Activision Blizzard Appoints Diversity Chief

Activision Blizzard has named Kristen Hines as its new Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer. She will step into the role starting April 25.

Activision Blizzard has been under constant pressure since the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing went public with its suit against the company for fostering a culture of sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination last summer. More lawsuits followed, as did organizing attempts at the employer.

Hines' appointment is one of several steps the company has taken to try to repair its image.

"Activision Blizzard has ambitious goals to become the most welcoming and inclusive company in the gaming industry," said Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick in a statement. "We have already made significant progress ensuring the safety and well-being of our employees, and we are excited to have Kristen join our leadership team to help drive even greater improvement."

Hines previously led Global Inclusion, Diversity and Equity at information technology company Accenture, where she worked for more than 15 years.

"Kristen's success leading complex transformation with measurable results makes her the right person to ensure we deliver on our diversity, equity and inclusion commitments and build a model workplace aligned with our vales," Kotick said.

In her new role, Hines will implement programs and policies designed to make a more diverse and equitable workplace at Activision Blizzard. She'll also work to ensure diverse perspectives are heard across all Activision Blizzard's game design divisions, and work to increase Activision Blizzard's percentage of women and non-binary people in its workforce by 50% over the next year.

"I'm excited to join a company that is prioritizing its commitment to DEI and making progress on the ambitious goals it has set for itself," Hines said in a statement. "In an industry with historical underrepresentation, I'm looking forward to leading the company's efforts to further build a workplace that values transparency, equity, and inclusivity."

Activision Blizzard announce plans to convert all its temporary testers to full-time employees with benefits last week, but excluded those testers at Raven Software attempting to form a unionx at the company. It also came under fire from employees for relaxing its COVID-19 vaccine mandate in recent weeks.