Andrew MacDonald, a longtime executive at Uber, has been named the company’s president and its first chief operating officer in six years, the company announced yesterday (June 2). He is the first to hold the COO title since Barney Harford stepped down in 2019. Macdonald will report directly to CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and oversee Uber’s global mobility, delivery, and autonomous divisions, according to public filings.
“I’m as energized by Uber today as I was when I started more than a decade ago, and I’m excited for what the next decade holds,” said Macdonald in a statement.
Most recently, Macdonald served as Uber’s senior vice president of mobility and business operations. He joined the company in 2012 as its first general manager in Toronto. As part of his promotion, he will relocate from Toronto to New York City and receive $5 million in stock, subject to time- and performance-based conditions.
“This is a natural next step in our evolution as a company, as we drive growth by increasing engagement across our entire platform,” said Khosrowshahi, who has led Uber since 2017. The promotion does not affect Khosrowshahi’s role as CEO; in an internal memo, he reportedly reassured staff that he has “no plans to go anywhere anytime soon—other than fly around the globe trying to keep up with our ever-growing footprint.”
Dreams of becoming a “super app”
Macdonald’s new role comes amid Uber’s transition from a ride-hailing company to one focused on food delivery, travel and autonomous taxis. The company hopes to eventually build a “super app,” said Khosrowshahi last year.
Uber has shown strong enthusiasm for self-driving technology, expanding into the autonomous space through partnerships with companies like Waymo and Wayve. The company is also on solid financial footing: last month, it reported a 14 percent year-over-year increase in quarterly revenue to $11.5 billion, while quarterly profit surged to $1.7 billion, compared to a net loss of $654 million during the same period last year.
Macdonald isn’t the only executive rising through the ranks as Uber expands its global footprint. Pradeep Parameswaran, currently general manager for Asia Pacific, will take on the role of global head of mobility. Susan Anderson, who previously led Uber’s grocery and retail business, will become global head of delivery. Meanwhile, Sarfraz Maredia, head of delivery for the Americas, has been promoted to global head of autonomous mobility and delivery.
As part of the executive shake-up, Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty—a veteran of more than 12 years at Uber—will step down from his role as senior vice president of delivery. “It’s hard to imagine Uber without Pierre, because there hasn’t been much Uber without Pierre,” said Khosrowshahi in a statement. He did not provide details on what Gore-Coty plans to do next.
