Frances Townsend, Activision Blizzard''s chief compliance officer, is stepping down.
Townsend, who also serves as executive vice president of corporate affairs, will stand down ahead of Microsoft''s acquisition of Activision (falling through, certainly).
Townsend will, however, remain with the company as an advisor to the board and CEO Bobby Kotick, although his future at the company is in jeopardy if and when the acquisition goes through.
"Fran made a truly exceptional job - really four jobs - with constantly increasing responsibilities and the most impressive work ethic," Kotick said. "Fran also made an extraordinary job in enhancing the robust governance and compliance programs we have throughout the company."
Jen Brewer, a senior vice president of ethics and compliance, has reportedly assumed the role of Townsend.
Following a heavily-criticised internal email that said the State of California''s discrimination lawsuit "beyond a horrific picture of our company," Townsend took the leave of the company''s women''s network back in August 2021.
As Microsoft recovers from regulatory bodies'' $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, its CEO, Satya Nadella, said he is "very concerned" about the agreement.
