FILE PHOTO: People walk inside JP Morgan headquarters in New York, October 25, 2013. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo

By Nupur Anand

NEW YORK (Reuters) -JPMorgan Chase appointed Francisco Abularach and Michael Johnson as its new global co-heads of infrastructure investment banking, according to a memo seen by Reuters on Thursday.

The move comes as dealmaking picks up in the sector. Infrastructure private equity coverage is an important strategic growth area for the bank, according to the memo.

Abularach joined the largest U.S. lender in July after 26 years at Citigroup. Johnson has been with the bank for seven years, and was previously a vice chair of investment banking, focused on clients in natural resources.

"Through this new leadership structure, we have an exciting path forward in this important sector to strengthen our position and deepen our support for infrastructure clients," Avery Whidden, global head of infrastructure, said in the memo.

The two new co-heads will be reporting to Whidden.

JPMorgan advised EQT Infrastructure and Zayo on an $8.5 billion deal earlier this year. It also advised Antin Infrastructure on an equity recapitalization of Origis Energy of more than $1 billion.

Investment banking revenue at JPMorgan is expected to grow in a low double-digit percentage in the third quarter after "one of the busiest summers in a long time," Doug Petno, its co-CEO of commercial and investment banking, told investors on Tuesday.

The resurgent activity has also led to a spate of hiring across Wall Street. JPMorgan has added over a hundred managing directors this year, a source said.

JPMorgan also hired Stuart McIntyre, who will join the firm as a managing director in its North America infrastructure investment banking group. He was most recently at Citi, leading coverage of infrastructure investors and their portfolio companies, and also worked at Barclays.

Mergers and acquisitions are expected to continue fueling investment banking activity this year, Petno said. Big initial public offerings are back and performing well, equity capital markets will probably remain robust and deal pipelines look good, he added.

(Reporting by Nupur Anand in New York, editing by Lananh Nguyen and Nia Williams)