Troubled ride-hailing company Uber named head of Expedia Dara Khosrowshahi (pictured) as its new CEO, after the company’s former CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick bowed to pressure from shareholders and resigned in June.

Kalanick, who led the company for eight years, departed following a series of controversies, including allegations of sexual harassment at the workplace, a lawsuit over self-driving car technology and a software programme used to mislead regulators.

Khosrowshahi, who operated online travel booking company Expedia for 12 years, was selected by Uber’s board over the weekend, Reuters reported.

He will take over a company whose image was severely damaged after a nearly year-long crisis. Shareholders with about 40 per cent of the company’s voting rights signed a letter demanding Kalanick’s resignation, after his judgment was questioned following numerous allegations of sexual harassment in the workplace.

Reuters said Uber’s board picked a leader with “a track record of driving growth while also delivering profits – precisely what the unprofitable Uber needs to satisfy investors”, noting Khosrowshahi is a Silicon Valley outsider.

Expedia is based in Bellevue, Washington.

Asia troubles
In Asia, Uber encountered a series of setbacks, with authorities cracking down on the service in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea. The transport regulator in the Philippines recently suspended its taxi-hailing service for a month.

A year ago Uber threw in the towel in China and merged its loss-making Chinese business with local rival Didi Chuxing.