Tony West says he began his first official day as chief legal officer at Uber Technologies Inc. by calling regulators to say, “Hi, it’s Tony. It’s my first day. By the way, I have to tell you about a data breach.”

Here, West—who joined the San Francisco-based ride-hailing company in late November—recalls that day, and discusses how those that followed have been just as “eventful.” West, a former U.S. Department of Justice official who was most recently general counsel at PepsiCo Inc., says he was contacted last spring about leading the legal department at Uber. But he says it wasn’t until former CEO Travis Kalanick resigned and Dara Khosrowshahi stepped in that West believed Uber was truly dedicated to a turnaround—something he knew he had to be a part of.