Uber recently hired two new female executives as it continues to deal with an ongoing investigation into allegations of systemic sexism and sexual harassment.
Bozoma Saint John, a former marketing executive from Apple, is reportedly joining the ride-hailing company as its first chief brand officer, according to a Tuesday report from Recode. Reports of Saint John resigning from Apple first arose June 2, but it was not yet known at the time what her next move would be.
Uber also recently hired management expert Frances Frei as its first senior vice president of leadership and strategy. Frei comes from Harvard Business School where she worked as a professor and senior associate dean for executive education.
The hires help fill a void left by an exodus of high level employees. Uber’s top public relations executive and president, respectively quit in recent months, with one of them citing inconsistent views with fellow leaders. (RELATED: Uber Dismisses Vice President For Omitting History Of Alleged Sexual Harassment)
The new executives also assist in righting the seemingly deviating ship. The tech company has suffered a plethora of ordeals in recent months, including a New York Times report published Tuesday alleging Uber fired 20 separate employees as part of the ongoing investigation.
From allegations of systemic sexism, sexual harassment, uncontrolled lewd behavior, to a cutthroat work culture and a number of varying lawsuits, Uber has constantly been under pressure from many directions.
After a female engineer wrote a highly disturbing account of a manager’s salacious behavior and the subsequent unfair treatment she received following her reporting of the alleged misconduct, several other women stepped forward to corroborate some of her accusations. The company then hired former Attorney General Eric Holder to conduct an investigation into the engineer’s assertions along with Uber board member Arianna Huffington. Investors, though, were extremely unhappy with the choices for an “independent” investigation, which included two internal employees.
The scandals and embarrassments grew so frequent that Travis Kalanick, founder and CEO of Uber, agreed to bring on more leaders to aid with general management of the company as well sharpen an appropriate work culture.
“This morning I told the Uber team that we’re actively looking for a Chief Operating Officer: a peer who can partner with me to write the next chapter in our journey,” Kalanick said in a statement.
The tech tycoon admitted he needs to “grow up” after a heated argument with a driver was caught on a camera, which also probably fueled his own voluntary calls for leadership help. (RELATED: Uber CEO Stops Using His Own Service, Says Report)
While Uber still dominates the market with its ride-sharing little brother Lyft, the company feels compelled to make changes in order to maintain its stronghold.
Uber issued an apology in January after people complained that surge pricing was automatically employed while protests against the Trump administration’s immigration ban were ongoing at airports across the country. (RELATED: Uber Is Refunding Surge Pricing That Hit During London Terror Attack)
Lyft’s usage dramatically (but perhaps temporarily) increased following the outcries and protests against Uber.
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