Interview with GetTransfer CEO Alexander Sapov on Legal Actions Underway to Recover Funds and Accelerate Driver Repayments Following Hostile Takeover Attempt

Leo Besutti: Alexander, thank you for speaking with us. It’s been a turbulent time for GetTransfer since COVID-19 started. We’ve heard a lot of stories about your innovative product and also read about an attempt to consolidate the company’s decision-making process. How is that process going?

Alexander Sapov: Thank you. Everything is going well; it’s moving. 

Leo Besutti: Do I understand correctly that the company recently regained control of its Board of Directors and has overcome some significant shareholder issues? What does this mean for the company and its drivers?

Alexander Sapov: You’re right – the past few months have been very challenging. The good news is that we have indeed restored the proper functioning of the Board of Directors. We’ve reshaped our Board and brought a highly respected professional onto it. This is a major turning point for GetTransfer. With proper governance finally back in place, we can steer the company in the right direction again. I’m grateful to our Founder who stepped in and helped resolve this extremely difficult situation within the complex legal framework.

For our drivers, this means the company’s leadership is now fully aligned and focused on supporting them and addressing the issues that directly impacted their earnings. In short, the organization is stable at the top, and we’re all moving forward – which is crucial for fixing problems and rebuilding trust.

Leo Besutti: Can you help affected drivers understand what led to this crisis in the first place? Why did some payments to drivers get stalled, and why was the Board’s control ever in question?

Alexander Sapov: Certainly. First, I should mention that we respect all applicable laws and our internal governance obligations – so I will not be naming individuals or making personal allegations at this stage. That said, this crisis was extremely difficult and had very specific, identifiable causes – it didn’t just happen out of nowhere. Ultimately, it came down to governance failures at the top of the company directors and shareholders.

For a time, our Board of Directors wasn’t functioning properly because a certain member of the Board of Directors was repeatedly blocking – let’s say sabotaging all the company’s operational decisions and initiatives, including those aimed at ensuring payments to drivers. In practice, we couldn’t effectively execute our plans or use bank accounts to secure the funds needed to pay what we owed. The paralysis caused by this internal governance deadlock stalled many of our efforts to pay drivers. In short, the company’s hands were tied by these issues at the top until we addressed the situation.

Leo Besutti: That sounds like an incredibly harrowing period. How did you feel during those 18 months?

Alexander Sapov: Imagine being the pilot of a plane that’s being hijacked. The passengers – like our drivers – are hostages. The crew – our employees – are hostages too. And you, the pilot, have your hands tied, unable to touch the controls. That’s what it felt like. I believe any entrepreneur who’s been through a hostile takeover attempt can relate to that.

Leo Besutti: We’ve heard that one of the key disagreements within the leadership was about something called “redomiciliation.” What can you tell us about that, and how did it factor into the conflict?

Alexander Sapov: Yes, that’s correct. “Redomiciliation” refers to relocating the company’s legal registration to a different jurisdiction – in our case hostile Directors attempted to block all company activities until it’s been moved to Dubai.

Leo Besutti: What would they even do in Dubai? Why Dubai specifically?

Alexander Sapov: I don’t know. Maybe because they don’t extradite criminals?

Alexander Sapov: At the same time this person was aggressively pushing for GetTransfer to redomicile, presumably due to a personal agenda that no one really understood. It appeared that this individual was focusing on matters important to him and whom he represents  personally, rather than on what the business and our drivers needed at that moment. In effect, the company and its drivers were held hostage by this agenda. I myself fundamentally disagreed with this proposed approach. My stance was very clear: nothing should take precedence over repaying our drivers. We had obligations – those debts needed to be paid – and our first priority had to be settling them, not shifting the company’s registration from the EU or whatsoever.

Leo Besutti: Now that the Board issues have been resolved, what is being done to hold those responsible for the crisis accountable? Are there any consequences for the individuals involved?

Alexander Sapov: Absolutely. We are in the process of pursuing legal action against those responsible. Our legal teams are preparing formal claims to ensure that they are held accountable for the damage caused to the company and to our partners and to drivers. We will be seeking to recover losses and damages through the appropriate legal channels. Importantly, any funds that we manage to recover from these proceedings will go directly toward repaying our debts, and the drivers who were affected will be the first to be paid. It’s only fair that  any money that comes back to the company as compensation, will be used to cover debts to drivers first. We will continue to keep everyone informed about developments related to the court proceedings.

While I can’t discuss all the details publicly – since this is now a legal matter – we will continue to be as transparent as possible with our community going forward about the nuances of this matter. I want to assure our driver community that now that the management team of GetTransfer has regained control, we are doing everything in our power to protect them and act in their best interests. We will make sure those responsible face the consequences of their decisions. Our commitment is to righting the wrongs caused by these past governance failures, and that includes using any recovered resources to benefit the drivers who have waited far too long for their payments.

Leo Besutti: With the Board issues resolved and new leadership in place, what steps is GetTransfer taking now to address the outstanding payments to drivers and get the business back on track?

Alexander Sapov: We turned our help  to our drivers. We’ve put in place a clear plan to reimburse all drivers as quickly as possible. In fact, we’ve already begun processing payments to those drivers who have been waiting the longest, and we won’t stop until everyone is paid in full.

At the same time are streamlining our operations and re-engaging with partners and investors to restore momentum. Many initiatives that were stalled are now moving forward again. Our team is working around the clock to rebuild trust – both with our drivers and our customers – and to ensure that the service continues to improve. In short, we are doing everything necessary to stabilize the business, grow sustainably, and prevent such issues from ever happening again.

Leo Besutti: Do you have any final message for the drivers who have been waiting and watching this situation unfold? Many of them supported you and the company through this ordeal.

Alexander Sapov: First and foremost, thank you – truly. I want to express my deep gratitude to all the drivers who stood by us during these difficult times and reached out with messages of solidarity and encouragement. So many of you reached out by writing emails, calling, or sending supportive messages. I was moved by the fact that despite experiencing hardship, a large number of our drivers showed support and believed in our team’s ability to fix this. That kind of trust and loyalty is incredibly humbling. It has meant a lot to me personally, and it kept our team’s spirits up even on the toughest days.

Now that we’ve turned the corner and resolved the internal crisis, I want you to feel confident that your efforts are respected and that you will be rewarded promptly going forward.

Leo Besutti: Based on your experience, what advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs?

Alexander Sapov: For entrepreneurs – always have a strong grasp of governance and shareholder rights, even in the early stages. Protect your decision making authority.  Carefully select investors. Of course nobody is protected from Black Swans happening so then find power to overcome these difficulties!