Our Team

A white woman with short curly hair and glasses standing against a dark background, smiling

Danae Shell

Chief Executive Officer

As CEO, my role is to make sure that everyone else in the company has what they need to do a great job!  I also work with my co-founder Kate to plan Valla’s next steps, and work with our excellent investors, advisors and partners to make sure we’re staying on track on our mission to make legal support affordable and accessible for everyone.

I started my career as a web developer in Tennessee, then moved to Scotland for my Master’s degree in Computer Science and settled here. I eventually transitioned from programming to marketing, working at companies like FreeAgent and Care Sourcer.

I love working with talented people - it’s my favourite thing about my job. My passion at work is helping team members build their careers, do incredible work and learn more about their unique talents.

Why I founded Valla: I’ve seen too many incredible people - usually from a marginalised background - who left their jobs because “it’s just not worth it” to fight the discrimination they were facing. A justice system that can only serve people with money offers no justice at all - I want to change that.