Parker Hannifin, a maker of motion and control technologies, has elected Joseph Leonti as general counsel and secretary, effective July 1, 2014.

He will succeed Thomas Piraino, who will retire after 32 years of service with the company. Piraino plans to stay on with the company until the end of August 2014 to allow for a smooth transition of his responsibilities. 

Leonti joined Parker in March 2006, and was most recently responsible for legal matters in various areas of specialty, including worldwide mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, and other significant transactions; corporate governance and corporate secretarial matters; securities law compliance and disclosure; and corporate finance and treasury.

In his new role, Leonti will be responsible for managing and overseeing all of Parker's worldwide legal affairs and matters concerning its board of directors and corporate governance.