Marketing Guru Bozoma Saint John Is Uber’s Greatest Hope

The former Apple executive will try to boost Uber's troubled reputation.

July 24, 2017 1:34 pm
Bozoma Saint John Could Save Uber
Head of Global Marketing at Beats Music Bozoma Saint John attends the 9th Annual ADCOLOR Awards at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers on September 19, 2015 in New York City. (Noam Galai/WireImage)

As the chief brand officer of Uber, Bozoma Saint John has her work cut out, but arguably nobody is more suited to handle it than her.  The former Apple marketing executive joins the company weeks after its CEO resigned amid a squall of scandals emanating from the ride sharing company’s questionable culture.

Saint John was recruited to Uber by board member Ariana Huffington, formerly of the Huffington Post, after an Instagram post detailing a heartwarming Uber anecdote (see below). The two had met previously and made a vibrant connection almost instantly, but the social media post made it all click for Huffington, the New York Times reports.

She’s used to impressing big names. Jimmy Iovine, founder of Interscope Records, asked Saint John to join Beats shortly before it was purchased by Apple. Her career began as a secretary in Spike Lee’s ad firm.

Aware of the optics—a single African-American mother tapped to polish the image of company tarnished by misogyny—Saint John says she wasn’t picked as a token because she’s more than qualified. “Being present as a black woman—just present—is enough to help exact some of the change that is needed and some that we’re looking for,” she said.

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