Highlighted in last year’s GC Powerlist as a ‘company of tomorrow’, payments firm TransferWise has since grown to serve over two million customers, offering what it calls ‘the real exchange rate’. It unveiled a robust set of financial results last year, posting revenues of £67m for the year ending 31 March 2017, 140% up from the previous year. TransferWise, which was given ‘unicorn’ status in 2016 for being a start-up valued over $1bn by analysts, has a legal function headed up by former Mind Candy GC Jenifer Swallow. She joined TransferWise in September 2015 and has since grown the legal function to eight staff, four with a legal background. In 2017, the TransferWise legal team was involved as the company rolled out borderless accounts, which allow customers to pay and receive different currencies at a fraction of the cost of traditional high-street banks. One of the four non-lawyers in the legal team is Alena Danyliuk, TransferWise’s head of legal operations. Swallow describes her as a ‘finance powerhouse’ who has brought a new dynamic to the team. ‘When you talk to her about a problem, she gives you a different insight to someone with a legal background. Some of the best ideas come from non-lawyers.’ Another non-lawyer is Tom Hale, a former customer complaints officer who was persuaded to join the legal function as a privacy expert and is noted ‘awesome’ by Swallow. He is also the lead singer of the TransferWise band, where Swallow occasionally cameos as a backing dancer. She says that a priority for 2018 is to continue to build out the legal function. TransferWise is in the process of recruiting a corporate lawyer to support Swallow, while an intellectual property expert is also on her wish list. She believes that her legal team holds itself to a higher standard than most, measuring themselves on net promoter scores, an index that ranks how likely someone is to recommend their service to others. ‘We work in a way which is very congruent with the values of the company. This company got where it is because it was able to move fast. When legal teams are brought in, it starts to slow down because people get nervous. We want to know if we are helping the business be confident.’