WeWork hires Sandeep Mathrani as its new CEO
Real estate veteran Sandeep Mathrani will officially take over the helms of WeWork on February 18. He will be charged with the difficult task of relaunching the startup, one of America's most celebrated companies till the 2019 debacle.
Embattled office-sharing firm WeWork has hired a new CEO to turn the page on Adam Neumann, its co-founder and former leader whose antics have finally tired investors.
Sandeep Mathrani, a real estate industry veteran, will officially take over on February 18, WeWork said in a statement on Saturday.
He will be charged with the difficult task of relaunching WeWork, which had been one of America's most celebrated startups that put a mammoth footprint in the commercial real estate of major cities around the globe. Its collapse led to Neumann's departure and cost the main shareholder, Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son, billions of dollars.
Mathrani will replace Artie Minson and Sebastian Gunningham, who have been acting as interim CEOs since Neumann's forced departure in September, following WeWork's failed IPO, which fell from $47 billion to less than $10 billion.
Mathrani will report to Marcelo Claure, Chairman of the Board of Directors and a close associate of Masayoshi Son, whose company Softbank had to inject several billion dollars into WeWork to save the startup from bankruptcy.
Commenting on his joining, Sandeep Mathrani said:
“I am honoured to be joining WeWork at this pivotal time in its history. The company has redefined how people and companies approach work with an innovative platform, exceptionally talented team, and significant potential if we stick to our shared values and maintain our members-first focus."
Prior to taking the reins at WeWork, he was at Brookfield Property Partners, a real estate company that manages and operates retail space, buildings, warehouses, and offices.
Introduced as one of the stars of the sharing economy, WeWork struggled to reorganise as losses mounted in 2019. In November, WeWork announced the elimination of some 2,400 jobs worldwide, almost 20 percent of its total workforce.
(Edited by Teja Lele Desai)
