“A force of nature in fierce stilettos”

describes herself as “a force of nature in fierce stilettos” – and she’s not wrong, says Ben Hoyle in The Times. A tall, flamboyantly-dressed African-american woman, the new chief brand officer at Uber stands out among tech executives. “Just a little,” she smiles. But that is exactly why she took the job. As a black woman, Saint John – who previously had a stellar marketing career at Pepsico, Beats Music and Apple – faces prejudice “all the time”. For instance, three days a week she commutes by plane between Uber’s headquarters in San Francisco and her home in LA. But when she sits down in business class, “two times out of three I’m asked if I’m in the right seat”. Working with big corporations allows her to chip away at that bigotry. “I hope that I leave my footprints, my fingerprints. Because I’m here, and because of the actions I take, I will inevitably change the culture of the company.” It’s a slog, of course – not least logistically. Saint John’s husband died of cancer four years ago, leaving her to raise their daughter alone. She copes by running a detailed timetable. “Care about every single minute,” she says. “This is going to sound obsessive, but planning the bathroom breaks as well as the sleeping.” She also gives herself pep talks. “If you act like you’re tired, then you’re going to be tired. You have to talk yourself up. You have to tell yourself, ‘This is good. You’re good. Boz – go get ‘em!’”