Ex-Orbit chief joins Uber amid controversies

Former Orbitz chief Barney Harford has been named the No. 2 executive at Uber, as the company tries to move past a year of controversies and setbacks.

CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who took over the embattled ride-sharing company in August, announced Harford’s appointment in a note to employees Wednesday.

Harford has been serving as an adviser to Uber for the past few months and “will hit the ground running in January.”

“I have never met a stronger operator or a more thoughtful strategist than Barney,” Khosrowshahi said in a note to Uber employees. “He is able to go deep on key aspects of a business while never losing sight of the big strategic picture.”

Khosrowshahi, the low-profile former chief executive of travel booking company Expedia, said he and Harford worked together at Expedia before Harford was appointed CEO of Orbitz in 2009.

Uber has spent the year in crisis mode, weathering allegations of a toxic culture that allowed discrimination, sexual harassment and bullying. It also faces a high-profile lawsuit from Google’s self-driving vehicle arm, Waymo, over alleged theft and use of trade secrets.

On Wednesday, the company was dealt another blow in Europe when the European Union’s highest court ruled that Uber is a transportation service that is subject to transportation regulation.

The company also has battled with its co-founder, Travis Kalanick, who resigned from the role of chief executive in June. He has tried to retain some control of the company.