Dara Khosrowshahi: Uber’s New CEO

Uber has elected the former chief executive of Expedia, Dara Khosrowshahi as its new CEO. Last week the company had met with two other candidates Meg Whitman, CEO of - Enterprises and Jeff Immelt, departing chairman of GE.

About the New CEO

Dara, 48, is a Persian American, who had been at Expedia since 2005. His interest in the position had been kept a secret. He expanded the company from $15 billion in bookings to $72 billion in bookings last year.

In 2015 he was the highest paid CEO in the U.S.

The new CEO is no stranger to the transport industry. He is also a critic of Trump’s administration and has supported a lawsuit against the travel ban in January.

 Restoring the image of the company

He will be responsible for changing the company’s culture, which has come under flak for letting sexual harassment take place. One of his first tasks will be to fill executive vacancies, including those of chief financial officer, chief operating officer and general counsel. Uber has been run by a 13-person committee, in the absence of solid leadership.

Meg Whitman was thought to be the front-runner. Sources say that she even made a presentation on Saturday. However, she denied all claims, and tweeted that she is committed to Hewlett-Packard and plans to remain its CEO.

Uber’s CEO Travis Kalanick recently stepped down from the company he founded. Uber has been under scrutiny for its lack of action against those who complained of sexual harassment. Susan Fowler wrote about how her complaints had been ignored by her superiors, following which the company set up a hotline for complaints.

The firm has received 215 complaints, and has 57 under investigation by law firm Perkins Cole.

In India, the company has been under flak for sharing medical records of a rape case victim, and for negligent drivers.

Also Read:Los Angeles Uber Driver Arrested For Sexual Assault