MSA Safety looks in-house for next top lawyer

Company veteran Richard Roda has become the new chief legal officer (CLO) of MSA Safety.

He succeeds Stephanie Sciullo, who has been named president of the company’s Americas business segment.

Roda has been with MSA for 28 years, most recently as deputy general counsel, corporate secretary and chief compliance officer (CCO). In his new role as vice president, secretary and CLO, he is responsible for the company’s global legal function and reports to MSA chair and CEO Nish Vartanian.

Roda joined MSA Safety in 1995 as a customer service representative and went on to fill a variety of sales support and product technical support roles. After graduating from Duquesne University Law School in 2001, he became a full-time commercial and transactional attorney for the company.

During his tenure with MSA, he has held a number of positions focused on transactional, corporate legal and securities law functions. As CCO, he oversaw the design and implementation of the company’s ethics and compliance program.

Vartanian says in a statement: ‘I am pleased to announce Rick’s promotion today, as it reflects the level of expertise he has developed throughout his MSA career. For several years, Rick has served as an integral leader across MSA and has helped guide our organization through many periods of change.

‘He has also overseen the legal work related to every MSA acquisition over the past two decades and guided efforts that resulted in the modernized legal structure that MSA has in place today.’

Sciullo joined MSA in 2010. Before being CLO, she led the company’s insurance recovery efforts and its efforts to divest a wholly owned subsidiary, the single largest strategic transaction in the company’s 109-year history. Before joining MSA, Sciullo was an attorney with law firm Reed Smith.