Wanji Walcott Joins Discover as Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel
Wanji Walcott, an accomplished business executive and legal expert in global payments platforms, has joined Discover as Chief Legal Officer and general counsel and a member of the company’s Executive Committee.
In her new position, Walcott will lead Discover’s corporate legal function, which plays a critical role advising on corporate and product strategies, as well as managing litigation and legislative and regulatory affairs.
“Wanji’s extensive experience working with global payments organizations and navigating an evolving regulatory landscape will help guide our success and strategy for growth,” said Roger Hochschild, Discover’s CEO and president.
Walcott joins Discover from PayPal, where she was Senior Vice President and General Counsel and has led the company’s global legal organization since 2017. She launched the PayPal pro bono program and has held leadership roles in initiatives to promote employee development and diversity & inclusion, including the launch of PayPal’s Black Employee network and serving as global executive sponsor of PayPal’s Women’s Employee network.
Prior to PayPal, Walcott spent 13 years with American Express where she last served as Senior Vice Presi- dent, Managing Counsel for Global Legal Support in Payments, Ecommerce/Social Media Initiatives and Data Security.
Walcott succeeds Discover’s former general counsel Kelly McNamara Corley, who recently retired after 36 years with the company.