Not to be overshadowed by Uber, Lyft announces new CMO and CFO

On the heels of Uber’s $1.2 billion funding round, Lyft (the tech industry’s other transportation giant) has some big news to share. The company hired two new executives today, chief marketing officer Kira Wampler and chief financial officer Brian Roberts.

Wampler joins Lyft after serving as Trulia’s CMO, and Roberts previously served as Lyft’s “SVP of Partnerships and Corporate Development.”

Lyft announced the news on its blog, calling Wampler and Roberts “two key additions to our executive team who will help take Lyft to the next level.” What this “next level” is, of course, all depends on Uber, the company’s chief competitor (now valued at $40 billion).

Lyft and Uber now face two distinctly different challenges. While Uber fights off bad press and plots growth in Asia, Lyft is tasked with finding ways to grow. For now, that probably means weaponizing its nice-guy-with-a-pink-moustache persona. Lyft had its best week ever during Uber’s PR catastrophe, but bad press alone won’t stop Uber’s incredible growth rate.

According to Lyft, “2014 has been an exciting year for the Lyft movement. Together, we’ll continue working hard to transform every car into an opportunity to share the ride and empower every driver to fill their empty seats and connect with people along the way.”