A former top Chicago tech executive is now second in command at Uber.
Uber announced Wednesday that it has hired former Orbitz CEO Barney Harford as its chief operating officer, according to Bloomberg. Harford, who was serving as a senior advisor to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi since October, will now be in charge of Uber's global ride-hailing business and its food delivery operations, among other things.
Harford's hire comes at a critical time for Uber, whose most recent scandal involves allegations that it hacked its competitors to steal trade secrets.
Uber's search for a COO has been lengthy and public. Then-CEO Travis Kalanick began searching for a chief operating officer in March as Uber battled sexism charges and top executives began to leave the startup. Kalanick said he was "searching for a partner" to help run Uber. Kalanick was ultimately forced to resign in June while looking to interview a COO candidate in Chicago.
Harford was named CEO of Chicago-based Orbitz in 2009. He led the company for nearly seven years before selling the business in 2015 to Expedia, which was at the time led by Khosrowshahi, for $1.6 billion. Harford also worked for Khosrowshahi as an executive at Expedia in the mid 2000s, Bloomberg notes.
Harford didn't dismiss Uber's past and current challenges, telling Bloomberg that it is "very clear that the way [Uber] was run before is not acceptable and we absolutely need to change. I know Dara’s way of operating and he knows mine."
Harford also sits on the board at United Airlines and Chicago startup Kapow.
