In a previous life, Frances Townsend defended the authorized foundation for the torture technique referred to as waterboarding throughout George W. Bush’s battle on terror. In a newer one, she helped lead Activision Blizzard’s initially tone-deaf response to a significant sexual harassment lawsuit by the state of California. Now she’s stepping down because the Name of Obligation writer’s chief compliance officer after lower than two years within the place.
CEO Bobby Kotick introduced the transfer to employees in an electronic mail on Thursday, The Wall Road Journal experiences. Regardless of stepping down from the place, Townsend will nonetheless stay an official advisor to Kotick and to Activision Blizzard’s Board of Administrators, over which Kotick presides. This shift within the firm’s governing construction comes as Microsoft tries to persuade regulators to let it purchase the writer of Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV for $69 billion by June 2023.
“She tirelessly and efficiently navigated a difficult time for the Firm with management, conviction, and style,” Kotick wrote within the electronic mail, in accordance with The Wall Road Journal. (Final November, over 1,000 staff signed a letter calling on him to resign.)
Others would possibly disagree. Introduced on board to assist Activision Blizzard navigate advanced international rules, the previous Bush adviser ended up being one of many faces of the corporate’s reckoning with allegations of sexual discrimination and harassment. Townsend turned the messenger for the corporate’s extraordinarily harsh rebuttal to a California lawsuit alleging pay discrimination, a “frat boy” office tradition, and different points.
“A lately filed lawsuit offered a distorted and unfaithful image of our firm, together with factually incorrect, outdated and out of context tales—some from greater than a decade in the past,” read an email from her work account largely defending the corporate and denying any legitimacy to the claims. It provoked a walkout from a whole bunch of staff throughout Activision Blizzard the next week, and Townsend even began blocking a few of them on Twitter after they criticized her for tweeting an anti-whistleblower article from The Atlantic. Finally, she nuked her Twitter account totally. Nonetheless, The Wall Road Journal later reported that the unique electronic mail from Townsend’s account waiving off the California lawsuit was really drafted by Kotick.
Activision Blizzard later modified its tune, saying a variety of new insurance policies to try to deal with office points and an $18 million settlement with the Equal Employment Alternative Fee. The ABK Employee Alliance group that grew out of the unique allegations continues to press for extra reforms and say in how the insurance policies are developed and carried out.
Townsend couldn’t instantly be reached, and Activision Blizzard didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Replace: 9/30/22 10:30 p.m. ET: Activision Blizzard spokesperson Wealthy George offered Kotaku with a copy of Kotick’s electronic mail to employees concerning Townsend’s departure, however declined to remark additional:
Workforce,
As we proceed to maneuver nearer to the completion of our merger with Microsoft, I wish to share some essential updates we’re making to additional our persevering with dedication to excellence in our office, compliance, and governance.
Efficient October 1, Fran Townsend might be shifting to a brand new function as Senior Counselto me and the Board of Administrators. In her present function as EVP of Company Affairs, Chief Compliance Officer and Company Secretary, Fran did a really distinctive job—really 4 jobs— with constantly rising tasks and essentially the most exemplary work ethic. She tirelessly and efficiently navigated a difficult time for the Firm with management, conviction, and style.
Fran additionally has carried out a rare job enhancing the robust governance and compliance packages now we have all through the Firm. One in all Fran’s most essential contributions has been empowering and growing expertise, and we’re happy to announce that her deputies Jen Brewer and Luci Altman will each be promoted efficient October 1.
Jen Brewer, simply celebrated her tenth yr with the corporate, presently as Senior Vice President of Ethics and Compliance. Jen might be promoted to Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer. Jen has greater than twenty years of authorized and compliance expertise. She has lengthy been a key advisor to our senior management crew, and this well-earned promotion acknowledges her distinctive skills and dedication to creating Activision Blizzard the perfect place to work. Jen will report back to Chief Administrative Officer Brian Bulatao whereas persevering with to work intently with me, Fran, Grant and straight with the Board’s Audit and Office Accountability Committees.
Fran and Jen have been dedicated to retaining and attracting expertise to our world class compliance crew, with a various roster of high performers from organizations with main compliance packages like Disney, Boeing, KPMG, Walmart, the US Navy, and among the world’s finest legislation corporations.
Over the ten years Jen has been a pacesetter in compliance on the Firm she has overseen and created modern compliance and reporting packages together with our distinctive Way2Play Heroes program.
Main our Way2Play crew, Jen labored for years with grit and dedication to create our one in all a form Way2Play Heroes initiative which has grown from 75 Heroes to right now, with over 140 Heroes making certain finest practices in compliance throughout the whole firm.
Jen stays obsessed with sustaining essentially the most welcoming inclusive office and making certain continued funding and modern packages so we stay an instance for different firms in our business.
Luci Altman, presently Senior Vice President of Senior Securities & Company Governance, might be promoted to Company Secretary. Luci joined us final yr after greater than thirty years of authorized expertise in non-public observe and high companies, and she or he has been instrumental in our sustaining the best requirements of company governance. Constructing relationships with groups internationally takes time and Luci has constructed robust, trusting relationships throughout the corporate throughout the pandemic, no simple activity. Luci continues to play a pivotal function within the completion of our merger with Microsoft. Whereas a lot of Luci’s work is behind the scenes, we all know she has performed a starring function in making certain now we have the perfect governance practices. She participated within the creation of our 2021 ESG report highlighting our achievements in our efforts to enhance the atmosphere by way of key initiatives like decreasing the usage of plastic packaging and our social and governance packages that are thought of finest at school by impartial reviewers. She’s going to proceed to make sure we preserve our dedication to excellence in all of our ESG initiatives. Luci will now report back to our Basic Counsel, Grant Dixton.
We’ll proceed to exhibit our dedication making certain our governance and compliance packages are the mannequin for our business, and these personnel modifications will assist us preserve our momentum in that regard.
We’re lucky to have world-class professionals like Fran, Jen, and Luci on our crew – and I couldn’t be extra grateful for the tireless work they do.
Thanks all for the shared dedication to the perfect office, your ardour and unwavering dedication to enchancment which is how we are going to proceed to make the world’s finest video games.
With appreciation,
Bobby
