In a previous life, Frances Townsend defended the authorized foundation for the torture technique known as waterboarding throughout George W. Bush’s warfare on terror. In a more moderen 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 e-mail on Thursday, The Wall Avenue Journal stories. 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 beauty,” Kotick wrote within the e-mail, in keeping with The Wall Avenue Journal. (Final November, over 1,000 workers signed a letter calling on him to resign.)
Others may disagree. Introduced on board to assist Activision Blizzard navigate complicated 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 grew to become 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, previous 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 tons of of workers 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 completely. Nevertheless, The Wall Avenue Journal later reported that the unique e-mail from Townsend’s account waiving off the California lawsuit was truly drafted by Kotick.
Activision Blizzard later modified its tune, saying quite a lot 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 applied.
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 e-mail to employees concerning Townsend’s departure, however declined to remark additional:
Crew,
As we proceed to maneuver nearer to the completion of our merger with Microsoft, I need to share some necessary 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 position as Senior Counselto me and the Board of Administrators. In her present position as EVP of Company Affairs, Chief Compliance Officer and Company Secretary, Fran did a very distinctive job—truly 4 jobs— with constantly growing tasks and essentially the most exemplary work ethic. She tirelessly and efficiently navigated a difficult time for the Firm with management, conviction, and beauty.
Fran additionally has performed a unprecedented job enhancing the robust governance and compliance packages we have now all through the Firm. Considered one of Fran’s most necessary contributions has been empowering and creating 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 staff, 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 instantly 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 staff, with a various roster of high performers from organizations with main compliance packages like Disney, Boeing, KPMG, Walmart, the US Navy, and a number of the world’s finest regulation companies.
Over the ten years Jen has been a pacesetter in compliance on the Firm she has overseen and created progressive compliance and reporting packages together with our distinctive Way2Play Heroes program.
Main our Way2Play staff, Jen labored for years with grit and dedication to create our one among a form Way2Play Heroes initiative which has grown from 75 Heroes to at this time, with over 140 Heroes making certain finest practices in compliance throughout your entire firm.
Jen stays enthusiastic about sustaining essentially the most welcoming inclusive office and making certain continued funding and progressive packages so we stay an instance for different firms in our trade.
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 apply and high companies, and she or he has been instrumental in our sustaining the best requirements of company governance. Constructing relationships with groups the world over takes time and Luci has constructed robust, trusting relationships throughout the corporate in the course of the pandemic, no simple process. Luci continues to play a pivotal position 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 position in making certain we have now the perfect governance practices. She participated within the creation of our 2021 ESG report highlighting our achievements in our efforts to enhance the atmosphere via key initiatives like lowering using plastic packaging and our social and governance packages that are thought of finest in 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 Common Counsel, Grant Dixton.
We are going to proceed to show our dedication making certain our governance and compliance packages are the mannequin for our trade, 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 staff – 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’ll proceed to make the world’s finest video games.
With appreciation,
Bobby
