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Feb 23, 2021

La-Z-Boy names successor to general counsel

Raphael Richmond will also be compliance chief

Furniture company La-Z-Boy is promoting Raphael Richmond, senior director of corporate compliance and employment law, to become vice president and general counsel, effective April 25. She will also hold the role of chief compliance officer (CCO).

Richmond will succeed Stephen Krull, who is retiring. In a related move, Uzma Ahmad, who is at present senior director of corporate law and assistant secretary, has been appointed vice president, deputy general counsel and corporate secretary, also effective April 25. Krull will work with Richmond and Ahmad on the transition.

As general counsel and CCO, Richmond will be responsible for managing La-Z-Boy’s overall legal and compliance functions. Ahmad will be responsible for corporate and securities law for the company and will report to Richmond.

Richmond joined the company in April 2019 as the senior director for corporate compliance and employment law, with responsibility for the ethics and compliance program, employment law counseling and employment and commercial litigation. She was corporate and securities counsel for Ford Motor Company before being promoted to global director of compliance in 2013.

Ahmad also joined La-Z-Boy in April 2019 having previously been vice president, deputy general counsel and assistant secretary at transportation and logistics company Con-way.

‘Since joining La-Z-Boy in 2019, Raphael has been accountable for litigation and employment matters as well as leading the company’s overall compliance efforts. She is a high-caliber legal executive with a wealth of experience and will continue to serve the company well in her new role,’ Kurt Darrow, chair, president and CEO, says in a statement.

‘Over the past two years, Uzma has handled securities law matters for La-Z-Boy while working closely with the senior leadership team and board of directors on disclosure and corporate governance matters… I look forward to continuing to work with Uzma and benefiting from her significant expertise and wise counsel as she becomes corporate secretary.’

Ben Maiden

Ben Maiden is the editor-at-large of Governance Intelligence, an IR Media publication, having joined the company in December 2016. He is based in New York. Ben was previously managing editor of Compliance Reporter, covering regulatory and compliance...