Robert J. Perna is our senior vice president, general counsel and secretary and manages the company’s global legal affairs, as well as all corporate governance and compliance functions at Knowles Corporation. He advises and counsels the Board of Directors and the leadership team on a broad range of legal, business, governance, compliance, policy and strategic matters, including key operational initiatives, risk assessment and mitigation, major transactions, litigation and corporate citizenship.

Before joining Knowles, Bob served as senior vice president, general counsel and secretary at Rockwell Collins from 2014 to 2018, where he oversaw global legal support, import/export compliance, and the office of ethics and business conduct for the $8 billion aerospace and defense company. As a member of the senior leadership team, he also provided counsel to the Board of Directors on securities law, corporate governance and other legal matters.

Previously, Bob was vice president, general counsel and secretary at A.M. Castle & Co., a specialty metals and plastics distributor and value-added processor. He also held various in-house counsel positions of increasing responsibility at CNH Global, Navistar International and GE Capital Rail Services.  Bob started his law practice as an associate at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver and Jacobson in Washington, D.C., providing legal advice to private and publicly held corporations and financial institutions.

A Pennsylvania native, Bob earned his BS degree in Finance from Penn State University and his JD degree from George Washington University.  He is a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel, Society for Corporate Governance, and other professional associations.  He has served on a number of not-for-profit boards and commissions, including the Iowa Access to Justice Commission, the Rockwell Collins Charitable Corporation, and the United Way of West Cook/DuPage County (Illinois).   

Bob and his family live in Hinsdale, Illinois.