Spotlight on: Strategic Leadership at Xendit

Vikisha Thillainadesan has led Xendit’s global legal function with distinction, steering a lean team through one of the most complex operating environments in Asia Pacific. As General Counsel, she oversees legal matters across Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Australia, and Hong Kong, ensuring both operational excellence and business enablement. Vikisha began as Xendit’s first lawyer in Indonesia in 2017, and under her leadership, she has grown the legal team and supported the company’s expansion from Seed through Series D, culminating in a US$300mn Series D funding round in May 2022, with total funding reaching approximately US$538 million.

Under Vikisha’s leadership, the legal team has enabled Xendit’s rapid market expansion and regulatory approvals. Her guidance has ensured that new product launches, market entries, and corporate structuring efforts meet the expectations of regulators and customers across multiple jurisdictions. This has safeguarded the company’s licences and created strong foundations for sustainable growth in fintech.

Recognising the need for scale, Vikisha has overseen the introduction of technology and process improvements in contract management and legal requests. These changes have cut down manual effort, reduced turnaround times, and increased visibility for business stakeholders. She has embedded a culture of operational discipline, making legal processes predictable, auditable, and aligned to the pace of a high-growth technology business. For example, the team uses a ticketing system via Slack that feeds into the Google Suite and provides tracking and updates to internal stakeholders.

Xendit’s success depends on securing complex, high-value partnerships. Vikisha personally leads on negotiations of major commercial contracts, balancing risk protection with commercial agility. Her pragmatic approach has been critical in building long-term trust with counterparties while preserving Xendit’s financial and reputational interests. She has also contributed to M&A activity and cross-border expansion, ensuring seamless execution across new jurisdictions.

Xendit’s legal team spans multiple countries yet maintains cohesion and shared standards. Vikisha has fostered an environment where team members are empowered to take ownership, collaborate across borders, and contribute beyond pure legal tasks. She has established cadences for policy mapping, knowledge-sharing, and internal training, ensuring that the team is both responsive and forward-looking, focused on building global lawyers equipped for scale.

Beyond legal, a partner to the business, Vikisha contributes actively to board level discussions, investor engagements, and cross-functional strategy, and also serves as a director. She is recognised internally as a trusted adviser to senior leadership, bridging regulatory risk and business ambition. By positioning legal as both guardian and growth partner, she has elevated the profile of the function across the organisation.

Throughout, Vikisha has maintained the highest professional standards, embedding a culture of compliance, accountability, and inclusion. In an environment where legal teams are often seen as blockers, she has repositioned her function as a driver of solutions, innovation, and growth.

Vikisha exemplifies the modern General Counsel: strategic, innovative, and deeply integrated into the business. Her leadership has transformed Xendit’s legal function and has been instrumental in the company’s ability to scale confidently across Southeast Asia.