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Image: STUDIOEAST/GETTY IMAGES
An Uber executive quit this week. That alone is not shocking given the number of employees who had fled the ride-hailing giant over the last year.
But the departure of Jo Bertram is something a bit different. She served as the general manager of Northern Europe over the last four years, and her resignation arrived on the eve of Uber's new CEO arriving in London to meet with the city's regulators.
The timing is crucial. It's a contentious moment for Uber, especially in London. Last week, Transport for London (TfL) it would not renew Uber's license to operate in the city. The TfL's reasoning was rather blunt and critical.
"TfL has concluded that Uber London Limited is not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator licence. TFL considers that Uber's approach and conduct demonstrate a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues which have potential public safety and security implications," the statement said.
Yet, the approach that TfL is referencing is of an old Uber. It involved and operating with to spy on its competitor Lyft. Both of those programs were under the governance of Uber's cofounder and former CEO Travis Kalanick, who had and still has some fierce loyalists within the company.
And yet, the "approach and conduct" of that CEO is what upset Uber's board members and led to enough disputes that he was kicked out of the company that he helped turn into a global giant.
Now, the ride-hailing giant is under new leadership. Kalanick will not be the one meeting with TfL commissioner Mike Brown. Instead, will be appealing to the regulator in person.
He won't be joined by Bertram, a regional head who was hired under the reign of Kalanick. It's a literal change of face that Bertram referenced in an internal email to employees.
“Given some of our current challenges, I’m also convinced that now is the right time to have a change of face, and to hand over to someone who will be here for the long haul and take us into the next phase,” Bertram wrote, according to the Financial Times.
Khosrowshahi speaking to the TfL commissioner is another big change of face for the company, not only literally by having a new person but also figuratively by way of its plea tactic. Rather than simply saying they are "shocked" like a spokesperson did after Uber was kicked out of Italy and using language like "fighting this judgment," the company's statements have seemed to take a positive spin. It is not Uber that is saddened but rather the people of London.
“3.5 million Londoners who use our app, and more than 40,000 licensed drivers who rely on Uber to make a living, will be astounded by this decision," Uber's statement began following the ruling.
Uber is not "fighting." Rather, the company said in its statement: "We intend to immediately challenge this in the courts."
Khosrowshahi himself has tweeted in a non-aggressive tone ahead of his meeting.
Dear London: we r far from perfect but we have 40k licensed drivers and 3.5mm Londoners depending on us. Pls work w/us to make things right
— dara khosrowshahi (@dkhos) September 22, 2017
Uber’s European head Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty told FT the company is searching for a replacement for Bertram.
Of course, that's not the only change to come. One of Khosrowshahi's immediate tasks he told Uber employees at his hiring is to re-staff his executive team. Many left the company either due to their own choosing or in the wake of sexual harassment allegations.
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