Following Lyft’s recent $1.5 billion funding round, the company has decided to bring on board Kristina Omari as its first-ever vice president of corporate development and investor relations as it continues to grow. Omari also happens to now be the highest ranking black female executive at Lyft.
Lyft, according to its June 2017 diversity report, has a leadership team that is just one percent black. Leadership includes managers who have direct reports. In taking a closer look at its EEO-1 report from 2016, Lyft had zero black women in management roles. Of the 54 black women Lyft employed at the time of the report, only 10 were professionals while 44 were in administrative support jobs. Omari, however, is not the only black woman in a management role or higher, a Lyft spokesperson told TechCrunch.
“I’m thrilled to be part of this incredible team and mission,” Omari said in a statement. “Lyft has had an amazing year, and I can’t wait to help the company continue delivering for passengers and drivers.”
Omari was most recently VP of corporate development at Fitbit and co-founder of diversity and inclusion non-profit organization BuildUp.
“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Kristina to our growing team,” Lyft Chief Financial Officer Brian Roberts said in a statement. “She brings a proven track record of helping companies grow in a fast-paced environment. Her skills and experience will help Lyft continue to expand as we work toward our mission of improving people’s lives with the world’s best transportation.”