Julie Hodges of The Walt Disney Company to
become Chief People Officer
Sandeep Dube of Delta Airlines to become
Chief Commercial Officer
Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) today announced the
hiring of two senior executives to help the company build a more
inclusive workplace as well as diversify and grow its revenue.
Julie Hodges, Senior Vice President, Corporate HR and
Compensation, Benefits and Talent Acquisition at The Walt Disney
Company, will become Chief People Officer, effective September 21.
Sandeep Dube, Senior Vice President, Revenue Management at Delta
Airlines, will become Chief Commercial Officer, effective September
27.
“These two outstanding leaders from companies with exceptional
reputations will help us achieve our goal of becoming the best
company to work for in the entertainment industry while growing our
reach, engagement and player investment,” said Bobby Kotick, Chief
Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard.
Ms. Hodges brings more than three decades of global human
resources experience in entertainment and an impeccable record of
shaping corporate culture. She will be responsible for the
company’s global talent organization, making Activision Blizzard
the destination for top talent. In her role, she will lead all
aspects of human resources, including diversity, equity and
inclusion, talent acquisition, employee experience, learning and
development, compensation and benefits and workforce planning.
“I can’t think of a better person to join our team and help lead
our ongoing commitment to an inclusive workplace,” Kotick said.
“Julie is the seasoned leader we need to ensure we are the most
inspiring, equitable and emulated entertainment company in the
world.”
“I share the company’s belief that a work environment should
welcome all perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds,” Hodges
said. “A workforce where everyone feels valued is critical to the
success of our business, as is a trusting, engaging and safe
environment that encourages creativity and innovation and in which
all employees can thrive. It takes a collective effort to do this,
and I’m looking forward to ensuring that we support the diversity
of our talent to bring our people together and continue creating
amazing entertainment.”
In her 32 years at Disney, Hodges led Human Resources for Walt
Disney Parks and Resorts, the Talent Acquisition Center of
Excellence, HRBP for Worldwide Operations, and Disney
University/Learning and Development, Organization Development and
Cast Research. Hodges earned a BS degree from the University of
North Carolina in Chapel Hill. She replaces Claudine Naughton, who
is leaving the company.
Mr. Dube will oversee Activision’s global Sales and Go-To-Market
teams. He will be responsible for developing and implementing
commercial strategy and delivering on the company’s revenue growth
plan.
“Sandeep is a rare leader who not only has the ability to expand
our global go-to-market teams, but also bring his diverse
experience from an accomplished career to unite our commercial
group,” Mr. Kotick said. “Our mission is to connect and engage the
world through epic entertainment. While Sandeep connected the world
through air travel at Delta, he created a growth-oriented culture
that was focused on the very best customer experiences. The
innovations he inspired created incredible customer loyalty. We are
excited to continue our work on revenue growth with an even greater
focus on recognizing and rewarding our players.”
Mr. Dube said, “I couldn’t be more excited to join this team and
work together to continue building our inclusive culture and to
expand our audiences.”
Before joining Activision, Mr. Dube led revenue management,
product strategy, and commercial delivery at Delta. Notably, he
played a key role in building the company’s loyalty program and
steering the airline through the volatile demand environment
created by the pandemic. Prior to Delta, Sandeep worked for more
than a decade in the banking industry as a commercial and marketing
leader, driving revenue growth for consumer-lending businesses.
Dube holds an engineering degree from the Indian Institute of
Technology and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management. He
is filling the role left vacant after Armin Zerza was promoted to
Chief Financial Officer earlier this year.
About Activision Blizzard
Our mission, to connect and engage the world through epic
entertainment has never been more important. Through communities
rooted in our video game franchises we enable hundreds of millions
of people to experience joy, thrill and achievement. We enable
social connections through the lens of fun, and we foster purpose
and a sense of accomplishment through healthy competition. Like
sport, but with greater accessibility, our players can find purpose
and meaning through competitive gaming. Video games, unlike any
other social or entertainment media, have the ability to break down
the barriers that can inhibit tolerance and understanding.
Celebrating differences is at the core of our culture and ensures
we can create games for players of diverse backgrounds in the 190
countries our games are played.
As a member of the Fortune 500 and as a component company of the
S&P 500, we have an extraordinary track record of delivering
superior shareholder returns for over 30 years.
Our enduring franchises are some of the world’s most popular,
including Call of Duty®, Crash Bandicoot™, World of Warcraft®,
Overwatch®, Hearthstone®, Diablo®, StarCraft®, Candy Crush™, Bubble
Witch™, Pet Rescue™ and Farm Heroes™. Our sustained success has
enabled the company to support corporate social responsibility
initiatives that are directly tied to our franchises. As an
example, our Call of Duty Endowment has helped find employment for
over 85,000 veterans.
Learn more information about Activision Blizzard and how we
connect and engage the world through epic entertainment on the
company's website, www.activisionblizzard.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This press
release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning
of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We may, in
some cases, use terms such as “predicts,” “believes,” “potential,”
“proposed,” “continue,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,”
“plans,” “intends,” “may,” “could,” “might,” “will,” “should” or
other words that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes to
identify these forward-looking statements. Such statements are
subject to numerous important factors, risks and uncertainties that
may cause actual events or results to differ materially from the
Company’s current expectations. These and other risks are described
in the Company’s periodic reports, including the annual report on
Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on
Form 8-K, filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange
Commission and available at www.sec.gov. Any forward-looking
statements that the Company makes in this press release speak only
as of the date of this press release. The Company assumes no
obligation to update forward-looking statements whether as a result
of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of
this press release.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210914006077/en/
Kelvin Liu Senior Director, Corporate Communications Activision
Blizzard Kelvin.liu@activision.com 310-255-2213
Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024