Coherent Appoints Rob Beard as Chief Legal and Global Affairs Officer

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Coherent Corp. (the “Company” or “Coherent”) (NYSE: COHR), a global leader in materials, networking, and lasers, today announced that following a comprehensive search, it has appointed Rob Beard as the Company’s new Chief Legal and Global Affairs Officer, and Corporate Secretary, effective today. Rob replaces current Chief Legal Officer Ron Basso, who is retiring. The Company has also promoted Marie Batz Martin to Chief Compliance Officer, reporting to Rob. 

Mr. Beard joins Coherent from Mastercard Incorporated (“Mastercard”), where he was Chief Legal and Global Affairs Officer. Before Mastercard, Rob spent nearly a decade at Micron Technology, Inc. (“Micron”), including as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, leading Micron’s global legal, intellectual property and ethics and compliance functions and guiding Micron’s growth through an increasingly complex geopolitical environment.

“We are pleased to welcome Rob to Coherent’s leadership team,” said Jim Anderson, Chief Executive Officer. “His broad experience in the semiconductor industry, international policy experience and expertise in business and law make him an excellent partner and counselor to help us unlock Coherent’s full potential.”

“I am thrilled to join Coherent as its next CLO,” said Mr. Beard. “It’s an incredible team with a strong culture of innovation across multiple high-growth markets.”

“I would like to thank Ron Basso for his leadership as Coherent’s Chief Legal Officer,” said Mr. Anderson. “His experience and leadership will ensure a smooth transition, and I am grateful for his commitment and continued dedication to the company.”

About Rob Beard

Rob has more than 20 years of experience in the technology industry. Before joining Mastercard, Rob spent nearly a decade at Micron, beginning his career there as the company’s primary M&A lawyer and for several years partnered closely with Micron’s corporate development team on a wide range of strategic opportunities, including significant transactions in Japan, Taiwan, Europe, China and Singapore.

Prior to Micron, Rob was corporate counsel at Amazon’s Lab 126 and was an associate at Weil Gotshal & Manges in London, New York and Silicon Valley, focusing on M&A and capital markets transactions, and at Shearman & Sterling in London, where he focused on debt capital markets transactions. He graduated from the University of Utah and received his J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law, summa cum laude.