Meet Damier Xandrine! As Tala’s newly appointed Chief Legal Officer, Damier will play a crucial role in leading our incredible legal and compliance teams. Damier joins Tala with 20 years of experience advising both private and public companies focused on technology and financial services.
What drew you to Tala?
Providing access to education and financial literacy has been a personal passion of mine. After leaving my last role and taking a sabbatical, I wanted to find a company that was addressing real-world problems while aligning with my values.
I enjoy working in a fast-paced environment, building and scaling tools for customers. Tala is using the latest technology to build new products for a completely overlooked segment we call the Global Majority — 4 billion people who have been ignored by existing systems.
Tell us more about your background!
I worked at Wells Fargo for 14 years, and the company was at the forefront of financial technology innovation. I led the legal team supporting digital channels and electronic financial services, advised on regulatory compliance, and supported innovative product development. This was an exciting period when innovative financial service solutions were on the rise, setting up systems for how we interact with financial services today, such as Zelle, Apple Pay, etc. I’ve also led legal teams at Silicon Valley Bank, Marqeta, and Canadian fintech company KOHO.
Can you share more about your sabbatical?
During my sabbatical, I wanted to do something that aligned with my values and made an impact, so I volunteered at a charter school in New Orleans. Louisiana has one of the lowest literacy rates in the US, so I invested my time on advancing the education of under-resourced communities. There, I helped develop the literacy and writing skills of elementary school students.
What are your top priorities and goals going into this new role?
I’m excited to support the team in finding solutions to unlock exponential growth by leveraging legal analysis to determine the best possible paths. In fast-growing industries such as tech, we can’t always rely on existing laws, so we have to think ahead and position ourselves proactively, ready to support and abide by regulations and compliance.
