Robert Perna on career advice
From FTG 0060 – From Shenango to the C-Suite with Chief Legal Officer Bob Perna ’85 · · Penn State Schreyer Honors College
“Be open to opportunities and flexible in your career path. I never imagined where I would end up professionally and personally. Moving from Pennsylvania to the Midwest was a great decision.”
On , Robert Perna, Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary at KNOWLES CORP, spoke about career advice during FTG 0060 – From Shenango to the C-Suite with Chief Legal Officer Bob Perna ’85 on Penn State Schreyer Honors College.
About Robert Perna
Robert Perna, senior vice president, general counsel and secretary at Knowles Corporation, discussed his career and approach to in-house legal work in a September 2024 podcast for the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State. Perna said that as an in-house lawyer he balances legal risk with business goals, aiming to suggest ways to mitigate risk rather than simply saying no. He described the role of a general counsel as encompassing compliance, business advising, and legal expertise, and noted that in-house lawyers typically do not go to court but manage legal risks internally and with outside counsel. Perna also said that emotional intelligence and collaboration are more important than IQ in business, and that early involvement in business decisions adds value. Perna advised students interested in law or business to be humble, listen more than they talk, be curious, and think critically and broadly. He said he realized through a business law class that law and business are deeply connected, and that becoming a corporate transactional lawyer allowed him to stay involved in business. Perna also noted that working with large companies like Apple pushes suppliers to innovate and improve, and that being open to opportunities and flexible in one's career path is important.