Laurence Cua, the first general manager of Uber Philippines, is “stepping” down from his position, a spokesperson from the ride-hailing firm confirmed.
“After four years growing Uber in the Philippines, Laurence Cua is stepping [down] from his role as GM to address some important family matters,” Cat Avelino, corporate communications manager at Uber Philippines, said in a statement sent to Newsbytes.PH.
Avelino also revealed that Projjal Ghatak, currently Uber’s Asia Pacific strategy and planning head, will become the head of the company’s Philippine operations.
Yves Gonzalez, head of government relations and public policy at Uber Philippines, earlier posted in Facebook that he was grateful for Cua for taking him in 2016.
“In 2015, we were on opposite sides of a public debate. In 2016, he took a chance and became the final YES for my joining Uber Philippines, the team he built. Since then, he’s become an amazing colleague, a tireless mentor, and a friend. Godspeed on this next chapter LC (Laurence Cua). Thank you for everything,” Gonzalez said in his post.
The development comes at a turbulent time for Uber, whose Southeast Asia operations, which include the Philippines, is reportedly being considered for acquisition by its regional rival Grab.
Uber also has a complicated relationship with the government, particularly the LTFRB (Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board), which suspended and slapped the company’s local operations with a P190-million fine in August last year.
