Mastercard announced on Monday it has appointed Rob Beard the company’s chief legal officer, general counsel and head of global policy.

Beard will oversee the card network company’s legal, public policy, regulatory affairs and litigation teams around the world, according to a press release. 

Beard most recently served as general counsel and corporate secretary at Micron Technology, a global player in the semiconductor industry that he joined in 2014. 

As Micron’s GC in recent years, he oversaw the company’s global legal, intellectual property, and ethics and compliance functions.

Earlier in his tenure at Micron, Beard served as the company’s primary mergers and acquisitions lawyer. During that time, Beard worked on significant transactions in Japan, Taiwan, Europe, China and Singapore, the press release said.

“His broad international and policy experience, combined with his expertise in business and law, make him an excellent partner and counselor in driving meaningful transformation,” said Tim Murphy, Mastercard’s chief administrative officer. “We are delighted to welcome him to Mastercard.”

Beard will report to Murphy, who has prior experience serving as Mastercard’s general counsel. Richard Verma also previously served as the company’s legal chief in recent years before joining the U.S. State Department earlier this year.

As for Beard, his legal experience includes working as an associate at Weil, Gotshal & Manges in London, New York and Silicon Valley. He focused on M&A and capital markets transactions at the law firm.

Beard also worked at Shearman & Sterling in London, where he focused on debt capital markets transactions.

Beard’s hiring comes several months after Discover Financial Services announced the hiring of Hope Mehlman as its chief legal officer and general counsel. Mehlman had previously served as EVP, GC and corporate secretary at Bank of the West.

By Lyle Moran on July 18, 2023
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