Bozoma Saint-John joining Uber as its Chief Brand Officer is a huge signal that the company is serious about ensuring its narrative is full of truth and beauty – two virtues of the many this force of a woman bears.
Ms. Saint-John has her work cut out for her as more damaging news came out this week that CEO Travis Kalanick was privy to the medical records of a woman who was raped by an Uber driver in India. The executive who secured her records because he suspected this was a plot to smear the company by competitor Ola kept his job for three years before he was fired.
In the wake of these stories we have seen a wave of executive departures from the company. I really see Ms. Saint-John as the strongest person who could enter the company and not just paint it white from the outside, but ensure that it is healthy on the inside. I think that will probably require a standoff with Kalanick. He’s known as a fighter. She is too.
