Activision Blizzard has now announced the appointment of Kristen Hines as the chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer. One of her roles will be to help Activision Blizzard increase the number of women and non-binary people it employs by 50%.“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 says. “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. Gaming has amazing potential to connect communities around the world and showcase heroes from all backgrounds. I am looking forward to playing a part in expanding the landscape of talent who brings these compelling experiences to a broad base of players.”Activision Blizzard has of course been making headlines following the sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit filed against the company by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing last year. On Hines’ appointment, Kotick says, “Activision Blizzard has ambitious goals to become the most welcoming and inclusive company in the gaming industry. 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… 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 values.”Activision Blizzard’s statement tells us that Hines will “strengthen work underway with the company’s leadership team and its Employee Resource Groups to implement programs and policies that foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace environment. Hines will also partner across all gaming teams to ensure diverse and inclusive perspectives are included in game design, including storylines, character development, gameplay and community interaction.” The statement adds that Hines will be crucial to seeing that Activision Blizzard increases the number of women and non-binary people it employs by 50% over the next five years, and shared a link to a document of its 2022 Q1 representation data.
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