with its global TMT leadership.

Russell recently joined ‎the firm as managing director in TMT and will be exclusively focused on covering a number of major clients in the Media & Telecom sectors. He will play a key role in developing and deepening client relationships and bolstering the growth of our business. He has advised many of the most important clients in the industry, including Dish, Echostar, and Verizon. Russell began his career in the United States Marine Corps, where he served as an officer and pilot before rising to the role of Major in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves.
 
‎"The addition of Sam and Randy to our global Media & Telecom practice reflects the significant momentum we are experiencing in this space as we continue to win key mandates and grow our market share," said Jack MacDonald, head of Global TMT Investment Banking, in a memo to employees announcing the hires.