Uber's Kalanick says he appoints former Xerox, Merrill bosses to board

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] co-founder Travis Kalanick on Friday said he had appointed two new board members, challenging Uber shareholders who have asked a court to stop the former chief executive from naming directors.

Directors of the ride services company have been fighting over the future role of Kalanick, who was pressured to step down as CEO early this year in the wake of several company scandals.

Kalanick said in a statement he had appointed former Xerox Chief Executive Ursula Burns and former Merrill Lynch Chief Executive John Thain as directors in the face of proposals to dramatically restructure the board.

Investor Benchmark Capital filed a lawsuit in August to force Kalanick off the board and rescind his ability to fill three board seats, accusing him of concealing a range of misdeeds. Other Uber investors responded by asking Benchmark to divest its shares and step down from the board.

A Delaware judge later that month sent the Benchmark lawsuit to arbitration.

Uber and Benchmark did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

(Reporting By Liana B. Baker; Writing by Peter Henderson; Editing by David Gregorio)