By Megan Sayles,
AFRO Business Writer,
Report for America Corps Member,
msayles@afro.com
Camiel Irving is now the first ever Black woman to serve the rideshare giant, Uber, as general manager in North America.
Since Irving became general manager, Uber has delivered its two most profitable quarters in the company’s history, led by her division of North American rideshare.
The Baltimore native has aspired to work in the business industry since she was a young girl, growing up in her Lauraville neighborhood.
As a kid, she looked up to Joan Clayton on “Girlfriends” and Gina Waters-Payne on “Martin” as heroes. She was determined to become a business executive one day.
This summer, Irving achieved her goal. She spoke with the AFRO about what the moment, which came in July 2022, meant to her.
“I was fulfilling a dream that I held for myself, but also a dream from my mother and grandmother–dreams from my sorority founders. [I’m] fulfilling this mission of being who I am as a Black woman, as a girl from Baltimore in a position where I could truly influence change,” said Irving. “I think that’s what kind of drives me every day is that I can take my lens and use it to make this level of impact.”
Irving studied sales and marketing at Xavier University of Louisiana, where she also pledged Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s Gamma Alpha Chapter. Her coursework had a special emphasis on the role of analytics in driving sales. Irving graduated from Xavier in 2008 and she has been a star on the rise ever since. Though she began her professional career in sales, her desire to become a business executive endured.
Irving earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree at Northwestern University in 2014 and worked at Procter and Gamble (P&G) as a brand manager for Charmin, Bounty and Puffs between 2014 to 2016. She moved to P&G Ventures, the company’s internal start-up element, and served as senior brand manager from 2016 to 2018. Among the products she launched is Kindra, a lubricant used to treat menopause symptoms.
This experience sparked her interest in the tech industry.
At Uber, Irving manages rideshare operations in the U.S. and Canada with a focus on driver recruiting and safe operations. She began at the company in August 2018 as the rider pricing lead in the United States and Canada. She moved up to senior manager of rider engagement and pricing in September 2019, picked up a role as director of Uber’s marketplace in 2021 and became regional general manager in July of this year.
In her current role, Irving leads a team that focuses on recruiting more drivers, refining the driver experience and ensuring all riders receive safe and high-quality service in the U.S. and Canada. She said she has zeroed in on increasing Uber’s pool of riders, targeting mobility around urban areas.
Irving also serves as global career development leader for Black at Uber, an employee resource group for Black workers and allies. In 2020, Uber promised to increase the pipeline of customer service employees, many of whom come from diverse backgrounds, into corporate roles.
Under Irving, Uber customer service employees find it easier to seek a corporate position. She said she would like to expand the capacity for drivers to earn money and increase the use of electric vehicles.
“I want to usher Uber into a future [in which] folks don’t have to be burdened by needing to actually own a personal car,” said Irving. “Whether you live in the most urban city or farther out in the suburbs, you can kind of plug into this connected mobility ecosystem and get wherever you need to go.”
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