Bank of America’s Ed Hill to join BPI

With Daniel Lippman

TOP BANK OF AMERICA LOBBYIST DEPARTS FOR BPI: Ed Hill, one of Bank of America’s top lobbyists, is leaving the bank after more than 20 years to lead the Bank Policy Institute’s government affairs team. Hill was attracted by the trade group’s policy and research-based approach, he told PI, adding that being able to “take their research and analysis and bring it to audiences on the Hill was just too good an opportunity to pass up.” Hill joined Bank of America in 2000, and led several of the bank’s policy initiatives, including relating to Dodd-Frank banking regulations.

WILLIAMS & CONNOLLY PARTS WAYS WITH MYANMAR BANK: The Washington law firm Williams & Connolly has ended its lobbying relationship with KBZ Bank, one of Myanmar’s largest private banks, in the wake of a military takeover in the country several weeks ago. KBZ first hired a team of attorneys led by David Aufhauser in August 2019 to represent the bank in Washington after a report from the United Nations Human Rights Council implicated its parent company in the Burmese military’s deadly crackdown on Rohingya Muslims. It was the firm’s first FARA registration in two decades, PI reported at the time. Prior to this month, KBZ was the only Burmese entity registered under FARA, according to a PI analysis of disclosure filings.

— According to new documents filed with the Justice Department last week, the firm parted ways with KBZ as of Jan. 31, just a day before Myanmar’s military leaders deposed its de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi and several other members of its democratically elected government, citing alleged voter fraud in a November election.

— President Joe Biden unveiled new sanctions on Myanmar last week as a result of the coup and Myanmar’s junta began engaging in a more severe crackdown on civil liberties over the weekend. DOJ filings show the firm was paid more than $507,000 for its services since August 2019. Neither Williams & Connolly nor KBZ Bank, which has posted notices of closures on its website since the coup, responded to requests for comment.

Happy Fat Tuesday and welcome to PI. Laissez les bon temps (and les lobbying tips) rouler: [email protected]. And follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko.

SHAUB’S NEW JOB: Walter Shaub, the outspoken former federal ethics chief, will spearhead a new ethics and accountability initiative at the Project On Government Oversight, the nonprofit watchdog group announced today. Shaub led the Office of Government Ethics during former President Barack Obama’s second term before becoming one of the Trump administration’s top critics on Twitter. He’ll advise POGO “on effective proposals for improving government accountability” and push for reforms “like robust executive branch ethics laws, stricter limits on the use of emergency powers and the Office of Legal Counsel, and stronger congressional oversight powers,” according to the group.

ZUMWALT DECAMPS FOR FTI: Bryan Zumwalt is leaving the Consumer Brands Association, where he was the top lobbyist for the trade group formerly known as the Grocery Manufacturers Association, to become senior managing director and head of government affairs for FTI Consulting. Zumwalt was named CBA’s executive vice president of public affairs as part of a 2020 rebrand that followed the departure of several prominent members. He was previously the chief lobbyist for the American Chemistry Council, and started his career on the Hill.

— Brian Kennedy, FTI’s head of strategic communications for the Americas, praised Zumwalt’s “business acumen, proven leadership skills and record of successfully navigating legislative and regulatory challenges” in a statement released by the firm, adding that the addition of Zumwalt “will further strengthen our ability to support clients as they manage risks and opportunities inside and outside the Beltway.”

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