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When BTG Pactual tasked Jill Wallach with creating an international legal department to support its global expansion, it was a coup not just for the company, but for many junior attorneys starting out in their careers. For Wallach is a big believer in mentoring her junior staff, and says nothing gives her more pleasure than seeing her protégés succeed; ‘At nearly every stop along my career, I have had mentors who were instrumental in my development and success and I try to pay it forward’, she says. ‘I also ensure that they “pay it forward” by requiring them hiring an intern from a law school year round’. The other crucial element to Wallach’s role has been creating a culture of compliance – no mean feat for an emerging markets bank trying to grow its business in an array of different jurisdictions. ‘The pressure of international regulations can prove daunting’, she says. ‘Compliance risks in Brazil vary from those in the developed countries in which we operate. I seek to build awareness of these differences with my Latin American colleagues, sensitize them to the more complex rules and regulations in developed countries, and ensure that the firm as a whole is committed to a “best practices” approach’.