Global payments giant Mastercard has lost chief legal officer Rob Beard to laser tech business Coherent Group after just a little over a year in the role.

Mastercard has promoted Tiffany Hall to general counsel, having spent the past 10 months as GC for the Americas region – the latest in a number of legal roles she has held in the 11-and-a-half years she has been with the company. Beard had replaced Richard Verma, who exited Mastercard in March 2023 after roughly two-and-a-half years in the role.

Beard joins Coherent as chief legal and global affairs officer, replacing Ron Basso who is retiring. At Coherent, Beard will oversee all legal matters and related issues. The company also promoted Marie Batz Martin to chief compliance officer. She will report to Beard.

Pennsylvania-based Coherent manufactures components for networking equipment, optics and lasers, as well as other speciality materials.

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

Beard joined Mastercard in July 2023 from US chipmaker Micron Technology, where he spent nine years across a number of legal roles, including almost three years as GC. Prior to his in-house career, Beard spent three years as an associate at Weil Gotshal & Manges and just over a year at legacy firm Shearman & Sterling.

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

Basso, meantime, is stepping down after just under seven years at Coherent and its predecessor company II-VI Incorporated, having previously spent more than six years as GC at IT business Black Box. Prior to that he spent close to three decades at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, latterly as a shareholder.

Anderson added: “I would like to thank Ron Basso for his leadership as Coherent’s chief legal officer. His experience and leadership will ensure a smooth transition, and I am grateful for his commitment and continued dedication to the company.”