Agile Lawyering

Neil Murrin, General Counsel and Director, Regulatory Affairs, Trainline PLC
Michael Grazio, Assistant General Counsel, Digital Payments and Labs, Mastercard
Jonathan Anastasia, Senior Managing Counsel,, Mastercard
Paul Petta, General Counsel for Global Businesses, Mastercard

Having been lucky enough to work for a high growth tech company for over 15 years and latterly part of a network of General Counsel of similar ilk, there are in my view a number of attributes that seem to be in common for GC’s and legal teams within disruptive tech companies - although not exclusively as likely they apply to many other sectors too – and certainly what most businesses now expect of a legal team. I’ve tried to capture below some of those themes, though I’ve no doubt there will be more and different ones by industry and by company, so they are by their nature my view only.

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UK Management Retail April 2020 Vol.13, No. 51, Spring 2020

Neil Murrin

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Neil Murrin (General Counsel and Director, Regulatory Affairs) Neil ensures Trainline can continue its rapid growth within the complexities and opportunities that technology, online retail and rail present internationally. With 15 years at Trainline and before that at Inmarsat (satellite communications) and London law firms, Neil sees the legal and regulatory functions as business enablers and encourages his team to be integrated into the heart of the business. It is this approach that were reflected in awards for the team such as Legal Week Innovation Awards 2019 and LexisNexis Legal Awards 2019 - In House Team of the Year – winners. Neil was also recognised on the Legal 500 GC Powerlist. Away from train travel, Neil enjoys cycling and running at weekends and has even tried his hand at a few triathlons (despite swimming like a brick). He recovers by time spent with family and keeping up with world news. His favourite rail journey is from Nice to Monaco, through the dark of the tunnels then the intermittent searing azure of the sea... Alternatively, Waterloo to West Byfleet in the rain as that means "home"!

Michael Grazio

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Michael L. Grazio is Assistant General Counsel supporting Digital Payments and Labs at Mastercard. In his role, Mr. Grazio is responsible for leading a global team that provides support for innovation and product development that enables Mastercard’s Digital Payments business. His team provides integrated legal and transactional support with partners such as Alphabet (Google), Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, PayPal, Square and other digital customers. His team is also responsible for providing legal support in connection with the evolution of the Mastercard standards for digital activities. Prior to assuming his current position, Mr. Grazio was Managing Counsel for Privacy and Data Protection at Mastercard where he led a team providing privacy support in connection with product development for Global Core Products, Digital Payments, Labs and Marketing teams. He was also responsible for privacy and data protection due diligence, assessing the privacy practices of potential acquisition targets and managing integration of acquisitions into Mastercard’s Global Privacy and Data Protection program. Earlier in his career at Mastercard, Michael was Worldwide Marketing and Communications Counsel where he supported various business units with their sponsorship, advertising, promotion and marketing needs. Before joining Mastercard in 2006, Mr. Grazio worked in-house at Reebok International Ltd. and as an associate in the Advertising, Marketing and Media Division of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP. Mr. Grazio graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing and Psychology from Ithaca College in 1992. After a successful career in the advertising business as an account executive for Time Warner, he received a Juris Doctorate from Northeastern University School of Law in 2000. He is a member of both the Massachusetts and New York bars and is CIPM and CIPP/US certified.

Jonathan Anastasia

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Jonathan J. Anastasia is Senior Managing Counsel supporting Mastercard Labs at Mastercard. In his role, Jonathan is responsible for leading a team that helps drive innovation across all products at Mastercard. His team provides integrated legal and transactional support in the development of products and services in the areas of blockchain, artificial intelligence, machine learning, internet-of-things, chatbots, conversational commerce, mobile applications, digital & product consulting and data research. Before joining Mastercard, Jonathan was in the Intellectual Property group of Crowell & Moring LLP. Jonathan graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Systems Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point. After serving as a Captain in the United States Army, he received a Juris Doctorate from Brooklyn Law School.

Paul Petta

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Paul G. Petta is Chief Franchise Officer at Mastercard. In this capacity, Mr. Petta has responsibility for the full suite of global franchise functions for Mastercard. He and his team enable new and existing business at scale through licensing, registration, brand standards and exploring new ways to leverage our brands, platforms and network and have full accountability for supporting healthy business growth by preventing, detecting, and remediating undue risk. Prior to assuming this role, Mr. Petta served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Global Businesses. He was responsible for leading the Global Businesses Legal Team consisting of 80+ lawyers and legal professionals located around the globe. The team was tasked with providing integrated world-wide legal support to Mastercard's full suite of businesses, mergers & acquisitions, public and private partnerships, intellectual property matters, technology operations, franchise operations and all products and services, including: Fintech & Digital Products, Core Consumer & Commercial Payments, Loyalty Solutions, Advertising, Marketing, Communications, Operations and Technology, Enterprise Security Solutions, Processing, the Advisors Data Services & Consulting Business and the Mastercard Labs innovation incubator. Throughout his tenure, Mr. Petta has also served as Group Executive, Senior Associate General Counsel, Group Head, Global Markets Managing Counsel and Vice President, Managing Global Key, U.S. Regional, Key and National Accounts Counsel. Before joining Mastercard, he was an associate in the Mergers & Acquisitions Department at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, an international law firm located in New York City, where he represented clients in connection with public and private company mergers, stock purchases, asset purchases, spin-offs, venture capital investments, joint ventures, and public and private securities offerings. Mr. Petta graduated, cum laude, from The College of the Holy Cross and received a Juris Doctorate, magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He was elected to the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, where he served as editor, and to the Order of the Coif at Penn. Mr. Petta is a member of the Bar in New York and Connecticut. He is also an active member of the New York State Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the American Corporate Counsel Association.

Trainline PLC

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Trainline (www.trainline.com) is the leading independent rail and coach travel platform selling rail and coach tickets to millions of travellers worldwide, enabling them to seamlessly search, book and manage their journeys all in one place via its highly rated website and mobile app. Trainline is a one-stop shop for rail and coach travel bringing together millions of routes, fares and journey times from more than 270 rail and coach carriers across 45 countries.

UK Management Retail April 2020 Vol.13, No. 51, Spring 2020