Around the house

Casino equipment and lottery services supplier GTech SpA has recruited IBM lawyer Neil Abrams to head up its legal team. Mr Abrams, who worked for IBM for more than 20 years, will oversee all legal and corporate governance matters for the company and report to Alberto Fornaro, GTech executive vice president and chief financial officer. At IBM, Mr Abrams was vice president and assistant general counsel, client experience and earlier, chief legal officer for IBM’s software business.

Dublin-based pharmaceutical company Endo International has appointed Matthew Maletta as its chief legal officer from next month, He joins from Allergan where he was associate general counsel and company secretarty. He brings to Endo nearly two decades of legal experience in the specialty pharmaceutical industry and with private law firms, including extensive experience in M&A, corporate, securities, finance, commercial and employment law. He is replacing Caroline Manogue, who announced her retirement in January 2015.

Celgene Corp has appointed Gerald Masoudi to head up its global legal strategy. He joins Celgene from Covington & Burling LLP, where he is a partner and serves as co-chair of the food and drug practice group. Before Covington, he had served as chief counsel of the US Food and Drug Administration and earlier as deputy assistant attorney general for international, policy and appellate matters in the antitrust division of the US Department of Justice. Mr Masoudi will succeed general counsel Lawrence Stein who is retiring from Celgene.Mr Stein had previously served as general counsel for Wyeth and the Genetics Institute and as a partner at the law firm Arnold & Porter.

The deputy general counsel of Bank of America, Ed O’Keefe, is to join law firm Moore & Van Allen next month. Mr O'Keefe joined Bank of America in 2004, and held numerous roles during at the bank, including general counsel from January 2009 until September 2012. He also served as head of litigation, global compliance and operational risk executive, senior privacy executive, and deputy general counsel for staff support functions. He has also served in senior leadership positions for the financial services industry, including as Chair of the Clearing House Association Board. He will join the firm's litigation team.