Louis Berger, a $1 billion global professional services organization, has named Adelle Elia as chief integrity officer, effective April 1.

Elia’s predecessor, Tom Nicastro, is stepping down as Louis Berger’s chief compliance and ethics officer after 15 years of service with the company, seven years of which he spent leading the company’s compliance function to shape Louis Berger’s culture of integrity. Nicastro will stay on board as a senior advisor supporting the leadership transition and will eventually move to a consulting role.

“Tom successfully has led the company’s compliance and ethics function from its establishment in 2009 to its current robust state,” said Martha Clark Goss, chair of the audit committee, which oversees the company’s independent compliance and ethics office. Elia will expand further the integrity program, building on the foundation set by Nicastro and the global compliance and ethics team, Goss said.

Elia will assume leadership for the company’s global compliance and ethics function reporting to the audit committee. In this role, Elia will be responsible for providing direction and oversight to the firm’s integrity program.

The role of the chief integrity officer is to contribute to the establishment of an enduring ethical culture; engage with company operations in order to build an ethical culture that advances the overall objectives of the business; help other corporate leaders prevent misconduct or effectively address it when it occurs; and provide a public demonstration of the organization’s commitment to integrity. In addition to leading a global compliance and ethics team positioned around the globe, Elia’s responsibilities will be to play a major role in helping the organization achieve its highest potential by educating, assessing, training, and overseeing compliance in alignment with the organization’s core values.

Elia brings 25 years of experience to Louis Berger serving in compliance, audit, and business systems roles for consulting firms and global corporations, including LRN, GTSI, International Network Services, and Wachovia Bank. She previously served as the chief ethics and compliance officer at U.S. Investigations Services, a professional services organization of approximately 6,000 employees providing clearance-related background investigations, operations and training services to the U.S. government.

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