The Companies of Tomorrow: Technology and Digital Business

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The Companies of Tomorrow: Technology and Digital Business

 

SKYSCANNER

Industry/sector: Travel

Founded: 2001

Founders: Gareth Williams, Barry Smith, Bonamy Grimes

General counsel: Carolyn Jameson

Founded in Edinburgh in 2001, Skyscanner has revenues of £120m and has offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London in the UK with additional offices in locations including Singapore, Beijing, Miami, Barcelona, and Tokyo. The site is available in over 30 languages and on average is used by 60 million people per month.

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Clients and rookie lawyers – some awkward truths

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Clients and rookie lawyers – some awkward truths

Ah, despite the changing fashions, technology and economic realities of the day, in law you can always rely on that curious mix of mutual hypocrisy, miscommunication, mistrust and conflicting agendas between clients and law firms to endure.

The latest flashpoint is Deutsche Bank’s current panel review, which has pressed tendering law firms to write off time for trainees and newly-qualified lawyers handling its matters. Though it appears that not all have consented, for many this is the thin end of the wedge and a worrying sign that this US trend is making its way over here.

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Game on – consolidation and tougher regulation raise the odds for betting industry GCs

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Game on – consolidation and tougher regulation raise the odds for betting industry GCs

Increased regulation and high-level consolidation have raised the odds for in-house lawyers playing in the gaming and betting industry

When Edward Traynor took the general counsel (GC) position at Paddy Power in April 2015, he arrived in the middle of a £400m return of capital to the business’s shareholders. Once that was completed, he planned to settle in, restructure the legal team and take a holiday after the company’s annual general meeting (AGM). That holiday never happened. Instead Paddy Power agreed a £7bn merger with Betfair to create one of the world’s largest online gambling businesses with more than 7,000 staff and £1.2bn in sales. Even the best-laid plans often go awry.

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Client profile: Ruwan De Soyza, Worldpay

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Client profile: Ruwan De Soyza, Worldpay

Promoted to group GC at the start of the year, the experienced M&A lawyer on why he wants to stay hands-on

When Ruwan De Soyza arrived for his interview with former Worldpay general counsel (GC) Mark Chambers in 2011, he thought he was being considered for the role of GC for corporate services. Unbeknown to De Soyza, Chambers had a different path in mind, which ultimately led to him taking the group GC role in January this year.

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