Micron appoints next general counsel

Micron Technology has promoted Rob Beard to become senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary for the computer data storage company.

In his new role Beard heads up Micron’s global legal, intellectual property and compliance and ethics functions. He succeeds Joel Poppen, who is retiring after more than 26 years with the company, during which time he has been Micron’s senior vice president of legal affairs, general counsel and corporate secretary since 2013. Poppen will stay at Micron as a special adviser until his retirement in mid-2022.

Beard previously led teams supporting Micron’s corporate and global operations functions. Before joining the company in 2014, he worked at law firms Weil Gotshal & Manges and Shearman and Sterling advising on M&A and other transactions as well as public company disclosure and corporate governance matters.

Micron president and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra says in a statement: ‘Rob’s deep expertise, legal acumen and outstanding track record will make a strong addition to our leadership team as we continue to execute on our growth strategy. He is a proven leader, partnering across global teams to achieve results in alignment with our mission and values for our customers and company.

‘I’d like to thank Joel for his many years of service and tremendous contributions to Micron’s success. He helped make Micron an [intellectual property] powerhouse, enhanced our government engagements around the globe and drove our focus and commitments to people and communities.’