About

Helen Hayes joined Uber in the UK in March 2016 as a litigation and regulatory counsel, after spending 12 years at DLA Piper. Hayes became the legal director for Uber UK in summer 2017 before being appointed legal director for the Northern and Eastern Europe region in June 2018. Hayes now oversees the local counsel teams for the UK, Benelux, Nordics and Central and Eastern Europe. Reflecting on her time with Uber so far, Hayes says: ‘In my early Uber days, a real highlight was the very first ‘win’ in challenging new regulations in Sheffield, UK which were intended to restrict competition and unfairly impact on both drivers and consumers. In the controversy around disrupter businesses it was particularly satisfying to use the law to highlight why competition is good for society. It was an early lesson in how proactive legal action can be used for tangible business impact’. In Benelux, Hayes was involved in successfully defending the FeBet cease and desist proceedings in 2018, resulting in a ruling that Uber provided an intermediary service, not a transportation service. ‘This case not only secured the business but has had an important impact on the public perception of Uber in Brussels, confirming that our operations are legitimate and resulting in much fairer press coverage’, says Hayes. She has also participated in the ongoing litigation following a cease and desist order obtained by Taxi Verts in 2015, which applied to the Uber POP product. She has since played a key role in influencing and shaping the internal culture and strengthening Uber’s reputation in Benelux. ‘2018 was a key year in rebuilding Uber’s reputation and credibility with regulators and the public. The legal team led from the front in living the “We do the right thing. Period” value every day. That has emphasised just how much influence the legal function can have and how I can use that influence to be strategic and impactful – helping the business define how we can demonstrate our values, looking the spirit and not just the letter of the law, and even reassessing how and where we operate’, explains Hayes.