Away CEO ousted days after investigation reveals she perpetuated cutthroat culture of bullying and burnout at the buzzy luggage startup

Kate Taylor

December 9, 2019 10:58 PM

jen rubio and steph korey

On Monday, Away announced that Lululemon executive Stuart Haselden will replace Korey as the company's new CEO, effective January 13, 2020.
The news follows an investigation published by The Verge published last week on the company's "cutthroat culture."
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Away's co-founder Steph Korey is out as CEO of Away, following an explosive report into the company's culture.

On Monday, the travel brand announced that it is hiring Lululemon executive Stuart Haselden as the company's new CEO. Korey, who currently serves as CEO, will assume the role of executive chairman in January, 2020. Haselden will also join Korey and co-founder Jen Rubio on Away's board of directors.

The news follows an investigation that The Verge published last week. The investigation cited 14 former employees who described a "cutthroat culture" at the company, in which Korey demanded workers work almost constantly and pressured them against taking time off.

In a press release on Monday , Rubio and Korey framed Haselden's hiring as part of the company's plan for long-term growth.

"With the immense growth of the Away brand, the complexities of our business have evolved as well," Rubio, Away's president and chief brand officer, said in a statement.

"Stuart's impressive track record in strategically scaling retail businesses and teams offers invaluable expertise as Away enters its next phase of growth," Korey said in a statement. "I believe Stuart's leadership, supported by other key executives who have joined Away this year, will have an enormous impact on our business, community, and culture, and we look forward to learning from his depth of experience."

Korey apologized for her behavior while leading Away in a statement emailed to Business Insider following the publication of The Verge's investigation.

"I can imagine how people felt reading those messages from the past, because I was appalled to read them myself. I am sincerely sorry for what I said and how I said it," Korey said in a statement. "It was wrong, plain and simple."

Haselden will start his role as CEO of Away on January 13, 2020.

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