LendingTree Inc., the Charlotte, North Carolina-based online loan marketplace, announced Thursday the hiring of Laura Yens as its general counsel.

A company spokesperson said she officially started in her role Feb. 27 overseeing all of the legal functions at LendingTree.

“I'm excited to be joining the LendingTree team at such a pivotal moment in the evolution of both the company and the industry,” Yens said in a statement to Corporate Counsel. “Along with LendingTree's talented legal team, I look forward to helping develop transformative strategies and digital solutions that support LendingTree's diversified portfolio of brands and businesses.”

She replaces Kate Pierce who retired from the company in August. Pierce began working as LendingTree's general counsel in 2010.

Yens previously worked as counsel of payments systems at Alston & Bird, where she advised clients on strategies and the development of payment technologies. She has also worked as the senior managing counsel at Mastercard. Yens was also in-house at The Advisory Board Counsel, AOL Inc. and Digex Inc. She worked as an associate at K&L Gates in Washington, D.C. Yens has a J.D. and M.B.A. from Tulane University.

“After an extensive search for LendingTree's next general counsel, I'm thrilled to welcome Laura to the LendingTree team,” Doug Lebda, LendingTree's founder and CEO, said in the announcement. “Laura's extensive experience with building and managing legal teams at technology-driven organizations will undoubtedly be an invaluable asset to our company and its continued growth.”