Uber poaches new UK boss from Twitter founder Dorsey’s Square

Uber has nabbed one of Twitter chief Jack Dorsey’s right-hand staff as its new general manager for its operations in the UK and Ireland.

Melinda Roylett, who was most recently head of Europe at Dorsey’s fintech firm Square, will start her role at Uber today, City A.M. can reveal.

Before joining Wall Street-listed Square last year, Roylett spent nearly a decade at rival payments giant Paypal managing its small business arm.

At Uber, she will oversee Uber’s ride-hailing operations with more than 60,000 licensed drivers and around 5m users.

The appointment comes at a time of uncertainty for Uber, following reports that Transport for London is set to extend its temporary 15-month licence in London rather than award the firm permanent authorisation.

Read more: Uber quest for long-term London licence faces rejection

The ride-hailing giant had been seeking a five-term licence to operate in the capital but is instead likely to be granted a shorter one that will run for less than two years, Sky News reported earlier this month.

Jamie Heywood, Uber’s manager for northern and eastern Europe, said Roylett’s experience in highly-regulated companies will be “invaluable for Uber’s next chapter”.

Uber said its UK board, which is chaired by Laurel Powers-Freeling and includes Roger Parry and Susan Hooper as non-executive directors, will continue to oversee the licensed business.