Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (MLIM) has appointed Richard Boon as managing director and head of Merrill's London-based US investment team.

Boon, who starts in his new role in July, was previously executive director in institutional investment management at Morgan Stanley, where he managed global equity products. He specialised in US stock selection across the telecommunications, oils, insurance, media, hardware, defence, and utilities sectors, according to Merrill.