Josef Hires Sharan Kaur to Open in London

Australian no-code automation startup, Josef, has opened an office in London to spearhead expansion here, after hiring Sharan Kaur, who previously had been at rival, BRYTER, until earlier this year.

It shows a heating up of the market for no-code automation in the legal sector, with several other companies expanding within this segment, such as Neota Logic, AUTTO and Autologyx.

The hire follows a recent funding round of $2.5m and is part of a strategy to build a stronger presence in Europe and North America.

Kaur has become Head of Sales in the UK and Europe, Middle East and Africa, and will be responsible for leading the company’s growth and expansion in the region. The company has also appointed Berlin-based Johan Lundstedt as its Head of Sales Operations.

Kaur (pictured above) left no-code company, BRYTER, in February this year where she had been Head of Sales and Strategic Partnerships – Enterprise Sales for about 18 months. She has also worked at Thomson Reuters.

In the past year, Josef has grown its UK customer base, which includes global esports brand Fnatic, Pinsent Masons and The Open University. Globally, Josef’s customers include law firms such as MinterEllison and Herbert Smith Freehills, as well as in-house legal teams across different sectors, including L’Oreal and Randstad.

Artificial Lawyer asked CEO, Tom Dreyfus, some more about the move:

Why open a base in London / UK?

Josef already operates in the UK and EMEA. We attracted customers organically in the region from Josef’s earliest days. This new base enables us to capitalise on that early success, better serve our customers, and become a part of the thriving London legal tech ecosystem, one of the global epicentres of the industry.

It’s also a reflection of what the UK legal market – especially in-house legal teams – is telling us. What we’re hearing is a market hungry for software that breaks out of the traditional top-down, IT-led mould and empowers the legal subject matter experts to build and control their own tools. And that’s exactly what Josef offers.

Will the offering be different here compared to what you have done in Australia?

The offering remains the same around the world: legal automation made easy, through a truly accessible no-code platform.

How did you come to know Sharan?

Sharan and Josef were mutual admirers! Sharan was immediately drawn to our product and our mission to make legal services more accessible. We were drawn to her expertise, our mutual obsession with building great products, and our aligned values.

How large will the London office be?

The initial leadership team will comprise Sharan as our Head of Sales (UK & EMEA) and Berlin-based Johan Lundstedt as our Head of Sales Operations. We have other team members in the region, and are hiring for further roles.

And last, how do you see the market for no-code and doc automation software developing in the coming years?

The future of software development is no-code. It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking about legal tech or not. No-code breaks down the barriers to entry so that more people can participate in improving the way legal services are done and delivered.

Mass adoption of no-code technology is the next frontier in the legal industry. Josef is leading the charge towards this frontier with a platform that offers beautiful, simple and accessible user experiences.