Melinda Roylett appointed the Head of Uber in Britain and Ireland

As the date of its licence renewal in London nears, Uber has appointed Melinda Roylett to lead the company in Britain and Ireland.

The ride-hailing company had been earlier barred to operate in the British capital due to regulatory issues.

Transport for London (TfL), the city's transport authority had refused to renew Uber's licence in 2017 citing security concerns over the company's policies relating to driver background checks as well as rising criminal offences. Uber had later been granted a probationary 15-month licence by a British judge in 2018. This licence is due to expire on September 25.

Melinda Roylett will be replacing Tom Elvidge, who moved to co-working space company WeWork earlier this year. Roylett was previously heading the digital payment company, Square, in Europe.

Since the reinstatement of its operations in London, Uber has taken several steps such as 24/7 telephone support, proactive reporting of serious incidents to police and an option to share ride details with friends and family to overcome the security shortcomings.