WeWork continues executive buildout with Baker Hughes CFO
- WeWork named Kimberly Ross as chief financial officer on Monday as the office company continues building out its new executive team.
- Ross previously held the same role at publicly-traded oil company Baker Hughes.
- WeWork shelved its initial public offering after a tumultuous autumn, but the company may again try to tap public markets after it stabilizes.
- For more WeWork stories, click here.
WeWork poached the chief financial officer of a publicly-traded oil company to fill its vacant CFO role, the embattled office company said on Monday.
Kimberly Ross was previously CFO at Baker Hughes and at makeup company Avon, and she's on the boards of three publicly-traded companies. She will join WeWork on March 16.
Previously, Artie Minson was both CFO and president, before he became co-CEO in September after founder Adam Neumann was ousted.
New CEO Sandeep Mathrani started last month and has quickly moved to build out his executive team, naming a chief operating officer, chief product and experience officer, and chief communications officer in recent weeks.
Mathrani's executive team already looks more diverse than the nearly all-male group of C-suiters under founder Adam Neumann. WeWork was long criticized for lack of diversity, which chairman Marcelo Claure told employees he would address.
WeWork still needs, among other roles, a chief technology officer and a global head of real estate. The company has also seen a number of recent departures, including its US president and its head of enterprise sales.
Ross and many of the other new executives, including the CEO, have overseen publicly-traded companies, unlike much of WeWork's previous leadership team. The company shelved its initial public offering after a tumultuous autumn, but after it stabilizes, it may again look to tap the public markets.
Ross "has a wealth of experience managing corporate finance for leading global companies and positioning them to operate efficiently and with discipline in order to deliver on financial targets," Mathrani said in Monday's statement. "We will benefit from her expertise and leadership as we execute on our strategic operating plan and restore our growth trajectory."
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