Uber's Khosrowshahi to make first Asia visit as CEO in February

[SINGAPORE] Uber Technologies Inc's Dara Khosrowshahi has scheduled his first visit to Asia since taking over as chief executive officer amid questions about the ride-hailing giant's future in the region.

Mr Khosrowshahi will visit Japan and India during the week of Feb 19 to meet business and government leaders, said Chris Brummitt, a spokesman for Uber. The CEO will discuss ways in which the US company can serve riders, drivers and cities.

Since taking over last summer, the CEO has been on a charm offensive to improve Uber's image after a series of controversies that led to the ouster of his predecessor, Travis Kalanick.

Mr Khosrowshahi has said the company must work more closely with regulators rather than the more combative approach taken by the former CEO.

The company recently finalised a deal that makes Japan's SoftBank Group its largest shareholder, prompting speculation it will play a consolidating role in Asia, where Uber competes head to head with India's Ola and South-east Asia's Grab.

Rajeev Misra, a SoftBank executive joining Uber's board, suggested in a recent interview with the Financial Times that Uber focus on core markets such as the US, Europe, Latin America and Australia.

In an interview at Davos this week, Mr Khosrowshahi disagreed, saying the company would be "leaning forward" to expand.

BLOOMBERG