New Uber chief packs travel, money smarts

San Francisco : Expedia chief Dara Khosrowshahi is credited with turning the company into a global travel services behemoth, winning admiration from employees on the journey.

Uber is hoping he will steer the controversy-battered ride-sharing service along a similarly glorious route.

The San Francisco-based startup confirmed late Tuesday that Khosrowshahi will replace ousted chief Travis Kalanick.

"We are delighted to announce that Uber’s board has voted unanimously to appoint Dara Khosrowshahi to be our new CEO," Uber executives said in an email to employees.

"We're really fortunate to gain a leader with Dara's experience, talent and vision."

Khosrowshahi is known as an experienced top executive, willing to speak his mind and to advocate for women getting equal pay and leadership opportunities.

His most recent Twitter post criticizes US President Donald Trump for his response to a white supremacist rally that turned deadly in Charlottesville.

"I keep waiting for the moment when our Prez will rise to the expectations of his office and he fails, repeatedly," Khosrowshahi said in the tweet, which included a link to a story about the Trump controversy.

Born in Iran, Khosrowshahi immigrated to the United States with his family as a child and became a citizen here.

Expedia shares have climbed more than five-fold during the 12 years Khosrowshahi has been in charge of the travel services internet firm.

"I don't doubt his skills and his background in finance and hospitality, which is going to be very important," said Tim Bajarin, president of Silicon Valley technology analyst firm Creative Strategies.

"The only thing we don't know is his ability to navigate some of the difficult settings around internal disciplinary issues and code of conduct that he will inherit."