Meet Tony Gatterman, Veriff’s new Head of Commercial Legal

Tony brings more than a decade of legal experience to his new role at Veriff. He joins Veriff from Calm, where he held the role of senior director of commercial legal. Prior to Calm, he spent five years at Slack in increasingly senior roles. As the second attorney hired at Slack, and the first commercial attorney, he scaled the commercial legal team to support the growth of the business from $30M to more than $900M (2021). He also spent more than four years at Salesforce supporting the commercial negotiations for salesforce.com's early stage and emerging businesses. 

Welcome to the team! How did you first become familiar with Veriff and what drew you to the company? 

My former manager is an advisor for Veriff, and before I was even prepared to explore new roles, I had a conversation with him in which he went out of his way to praise Veriff’s leadership team and its product. His excitement was infectious, and when he learned that Veriff was looking to hire a commercial legal leader, he offered to make an introduction, which I gladly accepted. My attraction to the organization was all about the people and the opportunity. Everyone I met through my interview process was humble, smart, collaborative, and invested in making the team and organization successful. I was instantly motivated to work alongside everyone I met. Not only that, I felt that Veriff’s mission of building trust in a digital world resonates with my values.

What excites you most about your role at Veriff?

I’m energized by problem solving. One of the exciting aspects of being part of a startup is that there are constantly new requests, requirements, regulations, issues, concerns, objectives, etc. to be addressed. I approach each of these projects as a great learning experience and an opportunity to collaborate with new departments and individuals that I ordinarily wouldn’t interact with.

What’s your impression of working at Veriff so far?

It is invigorating to work at Veriff. We celebrate our successes, and we are part of a culture where it’s acceptable (and expected) to make mistakes and learn from them. At Veriff, individuals are empowered to identify inefficiencies and drive adoption of new practices to make the organization more productive as a whole, and are encouraged to create personal connections with our colleagues that go beyond our work.   

What does your typical work day look like as Head of Commercial Legal at Veriff?

Fortunately, I’m an early riser, because the majority of my team and the departments that I support are in Tallinn or London. I start my day between 6-7 a.m. local time (Denver) and take my first few meetings with my morning coffee. Once Europe is (mostly) offline, I turn my attention to my U.S. team, any ongoing projects, and any Slack messages I may have received during my morning meetings. If time permits, I find time for a workout or a walk in the afternoon before I pick up my son from daycare.

What are you most proud of in your career thus far?

I’m proud of my decision to leave my comfort zone and join Slack. It has set me on a career path I’m very thankful for. I’ve been fortunate in my career to work at excellent companies. I was not looking to leave my previous employer when the opportunity to join Slack presented itself; I faced leaving an excellent manager and a supportive and fun team, but I ultimately felt the need to challenge myself and explore the opportunity at Slack. That decision allowed me, and in many ways forced me, to grow more as a person and as an attorney. The payoff has been more than I could have imagined, as I now have an incredible network of talented colleagues and attorneys to draw from, and it put me in the position to join the talented group of individuals at Veriff.

Alright, on to some rapid-fire questions. What are your hobbies outside of work?

I enjoy cooking, playing golf, wine tasting, running, traveling, and chasing around my two sons, Beau and Roman.

What is a fun fact about yourself?

I sang in the Men’s Glee Club at Kansas State University, and I once made the final rounds of the American Idol regional tryouts while I was in law school. I was (justifiably) eliminated when I forgot the words to a Garth Brooks song.  

What is a must-read book?

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain! He is an excellent storyteller. The book speaks to entrepreneurs, and to anyone who likes to cook or travel.  

Favorite podcast?

The Rewatchables. It’s a podcast focused on rewatchable movies, why they are or were important, the highlights and best scenes, background on the casting and filmmaking process, and how they aged.

Mac or PC?

Mac. I got my first Mac in 2011, and I haven’t thought about a PC since.

If you could choose any other job or career in the world, what would it be?

A professor at a university. My mother was a teacher, and if it weren’t for her pushing me to try a different career path, I would probably be preparing for a classroom full of high school English students.

One word to describe Veriff?

Special. Right now, Veriff teams are energized, aligned, and hungry to prove ourselves as a superior service.

What would be one piece of advice you could pass along to someone trying to kick start their law or tech career?

I would advise anyone, but especially attorneys, to focus on their brand. If you’re able to build a brand as someone that is helpful, a critical thinker, a creative problem-solver, honest, direct, etc., you will have more opportunities to build relationships, which is not only great for your own self-esteem and morale, but will also set you up for future opportunities.